Steven Hockstein

Wow. Around here, a basic chimney cleaning is about $170. Same here (for a real cleaning). There are sketchy companies that advertise $35 chimney cleanings and those are the ones that you have to watch out for.

They are full of it. Of course any chimney can get blocked or damaged but gas flues typically do not need to be cleaned because of combustion residue. Periodic inspection and maintenance is always a good thing. Around here chimney cleaning can be a major scam. I tell me clients never to allow the low budget chimney cleaners anywhere near their houses. Almost without exception they "Find" expensive problems that need to be repaired. The use high pressure and scare tactics. They have to find problems to fix because there is no way that they can make a profit cleaning chimneys for $35. My experience is that if they make any repairs at all, they are often done improperly. The call you got reminds me of the driveway sealing companies that are "In the neighborhood" and can give you a good deal. They charge you to spray used motor oil on the the driveway and disappear. A guy rang my doorbell a few weeks ago and claimed to be doing a termite treatment in the neighborhood and offered to check and treat my house for a low price. I politely refused. Hold onto your wallet (Not that the money in the wallet will buy you much nowadays!).

So you can find the switch in the dark?

At least I can't see that from my house!! Imagine if that was what you saw when you looked out of your front door. I think the technical term for that style is "Architectural Diarrhea"

I'm 41 and have had enough beer with my Dad to float an aircraft carrier. We've drained 'em in countless places, a dozen states, three countries, and two continents. Air, sea, and rail. I'm sure I didn't appreciate them all, but i never took one for granted. Anyone here remember Ballantine Ale? Schlitz? These days, he's kind of tame, smiles a lot, and like to laugh at old times. Sorry to hear you can't have one with your Dad, but you're welcome to join us if you're in the area. We used to drink a lot of Rolling Rock. Now I enjoy drinking Yuengling. The first time I heard of it I thought it was some type of Asian beer. Now I know it is from PA and has been around for a very long time. It is a good beer for the price.

Les, I am sure that you also get some notes like the one I got this morning (they help make up for the agent complaints and associated stress): Thank you for your time Steve. Vince ( his four year old son that attended the inspection and I handed him a plastic flashlilght so he could "Help" me inspect) had a great time and I found the whole process to be very informative. I'm sure we'll talk again when we're ready to do some work in the house (he told me that he wants to do an addition in the future and wants me to be the architect). Thanks again, *name removed*

As usual, you are right on point Kurt. As an outsider (former ASHI member-originally joined in 1981) I am still amazed at how the organization's leadership thinks any of this stuff really makes a difference to anyone outside of their small circle of ASHI members. Nobody has asked me about ASHI since licensing became a requirement in New Jersey.

In this area when the panel has to be upgraded it is typical that the service wire to the house has to be upgraded because it is old, undersized, and weathered. The utility company requires that a permit be pulled before they will swap out the service wiring to the house. Sometimes I will see a new 200 ampere panel installed but the main wire remains undersized because the owner/electrician ( or "Uncle Louie" that knows all about electrical systems) installed the new panel without a permit. If the panel is new I advise my clients to get the documentation (proof of permit and inspection approval) for the work.

My house has gable vents and a power vent (1957 split level). There are no soffits and I decided that a power vent in the center of the upper rear roof was a better solution for me than a ridge vent. The power vent runs during the day for 2-3 months a year. The central A/C does not have to fight as much heat radiating down from the ceilings. The attic is much cooler on hot days and the house is more comfortable than before I had the fan installed. All of the new houses we design have soffits and ridge vents. No power vents are installed in the new houses.

Yeah, right. You would have to hold a gun to my girlfriend's head to get her anywhere near that thing. And it's probably 50/50 whether she'd choose the urinal or the bullet. You would have a better chance if was pretty like one of these: Click to Enlarge 7.14 KB

They are the air vents for the underground tunnel that leads to Control Headquarters. Look for the secret door in the basement of the house.

Yeah, They usually are. By the name, it sounded like the potential client might have been Asian. About 90% of my clientele are foreigners and about 95% of those are Asian. For whatever reason, Asians seem to like to haggle about price more than Americans or Europeans. I think it's a cultural thing. (Now before you all start talking about how I'm a racist and am making bigoted comments, keep in mind that I've been married to an Asian for more than 31 years.) Just stand firm on your prices and most eventually give up trying to whittle you down. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike When I was younger I would never think to go into an electronics store or jewelry store and try to negotiate the price. It is now very common. With all of the information available on the internet many department stores and big box stores (i.e. Walmart, Sears, etc.) are willing to lower their price to compete. I can only assume that many people figure that if they don't ask they won't know if you are willing to negotiate.

I should probably cut the call short when the shopper starts to speak about all of the the other prices that everyone else has told them (referring to the 20 other home inspectors that they have called so far that day). The vast majority of my work is from direct referrrals and not from price shoppers. It is rare that I book the inspection even though I attempt to educate them about why they should be asking about the qualifications of the inspector before the price. It seems that after I quote the price they just tune out.

I am not sure what is going to happen but if the inspection is cancelled I would venture a guess that it is probably for the best. I also think offering a SMALL discount is not a bad idea for the sake of good will. Your answer is right on target. I continue to be amazed at how many intelligent people that are purchasing a home that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars can base the home inspection decision on a price difference that is relatively insignificant instead of the references of other satisfied clients.

Occasionally I find a grey Bell Telephone transformer plugged into a wall outlet. My client asks me what it is used for and I explain that they used to need an electrical connection to provide power for the light-up dials in the old phones. It makes me wonder how much electricity is wasted in our country by unused transformers that have never been disconnected?

I suggest you join the organization that has the meetings closest to your home or office and/or have the largest attendance in your area. I have found that it is generally not the national organization's name that makes it worthwhile, it is the local people that you rub elbows with. I would also inquire about the education seminars that they have.

We took a scrap of Advantech floor decking and placed it in a bucket full of water for two weeks. We removed it and let it dry. The piece seemed unaffected.

ditto!

Here are a couple of photos from a crawlspace I was in a couple of years ago. Nobody had been in the crawlspace for many years. Click to Enlarge 110.32 KB Click to Enlarge 43.35 KB

Here is one that we did a few years ago. It made sense because the lower level was reorganized but the walls pretty much stayed in the same places. The family of four lived in the basement for a year while the construction was performed above http://www.ahmarchitects.com/portfolio% ... model1.htm The bought the house for $400,000, spent another $400,000 and sold it two years later for $1,600,000!!

Around here the property is often worth more than the house that is sitting on it. When it comes to an old one-story house, by the time you reconfigure the first floor rooms, replace the windows and doors, add insulation, replace the siding, upgrade the mechanical systems, and update the kitchen and bathrooms, there is not much left of the original house. The cost of renovating does not make sense. Unless the house has historic significance it usually is best to rip it down and start over. On occasion we need to leave at least 50% of the existing house because of grandfathered zoning issues. The new house can have a higher basement, better energy efficiency, and a new home warranty.

Kyle, That sucks! Come to the NJ ALPHI Meeting tomorrow. Look for me or Joe and we can arrange an announcement for everyone to be on the lookout for someone selling the tools. Another thought is that a lot of the multi inspector companies have downsized and there may be some excess used tools available to buy. Good Luck. Steve

Call Certainteed and ask for a manufacturer's rep to come out to the house to see if the roof was properly installed. Keep in mind that most roofing warranties are not for the shingles. The warranties are for the roofing systems that include requirements to following installation specifications. Hopefully the roofer will come back and make any recommended changes. Good Luck.

In NJ, smoke and carbon monoxide detector certification is needed as part of the house closing process. Some of the municipal inspectors are now also requiring GFCI upgrades to kitchen and bathroom outlets as part of the C of O.

A secret floor safe. The slot at the top is hidden in the floor boards. The bottom of the box has been removed in your photo and all cash has been removed. Jim- this message will self destruct in 30 seconds. For affect, sing this out loud now "dun dun da di, dun dun da dum, dun dun da di, dun dun da dum.....