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Steven Hockstein

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Everything posted by Steven Hockstein

  1. Steven Hockstein
    Was there an unusually customized Delorean nearby?
  2. Steven Hockstein
    Looks like a representation of the foot path of my wife when she goes to the mall. My path would be a straight line to the other end.
  3. Steven Hockstein
    We worked on a Jersey Shore home with severe termite damage behind brick veneer. The damage was discovered as part of the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy (the termite problem would not have been found for many more years if not for the need to remove the interior wall finishes). After consulting with multiple contractors about how to repair the framing, the consensus was that the best way to repair the structure was to take the veneer down. In the end, it was also the less costly option. In your case it will likely be easier to diagnose and repair the water penetration problem with the veneer removed.
  4. Steven Hockstein
    Please stop. I just gagged-up some of my lunch.
  5. Steven Hockstein
    Just as an aside and not to hijack this thread: Am I the only one that finds it peculiar to write about a building in the past tense? I.E. "The foundation was blah, blah blah...It is my style to report on a building in the present tense. I can understand if you want to say something like "When I was there the basement was full of stored items and blah, blah, blah... I guess technically if you write the report the next day you can talk about the whole building in the past but I do not do that. Am I wrong? Grammar expert advice please.
  6. Steven Hockstein
    I don't see how. Or even seen such. Marc Do a Google search for "Mold in Air Conditioning Coils" to learn about it. look at this YouTube video: It was just my guess but some funky odors can come from air conditioning systems. I was thinking that someone may have dumped bleach on the coils in an attempt to clean them.
  7. Steven Hockstein
    could it be some type of growth on your coiling coils in the A/C?
  8. Steven Hockstein
    I think learning about a controversial subject that is related to homes is a good thing. My issues are that much of the information that is publicized to me mostly comes from companies that have a lot of skin in the game and want to use the information to sell stuff. That makes me suspicious of the objectivity of the providers. I also question how a home inspector that went to a course for a few hours can be a certified mold specialist and make bold claims when there are trained scientists that don't know all of the answers to some of the same questions. Again, it makes me suspicious of their claims.
  9. Steven Hockstein
    Good guess! Hard to tell. Windows were all replaced. No evidence of old windows units. Electric outlets nearby were mostly improperly wired three-prong outlets fed by knob and tube wiring (don't get me started). Not sure if they could have even supported a window unit.
  10. Steven Hockstein
    So far the consensus is some type of rainwater collection/distribution setup. That is where I am leaning.
  11. Steven Hockstein
    This is on the right side of a 100 year old house. It is about 7 feet above ground. There is no obvious purpose for hose. There is no water supply nearby. The central air conditioning condensate drains to the other side of the house. There is no water conditioning equipment in the home. I was thinking it may be for someone to run water into the leader pipe to see if the flow is ok. Maybe some type of water collection system to use the roof water for irrigation? Leader pipes lead underground to an unknown place (possibly a dry well or storm sewer system). Any other guesses? Click to Enlarge 64.98 KB
  12. Steven Hockstein
    I have a brochure in my hand that is from a Mold company that offers testing and emergency services. They claim to be "Certified" Mold Inspectors. Nowhere on the brochure does it state what certified means or who certified them. Does anyone know how you get certified except by a company that is in the business of the "Mold is Gold" bandwagon?
  13. Steven Hockstein
    If the Nest fire alarm system requires a WIFI connection or monthly subscription to properly operate I know that it would not be accepted by the fire sub-code officials around here.
  14. Steven Hockstein
    It is very difficult to calculate the composite structural strength of all of the different parts of a building and how they work (or not work) together. Every once in a while I will get a call from a contractor that is working on one of our projects. The conversation will lead to a discussion about why the building is still standing because they opened-up the walls to expose the structure and were surprised at what appears to be a minimal amount of support and no obvious signs of failure.
  15. Steven Hockstein
    I am closer than both of you. Just not licensed in NY and not interested in driving there. My friend contacted me and asked for assistance. I told him I would put the word out.
  16. Steven Hockstein
    One of my friend's kid is buying a house in Cold Springs, NY. Anybody work in that area?
  17. Steven Hockstein
    Maybe the vent run is too long and there is moisture condensing in the vent pipe AND there is back-drafting. This may result in moist fumes blowing onto the fitting and causing the corrosion Additionally, there seems to be additional corrosion caused by dissimilar metals at the fitting.
  18. Steven Hockstein
    just curious if anyone tried. Was there a point in which they asked for your credit card number?
  19. Steven Hockstein
    I agree. It would be interesting to see what happens behind this system over time. Anyone out there have any real life experience in the forensic analysis of this system?
  20. Steven Hockstein
    http://www.northjersey.com/news/revised ... -1.1413352 Thread drift but I found this an interesting read regarding truss framed mid-rise buildings.
  21. Steven Hockstein
    Many years ago I inspected a house in Western NJ and the radon level was a few hundred pCi/L. I don't remember the exact level but I was shocked at how high it was. There was a very old couple living in the house in this rural area and they were as healthy as you would want to be at their age. They both smoked cigarettes like chimneys. To this day I am convinced that they both had lung cancer and that the natural radiation treatments were working.
  22. Steven Hockstein
    Seems odd, don't most routers use a DC adapter? Can the power issue transfer through the DC adapter? Maybe your modern router is defective and the other routers are older and not compatible?
  23. Steven Hockstein
    You mean when the host of the show wanders around the house and waves hands in the air and "Designs" the space, that is not enough? Architects, structure, licensed electricians and plumbers, etc.. are really needed? Duh!
  24. Steven Hockstein
    I hope you did not bump into a pair of beady eyes in that crawlspace. The hole would have seemed even smaller on your way out.
  25. Steven Hockstein
    Is the rim board continuous behind the pipe?
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