Steven Hockstein

I recorded it on my iPhone so maybe it is not compatible here. It is a recording of the Animals coming to the fence to meet me at the inspection.

I haven’t been on this forum for a while. Luckily I have been very busy with my architectural and home inspection work. In my part of NJ a dog or cat and an occasional rodent is what we typically encounter. Last week i inspected a property and was greeted by a llama, 2 alpacas, and 2 goats. Thought I would share my fun meetup. E7769532-2F68-4418-A164-A1E6A72E9249.MOV

Send your client a tape measure and a thank you note. Explain that measuring the condo is beyond the scope of a home inspection but you hope your small gift will assist in the solving her dilemma.

I guess after the first few misses it didn't really matter.

I just wanted to know what you meant by efficient design. No offense taken. Design aesthetic is subjective. I attached a few photos of other stairways we designed. An engineer designs a stairway to allow people to travel from one floor to another. Function typically trumps aesthetic. An Architect designs a stairway that does the same thing but also tries to make it a beautiful experience travel on the stairway. Meanwhile the building contractor tries to figure out how to build what the architect draws. Hopefully everyone works together to make it happen successfully. A home inspector looks at it after it is built and tries to determine what is wrong with it. Thanks Les!

There will be hurricane ties installed along the bottom plate. The plate ring is a continuous laminated circle and cannot deform. I suspect that will be the strongest roof in town! The intersecting roof is more like a cricket and is built over the dome to divert water. It will not be seen from the ground.

Not sure what you mean by an "Efficient" design. The house surpasses energy code requirements. The exterior materials are low maintenance. Worrying about window washing on a custom home is like someone buying a Range Rover and asking only about the gas mileage. The people that buy this house are not washing their own windows. They have people like us to do it for them! I could only imagine what architectural design would be like if the main concern of the design was low upkeep. PS- I drive a VW

No. The house is under four million. Curved windows are too expensive. Roof will be metal. Curved wall section is mostly Azek. We laminated plywood for sheathing.

This is a house under construction designed by AHM Architects. The stair tower was fun to figure out.

I was not sure if I should post this in the HVAC or plumbing section. The good news is that they did not have to make an extra hole in the roof for the exhaust fan termination.

Typically the manufacturer's published installation requirement/specifications "Trump" the code requirements. I advise my clients to follow the specifications.

Maybe it is a NJ thing. This "trap" is about 5 feet deep.

An HVAC contractor told me that a lint trap is required by code in this dryer vent and he installed this in a laundry room. The vent is suppose to be ducted up through the ceiling but if you look carefully you can see that the bottom is also open and there is a trap door planned below. This is a new one to me. There is no requirement in the dryer installation manual and I told the contractor to follow the manufacturer's requirements. It seems to me that this would cause problems with the air flow. Anyone want to comment?

I just got off the phone with someone that was trying to sell me "Anbeztoos" isbestons". It took me three times before I realized she was trying to say "Asbestos Inspections." I was tempted to hang-up on her but I had to ask what she meant. She explained to me that architects need to have ansbestoos isbestons when they open walls because the anbeztoos can go in your ears and hurt you and if I did not have the isbeston I could get a fine. She was surprised I did not know about anbeztoos. I said no thank you. I am curious if the company that hired her to make phone sales calls ever listened to her sales pitch. I would recommend that someone educate her about what she is selling. Hope everyone has a happy, prosperous, and safe new year.

THANKS!!!

We also want to explore the adjacent park. Last time we were there my iPhone recorded between 21K and 23K steps every day. I wont feel guilty eating a little extra.

We have already have a place to stay in SOMA Square Apartments. We will use that as a home base. Going to rent a car for a day or two to explore.

Looks like a cool place to check out. Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was there in early September but it was 106 degrees so we really curtailed our activities. Since then my son went on the Alcatraz tour and said it was worth seeing so I will go. We did the wharfs and enjoyed the National park and boats there. I am looking for museum and architectural highlights for this trip.

I am going to San Francisco for a few days next week (14th-19th). Have a few things planned with my son but will have some free time while he is working. I plan on taking the Alcatraz tour. Anyone have any must see recommendations?

When my clients ask about tankless heaters I remind them that no electric=no hot water. During Super Storm Sandy a lot of people in my area were glad that they had hot water when there was no electric for days at a time. They could at least take a hot shower. When you compare the additional cost of the tankless heater (the unit and installation) to swapping out a typical heater, I wonder how much money, if any, is saved. Of course if the chimney needs work the comparison will be very different.

What style Type Ball do you use in your IBM Selectric?

My dad was building homes in the late 60's and early 70's. He told me that there was a time that there was a shortage of copper wiring and his electrician informed him that the copper was approved for residential use but was not allowed in his commercial jobs. Due to the limited amount of wiring the electrician used aluminum in the homes. The electrician charged the same price and my dad did not care as long as the wiring was code approved and he could sell the house. He also gave the buyers a choice of hardwood flooring or carpeting in the bedrooms because the cost to him was almost the same.

I have noted that arc fault breakers are installed in new panels but I do not test them because I am concerned that I could cause damage if I disconnect something that should not lose power. How are others handling this?

It is a good example of when people apply decorative building elements without any consideration of how the faux parts/materials would be used if they were the real thing. One of the most common examples of this is when I see faux stone or bricks installed on cantilevers. It looks ridiculous to me.