Scottpat

While inspecting a big log home this week I came across a device I had never seen. The owner had them installed around the home, at first I thought they were just a bird house but the caretaker of the property explained that they were Carpenter Bee traps. The bees go in the holes or bore their own hole and then head for the light (glass jar) at the bottom of the trap. Also the wood on the trap is bare or not treated with anything, the bees like it better than the logs that have been treated. Once in they can not get back out! They really work because I did not find one hole from a bee on this home. Click to Enlarge 29.85?KB Click to Enlarge 27.87?KB

Ya would need a strong stream and about another foot or two behind ya to hit the target! It was level with the vanity which was 42" high!

This was from an inspection today. At first I thought it was a joke but then I discovered it was the only way they could install a toilet in this area. The first picture is the toilet in the half bath and the second is the backside as seen from the attic. Click to Enlarge 27.65?KB Click to Enlarge 46.05 KB

Take a look at Home Inspector Pro also Inspect Express ... Both good programs.

IMVHO, I feel that FHA fee inspectors and FHA 203k Consultants should hold a valid home inspectors license if their state has a home inspector license program. The 203k Consultants are performing a home inspection during their initial evaluation of the property. No way around this, it is a home inspection even if the name has been changed to call it something else. I feel the same for the guys who are doing "Code" inspection and not home inspections! If it quacks like a duck, it is a duck! It really ticks me off when folks try to skirt the license laws simply because they do not want comply or can't pass the requirements and make-up every excuse to not comply. Full disclosure.... I'm an FHA fee paid inspector and a 203k Consultant and have been so for many years. I'm also licensed in the states I work in!

Wouldn't the lack of a vent result in drain action pulling the water from the trap? Marc And the sink will burp, gurgle, etc...... Very very unlikely that the sewer gas will find its way up through the trap and sink while water is flowing down the drain.

The lack of the vent would not cause the sewer gas smell, the lack of a vent would impede the draining of the sinks. Did you see a drain in the floor, was one one of the sink traps dry when you started, shower or tub drain dry? Did it have a mechanical or AAV vent on the line under the sink? Outside of that I would take a SWAG that they cut the vent pipe off in the wall and left it open or it has a mechanical vent on it and it has failed.

Even though and item is excluded from any SOP it does not mean you can not be sued. Sure it will make it a little harder for the plaintiffs attorney to make the case, but with this involving the death of a child I would put my money on the plaintiffs winning. With a shotgun lawsuit like this it is usually best to settle and get out of it. Nobody really wins in a case like this!

Wind or hail it should be covered by the owners insurance. I went though a dozen+ cases like this with Katrina and folks fighting their insurance providers, one threatened with litigation they usually paid the claims. Most were due to the adjusters who are also paid a bonus based on the amount of the claims that are paid or not paid! A little known fact when it comes to the world of insurance. Also 3-tab shingles are not rated for high wind areas!! Many times folks forget this little tidbit..

What is the smallest file size or setting on it? Does it have an email or PC setting for the picture size?

It reminds me of the historic Grove Park Inn hotel in Ashville NC. It has a similar roof design but it is covered with custom made tiles.

Hobbit Revival!

This can happen and it does happen with other cladding's. I have a home with Hardiplank that I inspected a few months ago with almost the identical problem.

OK, I just tossed the towel in and purchased the 2012 IRC for the iPad. It is easy to read and move from chapter to chapter. You can bookmark pages, etc. but you can not copy and paste. It is like having the printed IRC but a little easier to read. It opens in its own ICC App.

From the ICC website: PURCHASE THE PDF DOWNLOAD VERSION AND GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS!!! This convenient option is a searchable PDF download that requires Adobe? Reader? 8.0 or later. You must have this version to be able to load and access the product. The download is protected from duplication by Protectedpdf?. You are required to login to our secure server and register your copy. You will be able to install this software no more than two times as provided in the license agreement. Neither concurrent use on two or more computers nor use in a local area network or other network is permitted. These documents are for computer use only and are not compatible with Ipad, Android, or Blackberry devices.

I use Dropbox almost everyday, it is a great program. The Ebook pdf version from what I can tell is not very great. It does not allow you to do much of anything other than just read the pages. You cannot copy and paste, print, etc.. I'm thinking of just buying the IRC 2012 in PDF for the PC and then shooting it over to the iPad via Dropbox.

I have moved into the iPad world and I need a little help from those that know.... I would like to put the 2012 IRC onto the iPad. I need to buy the 2012 but I do not want to buy a copy for my PC and a second one for the iPad. Can this be done??? Any suggestions??

I find them from time to time and I ignore them! Kind of like trying to figure out a lawn irrigation system or some of those new thermostats that are on the market! Just a pain in the butt! I do note them in my report and tell my client to get the owner to demonstrate their operation to them.

Poor ventilation is most likely the culprit. While you might have what looks like good ventilation with the ridge vents and soffit vents across the front & rear, it might not be enough. As noted by John and John those rafter bays need to be open to allow the air to flow. If they are full of insulation then that acts like a cork and stops the airflow. With that roof design and front porch, I'm betting that about 50% of the calculated airflow is being blocked. That roof design looks like it only allows for air flow from the front and rear of the home and not the sides. This makes it even more important to make sure those rafter bays are open.

Why would anyone have an irrigation system in Seattle? []

I have a home that I have been doing the draw inspections on for about the past year and they installed copper strips in various locations around the roof. At first it looked funny, but now the cooper has a patina that blend in with the shingles. I'm not sure if I would do much to a 12 year old roof if they are asphalt shingles.

Most likely to wash out a bedpan or something similar..

When the house was built that room was not considered a bedroom, the folks that live in it made it a bedroom but that does not necessarily make it a bedroom. Kind of like when you find a queen size bed and dresser in what should have been a living room! I don't think I would even say anything about it.

That's sort of true- loop effectiveness wanes at about 300ft of piping. So to get water to the outer reaches of the home, one installs a manifold in the area to avoid excessive loop lengths. There may be one loop or ten loops to a manifold The zone valves in the photo may each control a manifold. It's quite conceivable that the seven zone valves are controlled by fewer than seven thermostats. One even. It did have 7 thermostats. I just can not imagine subfloor heat with a concrete slab in our area. We might be at 15f degrees for a few days and then a warm front can push it up into the 60's or better! That slab is still going to radiate that heat for a few days I would think.

Not that this will help you much, but out of the 5,000+ homes I have inspected I have maybe seen 6 or so homes with radiant floor heat. I had one last week, it was a slab construction as well! I simply told my client that I knew just enough about this type of system to tell them that they needed to contact the company that installed it to inspect and show them how to work it. This was my way of telling them that I did not have a clue as to what I was looking at! My client was not upset with me one bit, in fact they praised me for being honest with them about my knowledge or lack of knowledge of the system. This home also had a conventional forced air HVAC system that provided heat and cooling to the home. I have attached a couple pictures of the water heater and the valves that controlled the system. The water heater in this picture had just been replaced, it cost $8,000! Click to Enlarge 54.72?KB Click to Enlarge 41.69?KB