Tom Raymond

Little Giant was at the IBS showing off their new ladders. They don't have anything like a telesteps yet but there were some really nice new products there. The locks have been improved on the folding ladders, the 300# rated ladders are as light as or lighter than the the old 250's and a 350# version is coming soon. The most impressive though, they have started making very light fiberglass ladders. A 28' extension ladder weighs less than 40# and with the optional outriggers less than 50# while a comparable fiberglass model starts around 60#. There are also several step and platform variations available as well. If only they took trade ins! I've pinched my fingers a few times in my folding ladders (LGs at the day job and Werners for the HI gig), but that's far less traumatic than the collapse stories of the telescopic jobs.

I believe you may be mistaken about that.[] The rest is spot on.

...you gotta check this out. [utube] " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344">

It's not the FHA loan that's the problem, it's the sub 600 credit score that equals POS. Given our current economic position those fiscal delinquents should be cash only, and with appraisers reluctant to push too hard on values they will remain so. That was my point, for the foreseeable future it's a nonstarter.

It's nothing to worry about Scott, the POS's those buyers will be looking at won't appraise high enough to close the loans. Check this out, clipped from http://www.bigbuilderonline.com/post.as ... D110114002 Speaking of mortgages, credit constraints continue to be a big topic of discussion among home builders big and small at the show. Not only are lenders raising underwriting standards and requiring near-ridiculous amounts and types of documentation, but appraisals are still causing a lot of problems despite some regulatory changes aimed to improve the quality of appraisals. Builders are actually providing appraisers with pre-prepared comp packets, chock-full of all the information on four, five, sometimes six comps in the community.id="blue">

The only hiccup I've had with Chrome is trying to view slide shows on MSN Autos, but I gotta think that's an MSN issue. I haven't put it on my new laptop yet but I plan on it, just as soon as I finish installing updates[:-banghea The new Windows 7 campaign is "to the cloud", the reality is more like "to the moon!"

There is a ton of warm moist air leaking into that garage from somewhere. I'd check the fire door to make sure the spring hinge is working, I'd bet not 'cause they like to leave it open. How cold was Fargo today?

I'm way past help Tom. I saw redemption in my rearview mirror about 500 miles back that-a-way. On a side note Iron Fireman was built here in Cleveland for a spell. I remember passing the factory, with my father, from time to time. It's a neat logo. That'd be DeLuxe!

It's a rental property, so no tax credits. Why would our government want to encourage investors to spend money?

Dirty damned owls!

Terry are we gonna keep this avatar for a while, or do we need to get you some help?[:-dev3]

Nolan, This is the US of A, we only make hamburgers. Everything else is made offshore.

There is always something worse. Dude, nice inspectormobile![]

Yeah, but you keep making those minor adjustments so you can fall on your ass snowboarding[:-monkeyd

Job security[]

Three or more units is commercial for code purposes here, although our licensing law considers 4 units the maximum for a 'home inspection'. Anything bigger is commercial unless the scope is limited to an individual unit.

It was a joke. I can't imagine having one of those would be a good thing durring the deployment of the air bag.

Dude, get one of these. Click to Enlarge 13.37 KB

I'm not sure which would be the most accurate vote so I'll reply instead. I have stopped at an open house to introduce myself to the Realtor. We talked for a bit, I toured the house, and left a stack of cards on the kitchen counter. I haven't gotten a single referral from her. I probably would do it again if I happened upon a house that I wouldn't mind checking out and I wasn't in a hurry to get where I was headed. That kind of fits with how I deal with agents in general; I don't mind talking to them at all, I just won't go out of my way to do it.

In a tight assembly it does move to the exterior, but once there is condensation on the sheathing the insulation touching it becomes wet, the temps in the cavity drop and the dew point creeps inward. This is a little overly simple but you get the idea. The reason this is a problem in a 2007 house and not a 1997 house is our energy code. Every pipe, cable, conduit that penetrates a top or bottom plate must be sealed, the exterior envelope is taped up tight, but there are no gasket requirements for anything that penetrates the GWB. Water vapor is introduced into the wall cavity at every electrical outlet and plumbing connection in the building and has no way to escape. Screw up one little detail in the tape or WRB and that water vapor is drawn into the wall.

Marc, In a northern climate the vapor barrier is placed on the interior to keep warm moist air from entering the wall cavity and condensing and freezing there. It doesn't work. There are far too many penetrations in the barrier to keep all the moisture on the conditioned side of the wall. In an old house with a ton of other leaks in the wall system there is enough air movement to dry out anything that makes it past the barrier. In a new house there is very little air wash in the stud cavities and any moisture that finds its way there tends to accumulate and create issues. I fully expect to see older homes exhibit these problems as more retrofit programs take hold and people start air sealing stuff that really shouldn't be.

That's very funny!

Not important. A well laid CMU wall should be more than flat enough for what your doing. A T&G board should take care of most of your issues. BTW, if you can get a full 4x8 on the wall in your crawl space it's nearly as deep as my basement.

What the heck is your foundation made of that you can't get decent contact between it and the foam? Adhere the foam with silicone caulk. Fill big gaps and errors with spray foam. Tightly fit foam against the band joist, and use fiberglass insulation thick enough to fill the cavity flush with the rigid on the stemwalls. Get out of the crawl and enjoy a beer. Unless the soil in the crawl is regularly wet, the vast majority of the time the dew point will occur somewhere in the rigid insulation and there will be no condensation.

Household cleaning chemicals are nasty, the hinges on the cabinet I keep mine in are corroded badly. Look again at the third pic, that neutral cable is introducing water into that panel.