Brian G

[:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck][:-yuck] Brian G.

I suspect a combination of lack of understanding and protectionism is at work here. As far as I know there are no modular home manufacturers in the state, but we do have mobile home/manufactured housing (or did have). That may be part of the reason for the tax bite on modulars. And while I certainly would agree that home inspectors need to know about modulars to inspect them properly, I can't see how educating home inspectors on the issue would do anything for sales of modular homes. Am I missing something there? Brian G. "Trailers" Are For Hauling Things In []

Originally posted by Les Brian, Ya know the first line of the song? "Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to rent fifty cents----" Roger's code is good enough for me! Les, Les, Les....that's "King of the Road", not "Code of the West". Sheesh. [:-boggled http://users.bigpond.net.au/clarks/codewest.htm Brian G. "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd" [:-fight]

Originally posted by kurt One should be careful when tossing out certain terms on an internet forum. Without eye contact, body language, & all the other stuff animals use when figuring out what another animal is "thinking", stuff can get misunderstood very easily. So true. Been there, stepped in that. That's why we have smilies. [:-slaphap Brian G. I Learned the Code of the West from Roger Miller; Does That Count? []

I doubt if the brick will be a big problem either, but I can't look at that without frowning. Electrical enclosures get bigger and bigger as the years go by; if they ever have to replace that it won't be fun. Was the service underground or overhead? If it were overhead and the mast got bent to hell from storm damage, swapping out the mast could be rough too. I'd make a note about the "unconventional" installation in the report. And if you ask me, builders and buyers are already way too concerned about cosmetics over practical considerations as it is. Silly over sensible, yet again. Brian G. H.I. Curmudgeon in Training [:-dog]

I'm with you Paul. Bolts held only by OSB? Better than nothing, but not that reliable (IMHO). How big was the deck? Brian G. Where's the Beef? [:-magnify

I cringe when I think of how many decks around here are built just like that. It's one of those things many people assume almost anyone can build...but not properly. It's sad in a way, but I hardly ever get any grief about writing up crummy deck construction anymore because of all these stories. I tell doubting clients or sellers to just Goggle "deck collapse" and see what comes up. Brian G. Decks Aren't Deckorative Items []

Originally posted by Jim Katen I think you were looking an a half-size double two-pole breaker set. The outer two breakers are linked to each other to serve a 40-amp circuit and the inner two breakers are linked to each other to serve a 20-amp circuit. I presume that the outer circuit fed the AC unit and the inner circuit fed something else. From the original description I would agree with Jim. Just FYI, GE never made a breaker like that, so it's someone elses' brand of breaker. I don't think that's a real big deal unless there's some other reason to be concerned, but others disagree. Brian G. Fountain of GE Trivia [^]

Nice job John. Clean and straight. I never ran into that in my carpentry years, but if I had I would have been satisfied if my work had come out like that. Brian G. Sloppy Carpenters Suck [:-yuck]

You should have: 1. The tree trimmed away from the house, 2. Screens installed on the attic vents to keep the racoons (and any other animals and birds) out, 3. The animal poop removed, 4. Additional insulation installed to help reduce your heating and cooling costs. As long as we're picking at Erby's "Walteresque" boilerplate, I'd bother to specify "heavy screen" where raccoons and squirrels are concerned. They can rip regular window screening loose with no problem. I think you can say poop, droppings, dung, feces, or even unidentified fecal matter, and 99% of clients will get it, but I do generally think the simplest term is the best. Brian G. Just Don't Call It [:-censore

You can't help hoping they get legal action going and nail all of the dirty players for big bucks; the HI, the realtor, and the agency. A string of huge settlements in similar cases would cause a lot of second thoughts, though I have no illusions about eradicating HI whores. In addition to making these programs illegal, I'd also love to see my state pass a law forbidding any HI's E & O from indemnifying the agents who recommend them. Make them feel the crosshairs on their bank accounts when they send someone to a charleton like that. Brian G. No Free Pass For the Pimps [:-scared]

That may be a good thing though; makes it easy to have my sorry ass shine by comparison. It's selfish I know, but that was one of my thoughts after looking through that lousy report. Compared to that I look like a superstar in spite of myself. [:-angel] Brian G. Autographs Available (for a nominal fee) []

One of the worst reports I ever saw was from one of the most expensive franchises out there. Virtually every page was one sentence about whatever that page was supposed to be about, followed by one or two paragraphs of boilerplate disclaimers. It seems absolutely nothing, including the myriad defects on a huge house covered in poorly installed EIFS, could not be condensed to a single sentence, but the disclaimers warranted entire paragraphs. I'll bet the entire report didn't take that guy 30 minutes, including printing. Disgusting. [:-yuck] Brian G. The above is the opinion of the author and may not be disseminated, folded, or spindled without the express written consent of said author, in triplicate. The characters and companies represented here are fictional and not based on any living persons or companies, so you can't sue me. Conditions are subject to change without notice and may have adverse side effects like bad breath, watery eyes, and itching of the crotch. If any of these symptoms appear I suggest monitoring them. [^]

I'm not about to answer that question. I'll talk all they want about what's wrong with it and I have almost no realtors left that aren't black-balling me already, but my job does not involve deciding whether or not I would buy the house. I'm at least the 5th generation on my land; the answer would always be "No". That decision rests with the buyers, and only the buyers. I think even stone-honest inspectors are generally reluctant to go there for legal reasons. One sue-happy seller with money could make your life miserable. I love ole' Walter, but everybody can't get by with all that Walter can. I'll also quote Mark Cramer: "What I do won't work for you." Brian G. My Job: Inspect, Document, & Report

Damn Jim, I'm surprized you could function to get out at that level. Just imagine if hadn't had the warning...probably would have been pigeon food. [:-yuck] I carry a low-level CO detector with me when I work, a constant monitor intended for home use. It's gone off in 3 different homes, including a reading of 50PPM in a little 900 sq. ft. house in Bama. The lady of the house said her 7 year old daughter "kept a cold all the time". I told her what it really was; she was pretty shaken. They didn't have a CO monitor, but even if they did and it was a run-of-the-mill $20/70PPM alarm model, they wouldn't have known squat and the poor kid would still be sick. For those of you I haven't bored with this before, please specifically recommend low-level CO monitors to all of your clients buying a house with ANY gas appliances. If they have kids lean on it a little. You may save a life one day without even being there. For those of you I have bored with this before; sorry. I held it as long as I could. [:-taped] Brian G. So Sue Me! [:-dog][]

Girtlin? Sounds like the struggle to get a fat girl out of her undergarments. I can't verify that of course, but you can ask Jim Morrison. [:-dev3][][:-dev3] Brian G. Jimmy says "Big Girls Need Lovin' Too"[-crzwom][:-eyebrow

Yep, that's a purlin. I would characterize that one as "worthless". Brian G. Timid Selector of Vague Report Terms []

I've cut duct or foil tape a time or two, but only when it was just one or two pieces that really weren't doing anything anyway. If they made more than a half-arsed effort to seal it up, I'm not going there. I hate those too. I wanna see that coil. Brian G. It's Easier to Get Into a Mess Than Out of One [:-mischie

So far in my career it wouldn't matter if the deductable was $50,000...never had a claim. I just re-upped and was too busy to shop around, but I hope compare a few next year. I'll be looking for exactly that kind of deal; a higher deductable and a lower price. Brian G. Insurance Rich, & Cash Poor Because of It [:-indiffe

You gotta love this business. No matter how long you do this, on any given day you're liable to go out and run right into something that makes you feel ignorant all over again. Never heard of the stuff before. Brian G. Poly Vinyl Devilish Confounder [:-boggled

Barry, the comma at the end of the first link is fouling it up. Edit your post and put a space between the link and the comma, or something like that. Looks like a lot of useful stuff there. Brian G.

That clears up the picture somewhat. Thanks for the input gentlemen (and you too Kurt [:-dev3]). Brian G. A Slave to My Impish Impluses [:-jester]

Silly question time. I know you have to sleeve gas lines if they penetrate masonry, but I can't find much that speaks to other metal pipes penetrating masonry. In the IRC under "General Plumbing Requirements" they say protect all pipes from "concrete, cinder, or other corrosive material". Doesn't that include brickwork & mortar? Does anyone write up water lines, AC refrigerant lines, etc. that are in direct contact with brickwork or mortar? And are all metals subject to corrosion from the masonry chemicals, or only certain ones? For some reason I'm suddenly finding a flurry of these type situations; funny how often oddball issues run in bunches. Brian G. Oddball With an Issue [:-cyclops

I've seen several of those, and more all of the time. It seems that everything, everything, everything has been made a slave to the appearance of the house. They want the roofline to be "interesting" no matter how flat out stupid it is. The other thing I'm seeing lately is idiotic little flat rubber roofs used in spots where other stupid sections come together and can't be resolved. Jeez. Brian G. Style vs. Substance...No Contest These Days [:-indiffe