gtblum

Les, I had read somewhere, that only 4 of the 50 states had any regulations. Got nothing to direct you to. I just remember seeing it.

I'm more worried about the finger pointing. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell this won't come back on us. Now what? Are we going to need clients to sign off for the purpose of holding us harmless? Do we strongly urge everyone to have testing done regardless of the conditions? People tend to follow the loudest guy, with the brightest torch, and the biggest pitchfork. Somebody is going to get hung because of this. I don't want to be the first.

What kind of headache will that create for the rest of us? I'm not getting a warm fuzzy feeling about it.

They popped like they were wet. No new bubbles after that.

As far as I know, I'm the only inspector who has set foot in this place since it was last sold ten years ago. I don't do soap tests. You think this could be from the original install? Why would it still be there? Click to Enlarge 52.43 KB

I had a maple stump where my fire pit is. For years, we had fires over it and never made a dent until one weekend, after a Friday night fire was rekindled on Saturday, and burned through the next wednesday, on its own. It left a hole in the ground just like that one. The only tool I needed, was a full beer can.

Note to self. Do not buy 2x4s from anyone in Buffalo.

I've got some that are nothing but a flat plastic rim, that come in different depths, for when I tile a backsplash.

I did a house with two doors for one bathroom. So what? The only way to the back bedroom was through the bathroom. Not a good idea to be the last one up.

Thanks, gentlemen.

This is the center wall that splits the basement of an 1820 brick farm house. There are a number of randomly spaced brick that have spalled to dust, over time. The wall is still in pretty good shape, considering. The basement has a gravel floor, there is moisture, but no evidence of flooding. It looks like the same brick was used for the exterior walls. They were in great shape. I told the owner I'd run this by you guys, and see if I could get some opinions about why some of the brick has deteriorated. Click to Enlarge 48.03 KB Click to Enlarge 39.98 KB Click to Enlarge 52 KB Click to Enlarge 48.49 KB

That looks like the house Popeye built in the cartoon where he was battling termites. Click to Enlarge 60.61 KB

I see #2 as Old Man Winter blowing a blast of cold air off the lake, at sunset.

We covered both of the big players. Mainly, Hardi. We were also given a handout of the latest changes in the manual, and a good part of the discussion was focused on awareness of the periodic changes. To be fair, the instructor was not who put the product in the water. That was done by another inspector. Raymond, I'm sure, will fill in the blanks, or correct me. I've seen it delaminated after it was installed too close to the ground on a pool house that was less than five years old. It was not in contact with the ground. There was a concrete sidewalk below it.

Tom Raymond and I saw a piece delaminate in less than 4 hrs, after is was left in a cup of water during a CE class. Not far from here, an ant farm of thirty year cracker boxes are being built. I'm told there's a rep on the job site, all of the time. Why? At one time, they used wood for siding. I heard if it's protected with quality paint, it can last a really long time.[]

Not even close! Car salesmen are in a league so far above real estate agents, it's an insult to the car people for me to make this comparison. The training and money available for training alone, goes way beyond comparison. There's always someone looking over their shoulder waiting to hang them. There's five of the same model with the same package, and same color within driving distance of the other, at any given time. They say, they have 48 hrs to close a deal from the time a customer sets foot on the lot, or lose them. They know what they're selling. They know the packages, they deal with the service, body shop, and parts department. The sales department generates the most revenue for a dealership, and profits the least of all departments. There's nothing to lie about. It's all a click away. They claim, 96% don't make it through the first year, and a similar number fail before the second year. You want to know where they end up? In furniture stores, making cold calls to get old ladies to invest in the stock market, or selling real estate. I know better. I got out of the trades in my late 20s and sold cars for 11 years, until I got burnt out of it. Most agents don't have a clue about sales. Most have the negotiating skills of a 4 year old in a shopping cart. They also don't have a clue about what we do. No respect for a profession charged with the responsibility of a knowledge base that would have them sucking their thumbs in the fetal position, if they tried to comprehend a tenth of it. Then, we have guys like this clown in Joe's post. There's plenty more where he came from on a FB page supposedly for inspectors, that Joe already walked away from. No shame with these guy$. They even had a broker laying down the law about what ancillary services he expected inspectors to provide, and made it clear that when inspectors hadn't complied, "they went away." I'm still waiting for him to answer my question about whether he might offer some guidelines about the verbiage he preferred in a report, or the proper way for an inspector to conduct themselves with a client, to avoid the wrath of the hand that feeds them. Not one inspector on that page had the balls to back me up. This forum has spoiled me. The talent here is unmatched. You guys should stay away from that page. There's a handful of smart guys there, and a whole lot of "other." If your head doesn't explode from the stupidity and ass kissing, you'll get sucked into wasting precious time from your life, eating these guys alive.

Yeah, because unlocking a door and pointing at the new beige paint for a few grand, can really wear some of them out.

That was way too much fun! "If you were buying a used car, and you wanted to have a mechanic check it out before you committed, would you take a referral for a mechanic from the car salesman?" Everyone in the room said, Nooooo! "Then, why would you take a referral for an inspector from a used house salesman?" The light bulbs went on! They got it. That was all it took. After that, the administrator jumped in with me, and we exposed the class to every dirty agent trick we could think of. Oh,I forgot. There was also some time spent on the inspection process.

Tomorrow night, I'll have the opportunity to enlighten about 30 or so, during my segment of a first time buyers program I participate with. They strongly advise their students to NOT take a referral for an inspector from an agent, and to find their own. I found that out from a former student who told me about it when I asked where she found me. I always ask. From there, I contacted the administrators, had a sit down, and I'm on the rotating schedule. My first class was in March. When I got to how you find and hire an inspector, I mentioned they likely would never hear my name from an agent. When I started to explain why, I did a little eggshell walk until I caught the administrator giving me the green light with a nod of her head. Once she did, I opened up both barrels and watched everyone in that room "get it". There wasn't a single student nodding off during that lesson. I can't wait for tomorrow. If I can get to 30 more, I'll feel like I made a small difference. Educating the public is the only way things will ever change. Sometimes, chipping away at a big rock makes more sense than using dynamite. It sure as hell won't change by trying to convince the doughnut delivery boys.

Don't worry, Kurt. It's still the same as it ever was, around here. Maybe worse.

Please tell us it was a dog house! The idea that someone would spend that kind of $ on enough screws for a roof is beyond stupid to begin with. The idea they thought they could screw it faster than they could nail it, takes it to another level of stupid, altogether! Click to Enlarge 12.05 KB

Three egg cartons sprayed and all I see is dark cardboard.

I've got both in my work shop. They both run when they see me so I'm not worried. The rats keep the wasps down and the snake (only 1) keeps the rat population in check. I've seen the baby rats follow the momma as she scurries along the purlins when I first enter at night. It's a mini-ecosystem within walls that works. Marc Get a dumpster! []

Petroleum jelly, Paper towels, and Tums. []

Trying to crank me up, Raymond? That's an easy question. Inspectors don't want to hear the answer.