kurt

Very interesting. I believe it. Having grown up w/knob & tube in all manner of hacked together alterations, I can personally attest to it's amazing resilience. If all it was handling was lightbulbs & clocks, and it was unaltered, it's fine. Unfortuneately, so many other things occur, particuarly it's alteration. Those sorts of studies tend to frighten me, as it puts an open ended allowance on the stuff. When does it become too old & unsafe? I guess we have to wait for some fires.

Pdf's are easily changed, but most people don't know that, so it helps. It does take some dinking around to change them, unlike a Word file, which is simple. They are still relatively hard to attach a virus to, which is one of the big plusses. I suppose the hacks will figure that out soon. There are all manner of security methods to indicate when someone has tampered w/ the .pdf, but I haven't taken the time to figure them out.

Geeez Scott, that was pretty good; I'm gonna scratch that one in the wall.

It's not exactly revelatory that wireless service sucks. Everywhere. But everyone uses it, & somehow we all make it work. So far, the wireless internet is working for me. That's because I took the (free) opportunity to try something new, & found that it is working. Quite adequately. Or, you can use the Treo phone, hookup to the computer, & go wireless internet that way. My good friend, Brother Jowers, uses his Treo 600 phone w/PDAnet software & Sprint access, & hooks up to the internet w/ no extra charge. He's having good success in Nashville.

Depends.

I have been told by a lead arson investigator that huge percentages of fires are arson, they know they can't prove it, so it goes in the electrical fire bin. When I took fire science, we sat around and tried to start fires w/ amperage generators; it's extremely hard. Things like space heaters get thrown into the "electrical fire" bin also.

Donald, Donald, Donald..... Yes, you are missing something. Let's see..... Haul around a printer, take time, ink, paper, for one copy. Email from the site..... no equipment, no time, no ink, no paper, copies to attornies, customers, & anyone else that needs it. Instantaneously. You don't get that?

Is it a shallow well "jet pump"? It doesnt' look like the casing is big enough for a submersible(?).

I think I have touched the future. I sent out my first reports from the site yesterday, via .pdf attachment in an email. AT&T Wireless Mobile Internet service has arrived in the Big Dirty, & its not bad (so far). There is a promotion going on for the $250 GC82 PC Card Modem; sign up for a 2 year plan, get the modem for free. I bit, because there is a no questions asked 30 day money back guarantee. Downside is $80 per month, but a bargain if it continues to work. You should have seen the look on my customers face when they asked "when do we get the report?". I told them it was already in their Inbox. Not to mention, mobile internet access w/ my Tablet. Yow.... http://www.attwireless.com/speed/ Kurt Mitenbuler Chicago; workin' the inner City

Well, actually, it was Scott, not Chris....

There are few things as humbling, or educational, as looking @ old reports. When I've gone over stuff from a few years back, I shudder. It's the hardest part of the job. The inspectin' stuff is easy; writing the report is the killer. What's really amazing is when I run across some of the mass market checklists & matrix stuff; I literally don't know what they are talking about. Not a clue.

What Lawson said. That said....... Finding roof leaks is not easy. In my experience, roofing rarely leaks out in the "field" shakes. They usually leak @ angles, vertices, penetrations, flashings, etc. Look all those areas over first. If you are lucky enough to find where the water is coming in, DON'T PATCH IT W/ROOF SEALANT; take two aspirin, get a good nights sleep, & come back here w/ a photo or very good description of what you found. Then, a decent fix can be discussed.

Man, that really stinks up the place. What's really scary is that is the sort of work I see on a regular basis on a re-roof. Cut in flashing is essentially non-existent nowadays in my 'hood. About as good as I get to see is where the metal is staggered to the mortar line, but then is caulked. How many of us get to see new installs that are cut in? I never do.

Yes. Don't do septic field inspections. No one can determine the condition of a septic field; it is impossible. When you blow one, and you will, you will be made to look very stupid by a long list of people, starting w/ the attorney & ending w/ the septic guy that digs up the failed field.

I did NOT resign from ASHI, & my #'s are pretty much the same as last year, w/an improved margin due to my raising my prices; percentages are almost exactly what yours are. I've gotten exactly one job from the ASHI website this year; all my jobs come from the same places they always did, i.e., satisfied customers telling their friends & a bunch of law firms downtown. I also know a couple fellas who have gotten a couple dozen jobs from the ASHI site, & they are not underpriced cheesey inspectors. Who knows? I think folks think about this stuff too much, & then use it as an explanation for why they are doing so well in business. I propose that one does well in business because they are smart, do good inspections, & charge enough to cover their expenses. No one knows what the branding thing is going to effect, as it isn't even really off the ground. Personally, I have suspicions that it isn't even going to get off the runway, as the overall membership response to the program thus far is a large yawn. As far as the public goes, 99% of my customers are amazed that there is a professional organization for HI's; they have absolutely no name recognition of ASHI. That, in a nutshell, is what the branding buzz is about; let people know that there is a professional organization, & that it's members are dedicated to quality inspections. Like all marketing, it is a blend of truth & fantasy. Who knows? Who cares? ASHI is a large organization. Large organizations go through alternating periods of success, failure, brilliance, & rectal/cranial inversion. In light of the horrific issues going on all around us & in the world, ASHI branding just doesn't get on my radar screen unless someone keeps reminding me about it. On a lighter note, I've discovered I'm on something called Angies List; what the hell is that? It's sent me 3 or 4 jobs this year that I'm aware of, maybe more that I'm not aware of. I checked, & people there say I'm wonderful. Howzabout that? I'm not even sure how I got on the list(?).

Basically what Brian said; the stuff is kind of hard to mess up too badly. Even if it was real stone, drystacking can be wonderful if you know what you are doing. I built an entire house on St. John, USVI, w/drystacked stone. Given the lousy workmanship of most of the masonry I see, drystacking looks better to me anyway. The plywood behind the shutter (w/no flashing) is sloppy, but if there is a decent eave overhang above the window that provides minimal protection, it will probably perform adequately.

Is this adhered mfg. stone? It looks like it. That would make a difference in what I had to say about it.

I don't see any sandstone foundations; ours are all limestone, granite, or similar cut stone. I can imagine that the sandstone would be pretty moist w/ gutters dumping right next to the house like you describe. Like everyone agreed, drainage is critical for stone foundations.

Norms comment regarding high/low air intakes is the same as Chicago; the powers that be want to see a convective loop of intake air. I believe it is a component of the "new" NFGC 2002 edition. (National Fuel Gas Code) Specifically, the NFGC requires that "two permanent openings shall communicate directly, or by ducts, w/ the outdoors or spaces that freely communicate w/ the outdoors." In a lighter vein...... I am kind of a nature freak, & I communicate directly w/ the outdoors through 2 of my permanent openings; I am offering myself as combustion air vent source.

We had big bunches of those babies this winter; every 2 flat had 5 tons of ice hanging on the rear eave......

Here it is..... Download Attachment: vent mold Small.jpg 51.2 KB

First, what kind of stone? Second, epoxy won't help; it will only hold moisture into the stone, that is, unless you pull apart the foundation, epoxy coat each stone, & then reassemble the foundation w/ epoxy additive grout or mortar. Without seeing the house, my kneejerk would be that drainage is the problem; it's always the problem w/ stone foundations.

Ammonia will give copper the most amazing deep green patina, and not the "fluffy" patina; it's the deep patina that doesn't rub off on your clothes. Pouring the ammonia on the copper won't due it; you have to "fume" the copper w/ the ammonia gas. It takes several days, but it is a nice way to quickly "color" copper.

A simple parking space in a garage in downtown Chicago goes for about $60,000, IF you can find one for sale. A garage in the Gold Coast area goes for about $150,000. It's similar in any major metro market. It's totally insane. I, on occasion, am asked to inspect parking spaces when I do a condo inspection. I comply, walk down, measure it off, & respond that yes, it is a parking space. Life is grand. I think I will steal Chads boilerplate; never know when I might need it. There was one space, though, where I discovered major fraud; the developer was only allotting 6' for the parking space instead of the required 8'. So, I stopped being casual about parking space inspections, now go about it seriously. One never knows when something could come back to bite you in this biz.

It sure would, but then, those few who insist that they be more equal than all of us other equals wouldn't have their soapboxes for personal edification. For some, this isn't about inspecting buildings, it's about being on a pedestal. Until that goes away, we'll continue to have dissent amongst organizations. I'm not holding my breath.