kurt

Now, that's the kind of complaint one wants. (I'm assuming it is the seller complaining about your thorough inspection.)

Old house, white tape, high likelihood it's asbestos tape. Asbestos doesn't "yellow"; it stays white. That isn't scientific, but it can point you a little. The paper isn't known to release fiber as the crap is encased in a matrix of glue & cellulose. Definitely point it out, but if ducts/pipes/ are sound & there is no likelihood of their having to come out for repair, just leave it & paint it. That's not EPA approved protocol for encapsulation, but it works nicely. It's what I did in my own home on my white (asbestos) tape. If it were a report, tell 'em, tell 'em to get an ACM abatement contractor, etc......

The few complaints I have experienced could all be traced back to me not writing my report clearly; in all cases, I "mentioned" the problem, but didn't necessarily "weight" it properly. It's the report. Pauls method is an example of how this works. Get the report right, complaints go bye bye.

Before you go too far..... How do you want your inspection report to look? Do you want a rambling narrative? Do you want bullet point info? Complete sentences? Summary? Photos? I think you get the idea. Figure out how you want your information to appear, then research software. All of them take frightening amounts of customization to come up w/ anything near what you will ultimately want. As one begins, one is very often forced to continue, so choose wisely.....

Realtors are always looking for sucker newbies to fluff up a deal. I use the term "fluff" as in the porn movie context; the "fluffer" is the person that makes sure the male lead is, ahem, ready. Realtors like these types because they make everything look & sound good. It's a great way to get business and go bankrupt @ the same time. Don't be a fluffer.

Nope. Upside down. Can't run a 3 way through a plug outlet. (look @ the picture again).

Here's some ice... The last one is looking straight out toward Milwaukee, which happens to be about 65 miles away. The huge mounds of ice are pressure ridges that are formed from strong west winds pushing pack ice up until is tilts like plate tectonics create mountains. The mounds are approx. 30' high above mean datum level, and are "sitting" on the bottom of the lake in about 25' of depth. IOW, the ice blocks are about 50+' tall & stretch for miles. You can walk out to the last pressure ridge, but don't go beyond it, as the ice beyond the ridge is all loose, & one will disappear right quick to an ugly cold demise. Download Attachment: iced lighthouse.jpg 33.54 KB Download Attachment: iced pier.jpg 48.53 KB Download Attachment: steamy lakefront.jpg 13.73 KB Download Attachment: iced lake.JPG 45.88 KB

Okay, I got what I was looking for..... The following is from a Majestic fireplace manual: Vermont Castings Majestic Products fireplaces are designed to accept a 1/2 inch gas line for installation of an approved gas appliance. (Vermont Castings Majestic Products manufactures a wide variety of gas logs for use in Vermont Castings Majestic Products fireplaces.) Be sure to have the appliance installed in accordance with building codes. Gas connection may enter from either left or right side of the fireplace. Locate appropriate gas line in the outer casing of fireplace and remove insulation from gas line tube. (Fig. 26) From inside the fireplace, locate the knockout on the firebrick -- be sure you are on the appropriate or "gas line" side of the fireplace. Using a flat bladed screwdriver or small chisel and hammer, carefully tap around the knockout until it loosens and falls out. Install 1/2 inch certified gas pipe through opening. After gas pipe installation is complete, use insulation that was removed from gas line tube to repack space around the pipe. Material should be inserted from outside of the fireplace and packed tightly to totally seal between the pipe and tube. Note: Gas pipe should not come in contact with any wood structures until it has reached a point at least one (1) inch away from fireplace side. Okay, that's what the mfg. sez. After sealing it w/ the fiberglass, my source also recommended laying some refractory cement over the fiberglass to seal it in place. Many thanks to "Chimney Bob" Priesing, of Havelock Chimney Sweep, Inc. in Havelock, NC. If any of you get a chance to hear this man talk about fireplaces, do it; he's the best. http://www.havelockschimneysweep.com

I agree w/ Ellen & George; there are some fundamental problems in the approach. This is such a profoundly deep subject, it is hard to address it without writing an encyclopedia. Have you ever been to one of the conventions where there are approx. 20 different reporting software packages available? What packages are you familiar with? Were any attractive to you? I'm just trying to get an idea of how you want to write reports; any additional background is helpful.

Good question. It wasn't noted as an area of concern in the recent fireplace class I took @ InspectionWorld, & "Chimney Bob" Priesing was pretty intense. I'm gonna look into it.

It was a damn good game. Nothing worse than lopsided football; nothing better than a close one. This was close.

Just to make myself clear, I hate Word. I also know that it is an amazingly powerful piece of software if one just learns a few fundamentals. I know enough about it to know that one can set up templates whereby you don't have to constantly be fighting w/ it, i.e., it doesn't presuppose your intentions. The few times I've taken the time to figure out what was bothering me, it wasn't hard & solutions were positive. It's a massive amount of power, but useful if one wants to learn how to use it. If one doesn't want to take the time to learn it, Word is a pain in the ass. That's why I use Filemaker Pro.

I don't think SMACNA (Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Nat'l. Assoc., or something) would have jurisdiction. Drip edge is "recommended" in most locales, but not necessarily required. If it is required in Florida, I would start there. After that, this is one of those items that calls into question why anyone would use gutter spikes. Mainly, they're cheap, fast, & easy. They also sag & fall off. I'm not sure how I would right this up(?). I might be inclined to simply note it in the report as a possible point of water entrance, poor quality installation, or similar notification of inadequacy. It might be hard to hang it as a code violation, unless there is some language that you can discover in the Florida code language. I'd ask Cramer over @ the ASHI board; he seems to have the Florida code requirements wired.

The primary difference between XP Home & XP Professional is largely in #'s of computers that can be networked; @ least that's what I've been led to believe. There are a few other differences hanging in the background, but it shouldn't effect peripherals. Of course, none of this stuff works the way one would imagine. The entire computer industry is a big pile of incompatibilities. I have few instances where I think governmental intervention would provide a better solution, but in the case of computers, a little governmental requirement to make all this crap work together would be nice.

Well, nothing is broken, so no fix is necessary. It's just old stuff. If using old stuff feels better, use old stuff. It may be true that new stuff isn't better, although, new software capabilities have often led me to discoveries previously unimagined w/ old software. The amount of time I've wasted dinking w/ workarounds on old software have often been solved in one or two mouseclicks w/ new software.

I know a couple individuals that get approx. 3 times more for a Feng Shui consultation than what I get for a home inspection. I suppose it's fair; I'm talking about reality, & "they" are talking about something else. Reality is boring, & who wants to pay a lot for boring?

Gotta agree w/ Jimmy; AmiPro was great, but give it up. Word is only one option, but if you want to stick w/ WP, & not go database report software, get Word. Since one can pick up an entirely adequate Dell desktop machine w/ CD-RW, 256K Ram, Windows XP, and multiple other options for under $600, buy a new machine. The time taken dinkin' around w/ an old piece of crap computer will take you (at least) several days; do one inspection & buy a new machine. Hanging onto old computers out of sentimental value is extremely counter-productive; you could be out doing a thousand better things. Computers are a commodity, to be used and recycled. Plus, w/XP, just buy any damn mouse or peripheral you want, plug it in, & go back to work. Unlike the old Windows versions that were "Plug & Pray", XP actually recognizes new peripherals & loads drivers automatically. What's that worth? In my life, it's worth a lot. I hate computers.

60 amp panels. The entire system should have been upgraded, as the meters, trough, & related components were all ancient. Possibility for electrocution seemed to be paramount. There were plenty of other things to hang the entire building on; I was just curious.

I looked @ a 4 flat today; total piece of crap. Of particular interest was the electrical panels. The old fuse boxes had been removed, & new breaker panels installed by splicing into the mains & neutrals to get enough slack to tie to the new equipment. In two of the panels, the old neutrals had been spliced to and then led through conduit to adjacent panels to become the neutral for those panels. IOW, the panels were sharing the main neutrals. I can imagine several nasty things taking place w/ this installation, but don't want to overstate my observations. What sorts of specific bad things could happen in this scenario?

Everything Chad said. I get about one resume a week from ITA graduates; I'll admit, I don't even answer. Experience. Most applicants are looking for a job; I'm looking for someone willing to carry my ladder until I can assess their abilities. Most applicants are insulted w/ that. Too bad. I tell applicants that phone in to send me a single spaced page of narrative on any topic they wish. Basically, Creative Writing 101. Not one applicant has sent me anything. Inspecting is the easy part; reporting is the hard part. Can you write a report? And, I don't mean filling in the checkboxes & hieroglyphics of an ITA Matrix, or similar checkbox report system. I would almost guarantee that if you can communicate well in writing, you would have inspection companies calling you instead of the other way around. I've spent my entire life trying to become an accomplished technical writer; someday I'm gonna get it.

Written report. All the above reasons. Multi-family inspections appear daunting @ first, but are not. Commercial is the same way. Surprisingly, I find commercial inspections to be much less liability, for several reasons. The average investor isn't worried about a cracked windowpane. They know that they have to change out major equipment. The don't care about someones stained ceiling tile. Subcontract out the environmentals. Very often, the inspection boils down to a big flat roof, a package HVAC system, sidewall & glazing, & the parking lot. Very often, tenants are responsible for the package units and mechanicals in their spaces. I've modified my report system to accomodate an unlimited number of interiors and HVAC systems, so multi-family reportage has gotten real easy. I'm going to do the same for the electrical & plumbing. If one is adept @ single family for buyers, the move to multi-family & small commercial is relatively simple.

http://www.cdw.com I get all my junk @ CDW; it's local. I put up a will call, drive downtown, get it that day. They also have much larger drives, but I find that the 80gb is more than adequate for my pipsqueak business. I've got 15 years worth of reports on the thing, several thousand digital photos, & I still have about 60gb free space. Chad, I definitely understand the paranoid thing. At any point in time, I have my entire world running on 3 - 4 different hard drives. I have duplicate laptops. I carry one of my laptops w/ me wherever I go. When that is impractical, I have been known to burn a CD & carry it in my shirt pocket. Now that the bug is in my ear for the USB key, I suppose I have to have one of those also. Day in & out though, the Maxtor is a really kick ass solution for small fry like me.

Those memory keys are quite slick, and they are worth every penny, but their main benefit is portability. For another $50, you could have 80GB of hard drive storage w/ a Maxtor One Touch. Plug in the Maxtor Drive to a USB port, load a simple program that comes w/ the machine; that's it. When you want to backup, touch the button on the front of the Maxtor drive, & the software backs up the entire hard drive. IOW, you have a mirror of your "C" drive, including programs, Favorites, etc. If you don't have USB 2.0, it's a little slower, but still works fine. Hit the button every night before you leave the office; if anything happens, buy a new computer, plug the hard drive into the new machine, & you are off and running.

I wouldn't bother w/ the insurance commission; that's a long road ending in a dead end. They aren't going to pay. Replacing the old tank is asking for trouble; the "new" insurance company could just as well get out of the business, and then she's in the same boat. I would put on my best bedside manner & advise her to hook up to the gas grid & install a new gas fired boiler. Cheaper, cleaner, better. After 5-6 years, she'll have saved roughly $1500 in insurance, gas is cheaper, maintenacne is minimized, and she's s winner all the way around, IMHO. A new Weil Mclain boiler, installed, is around $3500 in my neighborhood. Most gas companies have incentives for hooking up. Either way, she's gonna get hit for around $3000-5000.

If I'm following this, there is now an oil tank in the living room behind some folding closet doors. Isn't there a habitability code somewhere that would preclude storing oil in habitable space? Doesn't it stink up the LR? In my entire career, I have never looked @ an oil burning anything; I've actually inspected functioning coal fired equipment, but never oil. I know the fundamentals from reviewing tech manuals, but that's it. In a lighter, & decidedly more scatological drift, I've read that WWII diesel powered submarines lacked bathroom facilities; the crew pinched their loaves into buckets of old fuel oil. The oil, being lighter than water, allowed the "goods" to sink & prevented undesirable smells from further disturbing the already tense atmosphere on board. OK, I apologize; I'm snowed in[:-cold], can't work, & the mind is wandering.........[8]