kurt

Thanks for the input. There's so many websites w/ the generic color block backgrounds, I just wanted something clean. I'm doing a lot of editing & proofreading now; in the haste to get something going, I got sloppy. The mail link is a problem for some reason; I'm working on it.

OK, I got most of the site up now. For anyone that wants to critique, check out www.kurtmitenbuler.com I'm not looking for sunshine to be blown in my ---; be critical. I stole some narrative from Cramer's site about "How to Choose an Inspector", w/ his permission, of course. I've got more credentials to put up, my photo in "about us", etc. Other than that, I think I've got the basis for a decent site.

I think Norm is a safe bet; better than the current choices anyway. Paul, I was speaking stricly tongue in cheek; I'm about as apolitical as one gets. They're all nuts.

Lustron homes were a post WWII development that played on the ridiculously low price of steel in the post war environment. They are all over the country, but there were a couple major developments in Chicago. I've inspected a couple of them. For what they are, they were nice little homes. The eventual rise in the cost of steel, the boom in Pacific NW logging (cheap lumber), & the generally better performance characteristics of non-steel houses led to the demise of the Lustron home. It was raining on one of my Lustron inspections; it was kind of loud, but soothing in a strange way.

The Texans do it Chicago style; it's a hell of a way to run things.

I know, no politics. For the first time, I'm finding some interest in the Democratic party.... Download Attachment: kerry sailor.jpg 6.79 KB

Is anyone else noticing an amazing proliferation of HVAC systems in new homes that don't push air the way one would imagine they should? In the Big Dirty, it has gotten to the point of nearly every new home having lousy systems. The causes are not hard to trace. In the quest for ever more square footage, furnaces are being relegated to tiny closets in corners & oddball duct runs w/lots of turns & length. Top feeding rooms is also increasingly popular; maybe I'm confused, but the last time I checked, didn't hot air go up? At least we don't have flex duct..... Of course, these are most commonly found in the $1 million & up range of houses, so the realtors are less than interested when I comment on it. I did a $4.5 million crib 2 months ago where there was literally NO air coming into, or out of, several roooms. Just curious; is this a nationwide phenomenon, or is it just another stupid thing in the City?

I looked for you. Between the ridiculously poor archive feature of WebBoard, & the (currently) bottomed out speed of the ASHI board, finding anything more than 90 days old is essentially impossible.

Not likely if it's a 60's house.

I call 'em hotel heaters; they're like the heaters in cheap hotels (the only hotel type I'm familiar with). They are the heating/cooling units that fit in a wall sleeve. And, there is usually a switch on the wall saying "Warm/Cool", etc. Very common in condominiums downtown.

Hope springs eternal in Chicago; the Maddux deal is going to give us a real pitching staff. A combo of Wood & Maddux (if Woods arm holds out) could get interesting. The Cubs are actually acting like they actually want to win.

Peoples Gas is now 1" minimum to combustible(s). Most mfg's. say 2" minimum. Do you consider PVC combustible? I'm not sure. I do know if you burn the stuff, it's poison gas, very bad.

My position could be subrogated, so no 3rd party use of this statement...... I doubt it's a problem. The ones I see that are problems are 60's buildings w/ flat facades, i.e., no overhangs & lots of exposure. There is always staining & obvious pathways for water to travel into the brick. Utah is kind of dry anyway, isn't it? If it looks OK, it probably is.

I wouldn't count on the Tramex; it will also find nails, wall ties, & any other metal object in the wall. If it is critical, cut a tiny hole in the drywall & look. The guy from SBI had some good things to say about this, which I found enlightening as I look @ brick all day long. (Chicago is a masonry city.) He said, "if it doesn't look like there is a problem, there probably isn't". I've found that to be true. If drainage is OK, there are good eave overhangs, there is no efflorescence or water staining anywhere, the likelihood is that moisture equalizes its way out of the wall (if it is there @ all) without any particular problems occurring. Then again, if the mortar mix is rich, that can exacerbate all kinds of things. How old is the uncles house?

I believe completely in what George sez. Since 1978, yes 1978, I have offered the finest in home inspection services. Yes, brother George, I was inspecting homes when you had probably not yet heard of the process. I was the first registered business performing home inspections in West Michigan, maybe all of Michigan. Look it up in the DBA's of Kalamazoo, MI. (Ok, bring up the music slowly) I was the one placing my life on the line, taking the rude rebukes of those diabolical realtors. I paved the way w/ the first use of CO testing (I was using Draeger tubes in 1981), paved the way w/ the computer use on site (I had a Apple Powerbook 100 in 1990), & paved the way by keeping my affiiliations w/ realtors seperate (they all hate me anyhow). I was performing 3+ hour inspections in 1985. Yes, brothers sisters, I was out of the chute while George was still figuring out what to do w/his life. (Bring up the music....." mine eyes have seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord...") It was my example of excellent inspections, forthright ethics, & meticulous Standards of Practice that allowed people like George to rise up, find themselves, & declare themselves free of the bondage of, of, of.... Oh, the bondage of something. And to create a legacy, not just be in business, but to create a LEGACY. (Bring up the music full now...) Why, old George has already eschewed the legacy that was left him by someone in the trenches while he was still cutting hizzelf on old sheetmetal. Old George imagines hizzelf to be the keeper of the flame. Old George, well, George needs something to grab hold of, & more power to him.

I know, I'd like to. There are law firms downtown who have big shot clients who also happen to be big pig slumlords, who also happen to want building inspections. When I get a referral for one of these, I just have to hunker down & do it. It's one of those things I don't enjoy, but I value the experience. I wish I could march folks through these inner city hellholes; it would put a face on what the brothers are talking about.

Been there, although in my case, it was an off duty cop hired to hang around as encouragement that everyone play nice. Kind of gives a little indication that we got life pretty easy compared to many.

What Paul & Doug said. I've had this happen on occasion. I explain that I'm not doing a code inspection, I am giving my opinion of the property. I use the model code system as a guideline basis for my observations. Since all modern fire codes require this fire seperation, it is only prudent that it be considered. If someone wants to ignore it based on someones legal opinion of legal non-conformance (grandfathered), OK, let them. You gave them a good opinion; tell them to consult the fire marshall & let them argue w/ him.

I looked @ a property about 5 months ago in Lake Forest. The seller had, as a decorative effect in every room, a loaded silver pearl handled Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. In the BR's, it was delicately placed on the table by the bedside. Does Martha Stewart have anything about proper placement of handguns in her books?

Why wouldn't you leave everything else the way it is & rewire just the kitchen? You did say it was a kitchen remodel, didn't you(?). If you are remodeling the kitchen, you have all new circuits running to appliances & outlets, right? Am I missing something?

Yes. The second photo looks like rising damp, i.e., moisture wicking up from below.

Did you also drink the bong water?

Me three; don't even begin to comment in any way other than to disclaim it entirely until the snow has melted. DON'T let yourself be pressured to give an opinion.

I'm w/ the Urban Legend theory & the timing theory, i.e., if the hidden attic shingles are dropping "napalm" on you, laugh & shake it off because you're already dead. How about the omni-present polyvinylchloride pipe in a house; burn that crap & you got poison gas permeating the habitable space. How about the polyester leisure suit in the closet? Carpet? Formica? I like Chads' approach. I keep ABC class fire extinguishers @ each level of the house, in addition to smoke detectors @ every level, every stairwell, every sleeping area, & in my bsmt. mechanical room. (Curiously, I still don't have a carbon monoxide monitor although I recommend them to my clients all the time.) There is absolutely no reason that anyone has to suffer death by fire in modern America; the technology is readily available to protect us well before anything gets out of control, it is cheap, & it is easy.

I should have been caulk specific; there are some silicones that can work, but I meant the cheap $1.79 a tube stuff. Whenever I see cheap silicone on a roof up here, it is peeling off. "Solar Seal" or similar grade caulk has silicone in it (I think) and works great. Roofing tar, i.e., plastic based roof cement, works great up too. Insert whatever material you want in the "dab" comment; I use roof cement ("tar").