DonTx

Oh, so your the other viewer of Mail Call! [:-dog] I knew I couldn't be the only one [:-devil] Now if we can only get him to share some of those toys with us....

Actually both sinks are being held in with just the sealant. (well, the large kitchen sink has 1x2 trim helping to hold it up) This home was 4800 sf and was listed for 750k. It's like I tell my clients, price doesn't guarantee you nothing but a larger mortgage. I'm finding more and more like these, even the bathroom sinks! Thanks for the link, it's very helpful. Donald

I guess I'll contribute to thread hijacking[:-pirate] For every bad company executive you hear about, there is probably 100 or more good ones you never hear of. Those on top of the food chain couldn't remain there if their bosses (shareholders) were unhappy with the jobs they were doing. They get paid for results. This country wouldn't be where its at if not for Corporate America. ...and please don't get me started on how all the good jobs are going to Mexico, Phillipines, India, (insert your favorite country here).... Donald

Does anyone have sink installation instructions? I couldn't find any manufacturers name on this sink, but the builder swears (don't they all) that this under counter sink is mounted correctly. The main kitchen sink is also installed this way, only there was a piece of 1x2 trim holding it up. Donald Download Attachment: IMG_0096.JPG 35.83 KB Download Attachment: IMG_0104.JPG 28.81 KB

They will find a stoolie sparky who will say it is "grandfathered". Then you'll spend several minutes trying to tell them there is nothing to be "grandfathered" that they are dangerous pieces of junk. If they really want the unit, they'll ignore your advise and buy the unit. Been there, done that! Donald

Which detail Chad?

I just received this email from another inspector who saw the post and responded. What's your thoughts on his email? Moisture barriers should be installed on the inside of the sheathing in colder climates. It makes sense when you consider where the condensation is likely to form. In the South, the moisture barrier goes on the outside of the sheathing since the warm humid air is usually (almost always) on the outside of the house. Up North, it's usually cold outside and relatively warm inside. If the moisture barrier goes on the outside of the sheathing you can expect condensate to collect on the inside of the sheathing, and then the moisture is trapped right where you don't want it - in the sheathing and framing. I'm not sure what the manufacturer recommends, but the effects of condensation don't change depending on who makes the building materials! A moisture barrier on the inside of the sheathing still meets the vinyl siding recommendations. And I would certainly question any manufacturer that recommends a moisture barrier on the outside of sheathing in a cold climate. Will it make a huge difference if the barrier is on the outside of the OSB in a cold climate? What if you had one on the outside of the OSB and just behind the sheetrock? Donald

The guide I was looking at is the Vinyl Guide mentioned above. My bad. Instead of reading the instructions, I was just looking at the illustrations. On page 13, it shows vinyl siding directly over the substrate. If I'd read the directions above the illustration, it would have told me to put a weather barrier on top of the substrate. Vinyl is not used a lot here. Usually we find it on cheap mobile homes and homes of people who've fell victim to high pressure siding salesmen. Donald

I was just reviewing the vinyl siding guide for an upcomming inspection I have. It appears from the illustration that on New Construction there does not have to be any house wrap. It shows the Vinyl installed directly over the OSB or Plywood. Is this how vinyl is typically installed? It looks like any leaks would rot the substrate. Donald

Our new brochures arrived yesterday. They look great! We got about 200 in the mail today. Curtis was great to work with as opposed to the lady I chose last year. Tip: if the graphic artist you choose does not listen to your ideas and keeps trying to sell you on their "artist impressions", move on! Curtis knows how to design a freakin brochure that catches attention. Donald

Brian, no the guy isn't part of a franchise. He started the company locally after being put out to pasture by a tech company. I'm sure he can work over email or the phone with you if someone was out of town or out of state. You'll be able to get the brochures cheaper because I had to pay taxes here. He's personally delivering them tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how they turned out. Donald

I feel your pain brother Konrad! Last year I had a graphic designer "design" me a brochure. It cost me $1500 all total to get it designed and edited. Then the print cost for 500 was about $600. This year, I went a different route. A local graphic designer is a member of our COC and I contacted him. He came TO MY HOME and sit down and listened to what I WANTED. He put together a nice brochure for my 1 year warranty inspections. I ordered 10,000. The total price for design, layout, printing, delivery, etc. was $1400. The brochures should be here tomorrow or Thursday and I'll let you know how the quality is. If they look as good as the proof, I'll be very excited! Meanwhile, take a look at his website at http://www.budgetbrochures.com

Best of luck to you Scott. I did several guest spots during first quarter of this year on a real estate radio show here in Houston. I don't think the show had as many listeners as the host said it did. It was very fun to do however. What is the stations web address? Will we be able to listen over the internet? Donald

The chimney structure is for a Heat-N-Glo model SL950TV-C and the short flue is from a SL550TR-C. Do direct vent flues fall under the 2/10 rule? The short flue was about 5 feet away from the Chimney structure and about 6-8 away from the roof to the right. Download Attachment: flue1.jpg 123.35 KB Download Attachment: flue2.jpg 124.4 KB

160 grand for a place to park! You gotta love this country!! Captitalism at its best. I say more power to the dude that sold it and the one who bought it.

I hope some you puter wizards will be able to help me. I'm making a promotional CD. I want to get some short (about 2-3 minutes) movie clips (preferably mpegs) on the CD. What is the best software to do this with? I've surfed ZD Net looking over the reviews and now I'm more confused than ever. I see video editing software ranging from about $50 to several hundred dollars. It looks like the manufactures have several different programs (such as Pinnacle). Would I be better off getting a camera like a Sony? My Canon will only film about a 10 second clip. I understand the Sony's will film as long as the memory stick has memory. If I go the software route, I'd also like to burn some family movies to DVD. Thanks for the help, Donald

Have any of you ever dealt with these siding claims firms such as One Source? Can you recommend one? What percentage of the claim do they take? My mothers house in Tulsa has some crappy rotting 4x8 hardboard siding and I'd like to get someone out there to see if it will qualify for one of these class action lawsuits. I only see the masonite/LP/abito lap type siding down here. I haven't seen this particular type of siding that is on her house anywhere else. I'd say it is about 1/2 to 5/8ths inch thick with a stucco pattern on the outside. Any suggestions are appreciated. Donald

And still overpriced even at $99! [:-yuck]

Thanks everyone, I think I found what I was needing. I've been looking right past it for a while. R309.2 Separation required. The garage shall be separated from the residence and its attic area by not less than 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board applied to the garage side. Where the separation is a floor-ceiling assembly, the structure supporting the separation shall also be protected by not less than 1/2-inch (12.7 mm) gypsum board or equivalent. This was a cheap ass built home. The 2x6 #3 grade SYP rafters spanned 14 feet in a couple places. This builder left out as much as he could. Sadly, in this part of the county, his business is booming. He finances his own homes with a ridiculous interest rate. He has his own "in house" appraiser and his company guarantees the homes appraises for 10k less than the selling price. My clients were a young couple who could not make the insepction, so they asked their mom and dad to show up. I simply stated to them that for the asking price (87,000 for 1300sf) their kids could find a helluva lot better built used home in the area. I simply do not understand the need to have a "new" home no matter the quality. People in this area are paying 20 grand on up for a new home because they get a few more square feet. Example, last week I inspected a 3200 sf home built in 1973. The home was in an older neighborhood and for its age, it really wasn't in bad shape. It had some really nice custom cabinets and wood flooring plus all the cool trim work. Asking price of 169k. The next day, I did a brand new "starter" home of 4200 sf. A piece of junk from its single 5 ton A/C to its damaged trusses and the leaking plumbing on the linoleum floors. These homes will be rental units in 15 years or less. Okay, I'm off my soap box now. Donald

This was a first for me. The bottom of the barrel builder only puts sheetrock on the wall between the garage and home. Everything else is left open, including the ceiling that leads into the attic of the home. The only thing I've been able to find in the IRC is the requirement between the garage and home. I couldn't really find anything else that said they couldn't have this type of set up. Is there someplace in the IRC that I'm overlooking? How about another "industry standard"? I'm calling it out as a fire hazard anyway but I'd like some reference to back me up. BTW, there are no AHJ's in our counties, so this builder is doing just about anything he wishes. Donald Download Attachment: IMG_0422.JPG 47.29 KB

Perhaps the "Digital Goddess" doesn't make it through Mississippi much these days. [:-cry] Here's a link to her site: http://www.komando.com You can actually hear the geeks drool when they call in. [:-drool] Donald

I have a confession, actually two. I didn't have DSL until about three weeks ago. I'm not sure how I survived in this world without it. I understand from Sprint that I have the slowest type of DSL. It's so much more freakin' faster than dial up it's headspinning! [:-hspin] My other confession is that sometimes on the weekend I get bored listening to all the Fix-it-upper, DIY radio shows and turn on Kim Komando's Techie Show. It's amazes me someone that good lookin can be so darn smart. She recommends Zone Alarm for a firewall. Right after getting DSL, I bought, downloaded and installed it. Pretty neat. You can find Zone Alarm at http://www.zonealarm.com I also use Nortons anti virus software and have auto update. Donald

Thanks everyone, I wrote it up as insufficient cooling and rust on the lower section of the evaporator coil. I also had some leaks around the edges of the evap coil housing and at some duct connections. I then stated it needed further evaluation by a qualified and licensed HVAC contractor and all necessary repairs made. Terence The unit had been running between 30 minutes to an hour. I thought it was odd that only have the A coil had condensation on it while the top half did not. Sure wish some one could come out with a troubleshooting chart with general rules of thumbs for evaluating A/C's. Donald

I was looking at this 5 ton A/C today and it wasn't getting as cool as I thought it should. Of course the Seller said they'd just had it serviced, no invoices though, imagine that! Anyhow, I had a little extra time so I took the front of the Evap. coil housing off so I could see it. Lots of rust at the lower section and some up the sides of the "A". I noted condensation about half way up the "A" on the ends of the loops. Seems to me that I heard once that meant the unit was low on coolant. Also, there was what looked like an expansion valve to the front of the cabinet. Between the cabinet and valve, the copper was cold and condensating like crazy. On the other side, the copper line was luke warm or even at the same temp as the attic. What does this mean? The temperature at the Return Air was around 70 degrees and the temp at the supply registers was between 60 - 63 degrees. The outside temp was about 75 to 80 with some pretty good humidity thrown in for good measure. Donald

Interesting Topic, I get calls quite regularly with home owners complaining that some rooms get hot and do not cool off. I sometimes find that the temperatured difference out of balance but mostly there is a 3 to 5 degree range between all supply registers. I've always thought that volume to these registers were the probelm, but how do you go about determining this? Is there a standard for the amount of air coming out of the registers? Donald