kurt

I have it on good authority from an advanced degree aeronautical engineer that it's both and it doesn't matter anyway. It's something they argue about like HI's and evaporative cooling processes.

When you figure this out, then I want to know....does the airplane fly because there's low pressure on the top of the wing or because the air is pushing on the bottom of the wing?

Couillion is easier to spell. Also, the ability to swear in several languages and dialects is an indication of a limber mind.

I agree. There's just a lot of panels out there that don't have main disconnects. I don't worry about it too much. I just put it in the report and understand it's relegated to irrelevance by everyone.

That's right. That's why I don't care about # of devices. Just more stuff to clog up youngsters heads. I talk about it mainly so when some HI points it out in the future I can say I told them first.

That's right, but my building has 8 circuit Bulldog panels. I see older condo buildings all the time that have panels or subpanels lacking main breakers with >6 overcurrent devices. I thought the restriction was on hand movement, not the # of breakers. National sez something about hand movement. Chicago has it's own code, which honestly, I can barely keep track of and it doesn't matter anyway...inspectors are in the Brotherhood and it's all in family. Code is whatever some dweeb says it is, and sometimes not. I make a comment in my reports about lack of main disconnects, but nothing comes of it and I never expect anything to come of it.

See it all the time. In fact, my apartment building is like that; 7 panels, no disconnects, just a main building disconnect. There's thousands of them like this in Chicago. Any work happens in the building, the City makes them upgrade. Nothing happening, they cruise along like this.

But we got to learn "couillion". It's not all bad.

Are non-creole northern white guys allowed to use couillion? That's a good word.

That's right. I got a big leg up from getting connected to some large law and accounting firms. They all got hundreds of well paid employees and they all punch in questions about everything on their intranet.

Website and Facebook is the starting point. Letters, flyers, and everything else don't matter even a teeny bit without a good site and internet presence. Blum's got a good idea how to go about it.... https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... C_ID=20721

That's not a bad answer. Pretty good, actually. I gave up on my generation several years ago. Morons intent on status quo marching in line and following realtors instructions. Young people get it on first shot. It's the generation reared on student loan sucker punches and getting jammed by Baby Boomers on just about everything. They're looking for the knife job like they should be. Very receptive audience, and like Blum, I don't sugar coat it. Sometimes, I wish I was starting out in this gig instead of pretty much finishing up. Lots of young people receptive to seeing the curtain pulled back to reveal the Wizard. Wasn't like that 30 years ago.

Sweet copper work. Any Oompah-Loompah's on site?

Like Marc said, drywall cracks....I wouldn't ascribe much to it yet, maybe when more is known. Bathroom floor....lotta slope, but it's hard to say if it means anything or not with the limited info we have. How old is the house? Where? Ask around about soil conditions in the area, see if anyone knows anything. Got a pic of the house? After that, this sort of thing is hard/impossible to figure out online. You can narrow it down here, but to know something real you probably have to get a competent inspector or an engineer. Personally, I'd call O'Handley (Seattle based) and see what he says. He started this joint, and he stops in from time to time.

Sales is largely about making a good first personal impression. I toss mail advertising in the trash...I don't even look at it. Years ago, I would call and talk to anyone that would listen. Realtors, insurance offices, banks, I even dragged a few referrals out of the local lumberyard.

I'm aware of boats being broken and scavenged for building material. Common. I was speaking specifically about the triangular section material.

Could be but I doubt it. I'm not aware of any boat rib design that was triangular in section. The scantlings on most wood boats were heavy; they weren't trying to save weight by shaving ribs. I've seen triangular steeple "rafters" though. There's some on a church here in Evanston.

That's a pretty good idea. Lottsa old guys in this gig.

I leave it to the down'easter types. Sounds cool out there. In the Midwest, it sounds like someone trying to sound.....like they're not from the Midwest. No one around here even calls them *clabbords* or clapboards. They don't know what to call it because it's all been covered up with crap Insul-Brick, aluminum, or vinyl for the last 75 years. It's usually only visible at the enclosed back porches where it was left exposed. I've had a lot of youngsters ask me "What kind of siding is this? Is it wood?" Seriously. When I tell them it's the original, cut out of 500 year old trees, they're all fascinated, like...."wow, wood. Who'd've thought they used to make siding out of wood".....

It won't ever get regulated. Realtors control regulation. If it happens at all, it will be a quiet revolution by young folks, not oldsters. No one's ever done. You'll come back to look.

It's not possible to get going without playing to realtors, at least a little bit. But, like Kogel said, anonymous flailing like leaflets and brochures is worthless. It was lousy 30 years ago when I did it, and now there's hundreds of guys doing it. I don't think it's against COE's to market to realtors. It's just disgusting, debasing.

I tried USB memory sticks with my name on them for a while. It's at least something people hang onto. I'm not entirely sure if it resulted in more work, but people remember me as the guy that gave them a USB stick.

All that stuff....flyers, mugs, leaflets, pens, whatever....are notes in a bottle on a very big ocean with very few places for those notes to wash up and even fewer that will take the time to open the bottle and read it. I've heard a few stories of it working. Never worked for me. We don't rely on repeat business to stay alive; it's all new customers all time. I get "repeat business", sort of. I had one the other day that is 28 years after the first inspection, and I get people coming back after 4-6 years quite a bit...but it's not really repeat business as most businesses think of repeat business. Marketing in a business that doesn't rely on repeat business is tricky. With a customer base, one can drive right at them and come up with ways to keep them coming back. In our gig, we don't have a customer base, per se, other than keeping those we work for extremely happy so they'll tell their friends. I've never heard anything different from anyone that's survived in this gig. It's about one job at a time and building a reputation. After a while of surviving, it's surprisingly easy. The phone just keeps ringing.

Don't agree too much, I'll become unbearable.

I'd love to hear about it. I agree with Mark. Too soon to tell.