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AHI in AR

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  1. John-- What you'll discover soon enough is that smaller homes often require MORE time than larger ones. Economic realities take their toll. If you have a 4000 s.f. home, chances are that the owners have generally had the financial wherewithal to make proper repairs. There are exceptions, of course, but not a lot. On the other hand, that 1100 s.f. home likely had an owner (or owners) who had to decide between making a proper repair or paying, for instance, the car note. In the home owner's mind, a gallon of tar, a roll of duct tape, or some epoxy putty is cheaper than the expenses they can't do anything about. The decision is made to perform a homemade repair on the problems until they have a little "extra" money to have it done right. All too often, that day never arrives. Another sacrifice is made to the god of deferred maintenance. Bad news for anyone having to inspect the home later.
  2. Thanks, Les-- I was thinking more in terms of litigation support, at least to start out with. From what little I have read, the court has to declare you to be an expert witness. I assumed that it would start as lit. support and possibly evolve into EW work. I suspect I'd enjoy the field work/research end of it more than any time spent in court. That could change, however, as I got more used to it. Why does one have to have thick skin? To be able to stand an attorney grilling you? What type of personality do you think best fits this line of work?
  3. Like many of you guys, I am thinking about ways to diversify and bring home a little more bacon. In the last week alone, I have been brought in to assist on two construction defect/ litigation support issues. That may be a fluke, but both attorneys involved hinted strongly at the likelihood of more work if I was interested. With 25 years of custom homebuilding experience in addition to my HI work it would seem to be a good fit for me. I have done a little of this in the past, but it wasn't business I exactly sought out. However, given what I see as the generally declining quality of new construction, I can easily see that more of this type of work could be coming. Someone will make some money off of it. I figure it might as well be me! I don't know how to price out my services. How many of you do this, and how do you charge? Per hour with a minimum? Do you bill for travel time if it's within your city? I'm not asking for your hourly rates or other private info, just advice as to how to structure my fee schedule. However, if you do want to share what you know to be typical rates in your area I would appreciate it. Obviously, I realize that will vary by market.
  4. I'd have to agree with Mr. G. Looks like 3 layers to me. Was this the little home you posted earlier this week? How'd it go?
  5. Like you said, it would have to be hyperlinked to a file hosted on your computer or elsewhere. Seems like a lot of trouble though. For those few pics I want larger, I simply enlarge them in the report itself before converting it to a PDF. You should be able to easily do that if your working in Word.
  6. If not, it should improve yours to a degree directly proportional to the force applied to the cat. Either way it's not a waste of time.
  7. I was thinking something along the same lines but I didn't want to fill you with dread too far in advance. It should be good for experience.Maybe by the time it's over you'll change the name of the post to "Blame My Dog."
  8. I seem to find more on the front on smaller homes. The larger ones have them on the rear most often. I attribute it to economics. Your basic small home layout wasn't conducive to an additional bump out on the rear for the sleeping room. You already had some of the necessary structure in place in the front courtesy of the front porch ceiling; adding a sleeping porch at the rear would have added complexity and cost.
  9. Brian-- I forgot to add this since I thought you were joking. Maybe you were. However, no one else has taken it up, so... It's not called a cold pump because it doesn't pump cold...in either season. Cold is merely the absence of heat. You can't really pump "cold" into an area any more than you can pump a vacuum into an area. A heat pump absorbs heat from outside and transfers it into your home in the winter. No matter how cold it feels to us, until you reach absolute zero, there is still technically some heat outside.
  10. Little hard to tell from a tiny pic, but... Chimney looks short. Is there proper flashing where the shed roofs in the front adjoin the brick? I would guess that the home was originally wood siding and the brick and rock or rock-like material were added later since the design looks atypical. ( I could be wrong. Regional differences in methods abound.) If so, look for points of water entry around doors and windows. Electrical looks a little odd even in a Lilliputian scale. Is that some sort of flex conduit crawling up over the left side of the meter? Look carefully at the wood stove installation for clearances. Probably would be a good idea to recommend an evaluation by someone familiar with the brand. And what is that pipe splitting the gable in the front? Must be pretty tall--it has braces. Clearances/flashings an issue there also. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions on things to look for...
  11. I inspected a home which previously had a sleeping porch that had since been closed in entirely. Originally, there was a neat system of "pocketed" windows which dropped into the lower wall section to allow for ventilation. The roof had deep overhangs, so I guess water didn't get into the cavities much. They were actually in good shape. Anyway, when I looked thru the narrow slot into the wall cavity which the windows previously dropped into, it was full of old pints and half pints of gin and vodka, and tobacco tins. Must have been the "vice" room. Presumably the full pints were from weeks when the paycheck was better! Oh...In case anyone didn't get the meaning of the winking smilie in my earlier post, I was being facetious regarding the stick-on muntins.
  12. I don't see what all the fuss is about. Simply put some of those electrical-tape-looking fake muntins on the windows -- in the appropriate diamond pattern, of course -- and it will blend in perfectly with the half timbered gables. []
  13. Yes. It's a drain from a stand alone under-counter icemaker, not one built in to a freezer. While I don't see a lot of them, (kinda pricey) they do have drain lines. Normally, I see them drained vertically into larger diameter drains mounted below the discharge, and with a gap between them.
  14. I don't know that there is an exact number, but I seem to recall that their heat output isn't really adequate/ efficient at some point in the 40's. You had better have backup heat if you expect colder temps than that.
  15. I realize that the drain line has to go into an indirect receptor. It doesn't, but that's not the question. Admittedly, it was amusing to see the looks on the faces of the clients when I explained why you didn't want to tap directly into a drain line with an icemaker drain. I not sure they'll ever be able to use it. I just wanted to know what this thing was since I had never seen one on a drain line. After looking at the link that Frank posted, it appears that the fitting used is actually intended for larger diameter supply lines, not drains.
  16. Brian G. Innocent Bystander Brian, Brian, Brian...having heard the story pour forth from your lips early the next morning...and judging from the willingness (if not outright glee) evident when you posted the story here, I must reluctantly conclude that you were NOT an innocent bystander. I'm crushed at your lack of veracity. (And more than a little disappointed I wasn't present to witness the debauchery firsthand.) []
  17. Bubba Fitting I've never seen one like it, hence the question...but it appears to be commercially made. If it wasn't, someone spent a hell of a lot of time making it. Maybe Bubba's brother made it. (The one who went all the way THROUGH 8th grade.)
  18. The copper fitting connected to the PVC is the fitting used for the icemaker drain. What is the name of the fitting...and is it proper? It may not show up well in the pic. It's a clamped on thing like a saddle valve. I can't say if it leaks as the unit has no water supply on to it yet. This was a 43 year old home which burned and was rebuilt. Image Insert: 376.75 KB
  19. Why thank you. Would you explain that to my wife? - Jim Katen, Oregon Jim, Jim, Jim...need I tell you that you are in danger of damaging (if not outright losing) your facade of "amazingness" simply by asking us to inform your wife that you are amazing? Shouldn't it be obvious to her? Admittedly, my wife doesn't see me as amazing. However, I'll admit the problem could be me...
  20. I've got a question regarding registration times for IW. Being that this is my first one I don't know the protocol. The email I got says registration will begin at noon on Wednesday, but it says nothing about when it will end. Since I'm coming down and staying with a friend who's providing transportation also each day, I don't want to have to come in Wednesday just to register if it's not necessary. I figure parking alone will be a problem. I had assumed I could register Thursday AM before the sessions began. My email to ASHI asking about this wasn't answered. Anybody know if I can register Thursday AM? Also, I know the sessions start generally at 9, but when do things actually get going in the mornings like the vendor booths and such? Lastly, I'll say that it should be interesting to actually meet some of you guys and put faces to the names. Any plans for a TIJ get-together of any sort?
  21. I've got a friend who lives in New Orleans so I asked him for some dining recommendations. DISCLAIMER: His office relocated west and he hasn't worked or eaten lunch in this area for over a year. Restaurants change. If ya eat at one of these places and don't enjoy it, don't come after me with a hatchet. He sent me this in an email: With two hours for lunch, you can walk to any of these and of course you’ll have to try Drago’s at some point (chargrilled oysters. Good even if you don't normally like oysters) Maspero’s, 601 Decatur in the French Quarter 504.523.6250. They have everything at 1/3 the cost of Mothers (a high priced tourist trap) and better atmosphere. A little bland, but lots of food for the money. Tujaque’s at 823 Decatur in the French Quarter. Historic bar, unbelievable atmosphere and history, known for its brisket sandwich and gumbo at lunch. At least it was when I was working down there, not to be missed if possible. Mike Serio’s 133 St. Charles, Po Boys, plate lunches, salads, huge LSU and Saints hang out Lucy’s Retired Surfers Restaurant & Bar, 701 Tchoupitoulas St. The Red Eye Grill is also good, on Tchoupitoulas but it’s strictly man burgers Don’t forget the Ugly Dog BBQ Personally, as an Arkansas native where we know how to do BBQ, I question whether any BBQ place in New Orleans will truly get it right. My advice is if it looks too clean and polished, it may be acceptable -- even "bad" BBQ beats a lot of meals I've had -- but it's probably not the best BBQ.
  22. Hours a day? Why? Seems to me ya got it all right here... OK, maybe it's a little light on the inspiring part. []
  23. The only way I could see winds as a factor is if the window is improperly sealed and cold air is being forced in around it, thereby cooling the inside of the window frame enough to allow condensation to form.
  24. As a common sense matter, if the installation is the EXACTLY the same on both angled sides of the bay, and there is noticeably higher moisture on one side, then it seems likely that directional orientation may be a factor in causing condensation. BUT...if there is a difference in air flow across the interior of the windows then orientation is less of a factor. If there is not dryer, warm air flowing equally across both the windows that may be the real issue. I would also suspect that poorly sealed gaps around the exterior may allow wind-driven moisture to permeate the area. That said, I wonder what interior sources of moisture there would be to form condensation in an unoccupied home during winter... in a cold climate where the thermostat is kept low. No cooking, no breathing, no showers, etc. Any humidifiers in use? Bottom line as I see it is that there are too many variables to call this with the information given. From where I sit anyway. Oh yeah...I have no idea what a sill muffler is either. Maybe it quiets the sound of the wind whistling through a poorly sealed sill...
  25. I'll be attending Inspection World in New Orleans this year. Never having gone before, I decided this would be the best opportunity since I have a good friend who lives there who not only will let me stay with him, he volunteered to chauffeur me to and from the seminar. The affordability factor went way up with that news. (Not to mention we always have a great time together.) Am I correct in assuming that the education should be first rate? Our state HI association does a really good job each year with a local 2-day CE seminar and we've had some good speakers through the last few years. (Hansen, Drennan, Cramer, etc.) Unfortunately, they aren't all of the same caliber. Admittedly, I don't know the speakers this year. Any of you guys going or not going just due to the topics or the guys leading the classes?
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