kurt

Just a little personal experience w/ uncaulked nails. I had one on my shack; saw it, never caulked it. Just one, near a ridge cap corner. Barely exposed. The shack is just that so why would I care? 10 years later I was up there sweeping pine needles off the roof & felt a little "sponge" under my feet. Tore off the shingles to find (approx.) 32' of rotten roof deck plywood that could be easily traced back to a single exposed nailhead that had been leaking for 10 years. Exposed nails go in my report w/ a recommendation for a dab of roof tar; if I said caulk, someone would go up there w/ a tube of silicone.......

No one has ever accused Newcomer of non-opportunistic behavior. It is extremely unfortunate that the boneheads @ the station chose to air the tripe. Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse.

Whew. The whole buss melted down. It would seem a miracle that the house didn't burn w/it. Kind of makes the whole FPE thing a little more real. What brand panel?

The question reinforces my paranoia, i.e., "is there something new we should know about?" That's the problem; I don't know. There always seems to be something new. I was bombarded by the current virus over the last 2 weeks, & I'm a little shaky. Mike decided to be brave; I'm a wimp. I live & die w/ my network, & I have irrational fear of the unknown virus eating my system.

I would love to view the photos, but I won't click on a link that I am not sure where it goes, especially a Word doc link. Can you post a .jpeg photo instead?

Speaking of which, when did H clips become required, i.e., what year?

Like Norm said. I fully expect this to become a major trend, & I also expect the large services corporations who are now in the home inspection business to lead the way. I also expect a great many (potential) customers to think it is a great idea. Dennis' IHINA is one avenue for enlightenment of the masses. Developing a business plan to counter this sort of mess will be absolutely necessary. The single man shop leading a simple life, once the standard, is going to quickly become the anomaly. Kinda scary.

Jim, Seriously though, I actual don't get much business in my own town (Evanston NW Wildcat country, perennial letdown). I get a number of calls from clients who tell me they want an inspector from "out of town." The reason they give is they don't want someone who "knows" the agents. Isn't that the truth. I (almost) never get work in my own town (Evanston, NW Wildcat country, NOT going to the show this year). When I do, the customer always calls back to see if I'm insane, as the realtors usually expresses horror along the lines of "how did you find him?"

Stick w/ Holahan, both the book & website. I pick up most of my steam knowledge from a couple of techs' here in Chicago. They really aren't all that complicated; in fact, I'd much rather look @ an old steam system than a forced air system anyday. There is much too much said about steam & hot water that makes it appear like one has to be a magician to figure it out. Not true. Read the Holahan book, take two aspirin, & call me in the morning.

I thought it had to be "greenboard", the oxymoronic water resistant drywall(?).

One item left out of the discussion entirely (and that I find amazingly dense), is there is no attempt by any accrediting agency to determine if the applicant can write a report to the required SOP of that individuals state. Or write a report. Or write, period. Or even communicate effectively. We will continue to wallow in the backwaters of all the above issues, and our profession will continually be edging around moron status, as long as there are goofy matrix/checlist/3 Ring Binder encyclopedia report systems. Don't look for this to change anytime soon (or anytime @ all). For those wishing to "break in", but seem unable to do so, try learning how to write; that would immediately place you in the 1% of inpsectors capable of performing the hardest part of the job. It astounds me no end that we seem to be the only "profession" completely eschewing writing as a form of communication. If you asked for a report written to your (whatever) required SOP, I think you'd find 7/8 of inspectors currently working couldn't do it, & would be offended that it was a requirement. Oh, & BTW, nice little statement, Scott.

And it's still slow. After experiencing O'Handleys joint, going back to the molasses in January speed of the ASHI site is rough. FWIW; I just booked a job 2 blocks from my house. The customer found me through the metro search function of the new ASHI site. I've paid for my branding experience. It is in an area where I am usually blackballed out by the local realtors. Maybe I'm gonna start getting work in my own backyard. [:-eyebrows]

To get control of your domain name, you have to diddle around w/ Ainspect and have them do a transfer of the name to you as the registrant, administrative tech, & everything else. Specifically, it's called a "Internal Transfer Request". It was a pain in the ass, but I finally got it done after much misinformation & confusion. Go to BulkRegister.com & pay your member fee; if you aren't a member of BulkRegister, it is more complicated. Once you're a member, & you get control of your own name, it's real real easy. While you're at it, register all variants of your name. Talk to Sam Ulloa @ Ainspect & he'll handle it. Start now, because it took me about 3 months to get it all done.

Let me get in on that welcome. For those that don't know him, Mr. Loden about as level headed and knowledgeable an individual as one is likely to find in the HI business. He also happens to be a rocket scientist, literally. How 'bout this joint; it's almost getting respectable.......

I salute you. Working on a high pressure/super heated steam system in the tight confines of a Naval vessel would scare the bejeezus out of me.

Been in both buildings; I would love to have seen the boiler room for the Fisher Building. We're about the same age; I bet you remember the Ford Rotunda, & going to see Santa Claus @ Hudsons downtown. I remember when the Rotunda burned; sad day for the Motor City. This puppy is in one of those fancy pants condo buildings that line Lake Shore Drive up the north side.

I love looking @ the monster boilers. How many of you guys get to look @ stuff like this?[:-bonc01] 83 years old & still going strong, albeit w/ some major welding of the end plates, new firetubes here & there, & a new mudsill in front. The boiler room was spotless (or at least as spotless as a boiler room gets). I like the way the engineer kept the paint. I just try to imagine what it must have been like back when some guy spent his life feeding tons of coal into these suckers....... Download Attachment: kewaunees.JPG 59.24 KB Download Attachment: firetubes.JPG 38.1 KB

It's worth it. Not having a website in the 21st century is like not having a business card. I'm embarassed that I've waited this long.

Probably nothing much.

I'm a moderator @ the ASHI site, & I don't think that it would be a problem. It IS a committee though, so maybe Cramer or Ghent would have a problem w/ it. If it was a fair & even handed description of your experience w/ the vendor, I wouldn't take it off. I have my own personal experience w/ AInspect, & it wasn't fun. Not horrible, but less than I wanted, & not a good way to enter the website biz. Basically, Ainspect is fine for someone who wants a very generic "business card". Much better to do it yourself, or get w/an experienced web services company.

I thought the same thing, but geeez, I really hate electric baseboard. It benefits everyone & every aspect of the construction process, except the end user. I did it @ my shack, & I regret it every winter. What I am doing is putting together a Rube Goldberg hot water/blower coil. 30 gallon electric hot water heater, grunfos pump, blower coil, TPR, pressure reducing valve, etc. The thermostat is simply a low voltage fan/pump switch. The whole contraption fits into a tiny space, no need for vents, only have to run a 240 volt circuit & tap into the water supply. I'm still messing w/ some details, but it's gonna work. Chad, would something similar, albeit better engineered, work for your space? Better yet, get a water heater w/ secondary coil; tap the secondary coil for the blower coil heat. It's a master bathroom, so go nuts w/ the 12" rain head shower, sprayers, eh?

I'm sorry; I didn't know that was the primary purpose, although it's plastered all over the place. I'm just an excitable guy. The straw bale thing has some merit, but honestly, after seeing the work involved, it didn't appear worth it. There were just so many oddities to deal with; stucco weep screeds, termite prevention, bugs/pests in general prevention, going to tons of work to install bucks for windows & doors, etc. Also, if it is attempted anywhere other than bone dry desert environments, I have to believe moisture issues become a major concern. Being an ex-hippy from the 70's, w/ experience in geodesic domes, straw bale, rammed earth, & other peripheral building techniques, they all are fringe techniques. When one is gathering the capital to put together a dwelling w/ modern windows, doors, interior finishes, appliances, etc., putting it all in a straw bale shell is sticking ones neck out. I admit it; I'm biased toward engineered construction practices.

Why wouldn't you install a small furnace & dedicated ducting for the additional 600sf? High efficiency direct vent? If you vent a fireplace to the tile lined chimney, what about the appliances/fireplace below? I'd be rethinking my heating options in other ways than a fireplace, design options dependent on floor plan & design.

I had to start another thread; Hausdok locked his[:-irked] I & Garet Denise attended an elective tour of hale bale construction in Albuquerque, NM. A gentleman who has specialized in this type of construction for over 2 decades took us on a tour of his houses, & showed us an extensive slide show. Without wanting to appear biased, I have to say I was not impressed. The cost of construction is simply not much less than standard methods, there is way too much room for error, and certain fundamentals such as fastening windows & door securely haven't been figured out adequately. The builder allowed as to how he's "been having problems w/ windows & doors cracking & pulling out of wall assemblies". Not surprising, as the window & door jambs are held in place by gravity & stucco; it's hard to fasten a window to a bale of straw. It is a viable method for 3rd world subsistence economies utilizing local labor & materials; that's about it, IMHO.

I was the guy Michael used as the guinea pig in his class. I've been mildly curmudgeonly on the SureTest for years; honestly, I didn't want any more fancy tools. I have a whole bag of them. Long story short; 3 bulb testers are worthless for finding false/bootleg grounds, & many other defects. Michael had a slick little wiring setup whereby he duplicated all manner of goofy wiring that the 3 bulb tester didn't find, but the SureTest did. Of substantial note; the SureTest will NOT find/analyze multiple defects. Basically, get a SureTest. The 3 bulb testers are big fat liars.