Tom Raymond

So the enclosure is breaching the fire separation? Nice.

The EPA is certainly more a part of the problem than the solution, it's their mandate.

Residential mitigation systems are a remodeler's dream project; one can test in and out out for pennies, the components are cheap and light, and they can be installed by a trained ape with basic tools. Profit, profit, profit, profit... ...but there is no demand. In 25 years of working on houses in the same communities I've encountered exactly 2 mittigation systems and both were turned off. If this were a problem that needed solving then someone would be making mulah solving it.

I see a lot of radiant systems and Scott's got it exactly backward. If it's warm for a couple of days and the temps suddenly drop it's slow to warm up, more so with a high mass floor like a slab, but it's minutes not days. My thermocouple went bad this past winter and the house got down to about 50 before I got it replaced and the boiler back up and running. We were back to a balmy 64 in under 40 minutes. We experienced a similar issue at the day job the year before, and it took about 3 hours to warm up 5000 SF of concrete slab.

The tile broke because the substrate moved, most likely because the framing is mush from water infiltration at the glass block window. I'd wager the ledge details at the tub are wrong too. The fix is to tear it all out and start over.

Could be worse, you could have a dumb ass handyman call you a dozen times because the seller handed him your report and he can't figure out more than one repair at a time.[:-banghea

It was a bit misty, but the sheen wasn't from water. I did the whole exterior in a tee shirt and got little more than damp.

No need, they crunched when I walked on them. The shiny-er, the crispy-er.

This roof cover is clearly toast, but any idea what is going on here? This is the view from the ridge down. Click to Enlarge 28.81 KB This is a close up of an unstained shingle. Click to Enlarge 38.65 KB Close up of stained area. Click to Enlarge 32.66 KB It isn't clear what caused the stains, the only trees close to the house are evergreens, or why the stains would appear varnished. I look forward to learning something.

I was so focused on the breakers not being secured I completely missed that.

Never seen one of these before, Square D QO service and sub panels original to the house (1997). The service panel is nearly full, and the circuits designed for backup power are installed in the sub. The lever thingy turns off one source when the other is activated. Click to Enlarge 104.77 KB This by far the cleanest transfer arrangement I've ever seen, puts the Generac dreadlocs to shame, but I'm concerned that the breakers backfeeding this panel aren't secured and the lever thingy just clips on. Seems to me that it would be very easy to accidentally (or intentionally) close both switches, or remove a breaker while it's under load. Is this cool or should it be fixed?

The multitude of stains on the floor wouldn't have alerted you to the frequent back ups? I don't operate any appliances unless my client specifically asks me to. The rig in the OP is under a grand brand new today, and it's 7 years old. It will require several hundred dollars in parts by the time it's 10 (ask me how I know this). If they can't afford to fix or replace it maybe they should be considering less house.

I just caught a show on Food Network about a restaurant that made its own salami. The chef knew the cure was close when the casing was completely covered in mold. Mmmm, salami.

Thats pretty cool, but it must not have worked to well or there'd be lots more of it around. Now if you want insulation made from weed...

I don't recall seeing rag in anything newer than about 68. Where did the build date info come from? Can't help with the disco, but can someone explain why there are lugs on the unfused blades? Seems to me that open shouldn't close something else.

15 years seems like an awfully short service life for such a large and expensive building component. Factor in the material price volatility and it would be a major consideration for me.

She clearly stated that she didn't want to pay for abatement, and then asked if the plastic her 'contractor' says he'll wrap the room in is enough. Sounds pretty half-assed to me. Proper removal requires certified workers with appropriate PPE, properly designed containment, negative air machines with HEPA filters, air monitoring and clearance testing, and specific waste disposal protocols. Nobody mentioned any of these. Home owners can and will do whatever they want, but appropriate advice is to leave it intact or have it properly removed and disposed of.

The OP was concerned enough to test and now knows the ceiling is hot. Am I the only one that thinks it's a bad idea to be advising her how to half-ass the containment and disposal of a known ACM?

The math is off. There's 9" of lumber there, an 8" block would fall short. I agree that it's sloppy, but I'd be far more concerned by the hole in the VB in the first pic and the lack of capillary breaks and termite shields at the tops of the piers.

I think all the problems are a direct result of the build date.

Funny John. I was thinking the same thing. I bet you can see the water level looking into the drain.

Mikey, it's fire supression. It's in the new IRC and should be on our radar. It would make a really good CE topic. John, it's a drain. If it looks fooked up it is. Tell 'em to get it fixed.

That's close quarters. I hope that unit is quiet.

Has anyone ever seen an insurance company pay for an engineer for such a small repair? She needs to speak to a disaster restoration company. They are not only capable of handling those repairs, they are adept at dealing with the insurance companies.