Steven Hockstein

How about this one I saw last week. Click to Enlarge 68.9 KB

The best approach is to make an opening in a closet ceiling somewhere to see the framing. Add a removable cover. Access is a good thing (and required by code). It makes it a lot easier if you ever have a problem and need to get into the space.

I graduated architecture school 25 years ago! Maybe he has changed his opinion. In my experience I see a lot more problems with flat and low sloped roofs than with steeper pitched roofs. The detailing of flashings and roof maintenance requirements are important and often done poorly.

No I don't know where they buy the materials. Maybe you can check with a local boatyard to see where they buy their fiberglass supplies.

If you are going to use it as a walking/deck surface I recommend fiberglass. We use it on houses and it performs well. The hardest part is finding someone that knows how to work with it and install it. I clearly remember one of my professors in architecture school telling me that there is only one place that flat roofs don't leak and that is where it does not rain.

Points well taken. Sometimes the aesthetic result trumps the realty of the construction that it is trying to emulate. The reason that the stone "Foundation" water table extends higher than the actual foundation is for totally aesthetic reasons. We originally considered keeping it low that but the house is so tall and narrow that we had to add the horizontal element at a higher place because we thought it looked better. It helps break down the scale of the height. If you get really technical, the tops of the chimneys are wrong too. At least the builder did not put asphalt roofing on the transition between the wide and narrow parts of the chimney (like the attached photo). The reason the stone does not extend along the sides is because the house is cantilevered on both sides to allow for a wider house. There were zoning reasons that the foundation footprint was limited so we added square footage with the cantilevers along the sides. The stone is hiding two foot cantilevers on both sides of the house (if you look carefully at the photos you can see that there is no foundation visible along the sides). Keep in mind that this is an investment property and we were working with the owner to maximize investment return, By the way, both sides of the house were rented on the first day of when it became available. Click to Enlarge 69.95 KB

Come-on over. I will buy a few bottles.

Thanks. The framed glass shower enclosures were a financial decision. This is a rental property and the frameless shower enclosures are much more expensive. Since this is a two-family all of the selections are double the price.

I was wondering if it is appropriate for me to post photos or webpage links to some of our designs on this forum. Please let me know if anyone objects and I will stop. This is a link to photos of a new two-family house that we designed for a client. It is unique because due to the narrow lot we had to split the house from front to back instead of side to side. Each half will rent for over $4,000 per month! https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... Y2aFY4NE1B

They are some type of rigid panels. There is a finished ceiling installed under them. Access to the attic has been blocked and there is only a small opening that I could barely fit my head through to see. I took a few photos and this material is over all visible flat areas. I am also concerned that there may be asbestos fibers in the material.

OK, I am glad it is not just me. This one has me stumped. The material is installed throughout the attic and directly above the flat ceilings. It does not feel like a foam product. It is what I would imagine what an OSB structural panel would feel like before it was compressed. I also don't know if it contains asbestos since it was installed over 60 years ago.

Fibers seem too large to be Homasote.

It looks like the form board material but it is white. The boards seem to be part of the original construction. Was this product in use in 1950?

This is the first time I have ever seen this material. It is about four inches thick and solid (almost feels like a lightweight slab). The photo was taken at the entry hatch to the attic. The house was built in 1950. It is a slab on grade ranch house. I told my client that I have not seen it before and I will try to do some research. Now I am asking my home inspector think tank. Opinions? Click to Enlarge 58.66 KB

Like Kurt said. Unless the manufacturer's published specifications allow for the material to be buried into the masonry (unlikely), it is wrong. There should have been a barrier installed between the materials.

I use dimmable Par 38 spots recessed bulbs from Costco (Feit Electric is the manufacturer). I have the type of light switches that look like traditional switches with the small slider alongside of the switch. I think they are Cooper Industry switches. Some Flickering when dimmed. Maybe the switches/sliders need to be cleaned?

My LED lights flicker a little when dimmed. It is because I have a system that is designed for incandescent lighting and I substituted dimmable LED bulbs. I don't find it to be a problem and my electric usage has dropped. Maybe there is a way to fix this but not worth the effort to me.

I agree. It is also not as good a weapon as the old light if attacked by a pit bull!

Many towns have a light pollution aspect to their land use and zoning ordinance. Have her talk to the local zoning/construction official. Better yet, she should have a friendly talk with the neighbor and maybe they can figure it out between them!

I have two Streamlight LED Ultra Stingers. Never had to go to the backup due to a low battery. I have a home charger and car charger. Highly recommend them. I also keep a couple of cheap LED flashlights with built-in magnets in my tool bag ( the ones that they give away at Harbor Freight). Great for hands free light when needed. Also good for handing to a client or a kid if they ask if I have a spare light to see something. I don't care if I forget to get it back or if they damage it.

And by the way, $500 will probably not cover the cost of a competent architect or engineer to design your structure, provide the drawings, and take responsibility for them. I am sometimes insulted that some of the public will devalue what we do as licensed professionals (Home Inspectors, Architects, Engineers, etc. ) and expect us to work cheap yet when they do their job they want to be paid a premium. I am mildly amused when the same people will take design advice from the salesmen in a lumber yard, big box store clerks, or strangers on the internet and spend thousands of dollars based on what they find out.

Actually, you want to use an architect, not an engineer. I know it is self-serving but an architect is trained to design the space as well as the structure and integrate them into an aesthetically pleasing design. If an architect needs a structural engineer to design a simple roof structure he should not be licensed. An engineer will know how to make it strong and safe but is not necessarily trained on how to make it attractive. Of course design is subjective but it is easy for most people to see the difference between a functional box and a well designed space. That being said, good luck with whatever you decide.

Suggesting that the outlet be GFCI protected might not be a bad idea.

R311.3 Floors and landings at exterior doors. There shall be a landing or floor on each side of each exterior door. The width of each landing shall not be less than the door served. Every landing shall have a minimum dimension of 36 inches (914 mm) measured in the direction of travel. Exterior landings shall be permitted to have a slope not to exceed 1/4 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2-percent).

I bought a new garage door opener at a big box store for less than 200 dollars. Installed it myself in less than an hour. It was a lot easier because I could re-use much of the hardware from the old unit.