Steven Hockstein

When we specify 3 tab roofs we require that they construct the valleys with straight, one sided, weatherproof laps. It looks much better than the one in your photos where they just keep going and weave the valley. It also takes less skill to weave the valley.

Mike, During the aftermath of Storm Sandy I ran my house with a 4000 Watt generator. I ran an extension cord to my refrigerator, one to my living room, one to my sump pump and one to my furnace. I used the living room extension cord to keep some lights and entertainment on. The digital electronics were run through a surge protector. I also used a padlock and chain to keep my generator from being stolen by people that were driving around and grabbing from the outside of houses when they were left unattended. I hot wired my furnace through the shut-off switch using a cannibalized computer power cord. I had no problems running everything including lights (with energy efficient bulbs), a big screen TV, cable box, DVR and various vdeo games. I also charged computers and phones for my neighbors. I did not buy a larger generator because of the amount of gas required to keep it going. I ran my house on less than 4 gallons a day. I shut off the generator at night (11 PM) and started it back up early in the morning (7 AM). If I had a larger generator I would have to keep a lot more gas on hand. I have two 5 gallon cans in my garage. Of course I could siphon from the cars and truck in the driveway if needed but I went out to buy gas two times during the weekthat we were without power and all worked out. Some of my neighbors have since installed transfer switches, and/or natural gas generators. I thank them because now that they spent all of their money on the emergency power, we will not need it. The same rule applies when I bought my snowblower and there were no major snow storms for a few years afterwards. Good Luck. Steve PS- Don't forget to start-up your generator and test it every few weeks.

Answers: 1. Being accurate and focused. 2. Dealing with companies and salespeople that try to sell me nonsense. 3. It would be great if there was an automatic way for me to screen out salespeople posing as concerned people attempting to ask real questions. 4. See answer for question number 3.

Be a nice neighbor and give him the choice of fencing around the structure or paying to properly relocate it onto your property.

Not a requirement. Often an option for those that want to ventilate.

Also-Make sure the police department has the info so it also is shared with the pawn shop community. Good advice about telling the company. About 20 years ago I had a Passport Radar detector stolen from my car. I ordered a new one and told them it was because my old one was stolen. The actually gave me a discount on the new one because they must have felt sorry for me. About three year later I got a call from the company that my old radar detector had appeared in their service department. They requested I send them a copy of the old police report. I found out that it was apparently "purchased" by a trucker and he needed it serviced. I received the repaired passport in the mail a few days later n/c for repairs! PS- Anyone want to buy a perfectly working, obsolete radar detector?

Do you normally check the hood like this or was it an accident?

I have had two fail in my own home. Both times the water just stopped flowing and I thought that my main water line had broken. The cost of replacement was a couple of hundred dollars. No big deal. After the first one failed I added ball valves on both sides of the meter and pressure reducing valve. The second time I I did not have to drain any pipes or shut off the water at the street.

How did we ever survive as long as we have with all of this mold around? Maybe because it is a bunch of hogwash?

ditto also- how old are the skylights? Are the still in warranty? lastly-it is very likely that the cost of making a mistake is going to be more than hiring a professional (i.e. falling off the roof, damaging a repairable flashing, etc...). If you are not even sure if they are curb mounted skylights I suggest that you not attempt to make an amateur repair.

Looks like plastic to me. Similar to Corian material.

Looks like the last injured man standing after a battle. I imagine this was one of many along a block of attached homes.

I am done with this thread. Not sure if it is the language barrier, excessive worry, or just wanting to keep this dribble alive. Maybe we are being pranked. Good luck with your crack. Remember, crack kills (i.e. Whitney).

Spend your money how you want. I would bet he does not tell you much more than you read here. Just more words.

If there is a major earthquake in Middletown NY, your foundation crack will be the least of your problems. If this thought makes you nervous I would probably not go into the schools, stores, religious buildings, etc.. in your city because most of them are not built with earthquake resistant construction. My advice is to take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and repeat. Maybe a couple of shots of a good drink or a valium can help. Seriously, you are buying a house and we all know it is a major investment for most people. Nothing is a sure thing but most house problems are repairable and not life changing. If you like the house, the price is fair, and you can afford to live in it, then take the plunge. If the possibility of the foundation cracking along a cold joint is your biggest worry about the house, you are doing better than most. Enjoy your new home and be happy that you have the opportunity to buy a house.

I agree unless you are referring to an apartment on the top floor of a house? The IRC is not the right code if you live in an apartment building.

I advise you to find a competent home inspector to look at the house and assist you. It will be money well spent.

Check with the Homeowner's Association. You are probably not the first one in the neighborhood to have an issue with a roof. Maybe they can provide you with a list of approved roofers that have already worked there and you can speak them and obtain estimates.

At least they did not hang the deck off of the cantilever.

I thought it was in a multi-family house, not an apartment building. I don't know the specific rules or the equipment required. I know that make-up air is especially important if there is a fan continuously pulling the air. Did you check to see if there is air being pulled from the duct?

I would tell my client that they should have an independent dryer vent for each dryer. Lots of reasons but here are a few: The lint will drop down and clog ducts below. The fumes from below can enter into the upper dryer vent duct. Added the lint build-up. 90 degree connection is much less efficient for air flow. Also-the cheapo vent duct is going to collect lint and I would recommend that they use a metal duct with smooth walls. On the positive side I have had the opportunity to design two brand new houses because the original houses burned to the ground because of dryer vent fires. Luckily, nobody was injured.

Assuming that there are not expensive finishes to replace and repair, a decent budget around here is about $1500.

Another new thing I learned on this site! I wonder how OSHA views this system?

Maybe there was some type of exterior window guard system to help prevent someone from falling. It looks that window has not moved in a long time.

Folding Ruler? Click to Enlarge 19.11 KB