Tom Barber

This subject is nothing new. Back in the late 60's to early 70' medicine cabinets where standard in all homes in this area. When the builders made them optional and then quit installing them completly, there was a major stink. Which eventuaally gave way to being accepted as the norm. Tom Barber in VA

Brian, Manual J is basicly a computer program that HVAC company's use to size the heating equipment propelry for your home, including the ductwork. Like any other program if you do not enter the proper information they are useless. I finished a basement for a friend last year and hired my local "Good" heating company to come out and run it for me. If I used him it was included in the price if not they where going to charge me $100, well worth the price. Tom Barber in VA

Your last sentence in the first paragraph of your first post say's it all, "moisture deteriorated subfloor" needs to be replaced. It is a sorry repair and I do not care if the seller is upset, they are not your customer. Tom Barber in VA

When I was taught framing the memers on top of the rafters are the purlins and the framing below in the picture is what appears to be an attempt at a stiff or strong back. Of course that was many many years ago. Tom Barber in VA

Here in my part of VA, we don't install sump pump's if the basement is a walkout, but almost always if the basement is an inground type. The difference being that the walkout will have daylighted foundation drains when it is built. The problem comes in when over the years, or when the home is final graded they fill in or cover up the ends of the pipes. When it is a daylighted foundation, I always try and locate the ends of the pipes for my customer, if I can't I inform them of the importanace of these pipes and that they need to be opened up and kept that way. I built my home and the only time I had any water in my basement was after one of the hurricanes hit my area and sure enough I had not done the very mainatnce that I inform my cutomers of. Tom Barber in VA

I inspected one almost exactly like the one in your photo about a year ago that was 3 years old. I followed the path of water through the dining room corner, into the basement where the subfloor, bandboard and 2 joist where already rotted out. Lucky for me the only part of the basement that was not finished was a closet under the dining room. The builder was contacted and did the repairs but did not solve the real problem. My people walked. Tom Barber in VA

I don't know if it will heat the basement, I don't think so, but that is not PEX that is Poly-butelyne. How old was the home? Tom Barber in VA

Kurt. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Tom Barber in VA

The 23' is HEAVY! Tom Barber in VA

God knows I do not want to start another long drawn out argument about which association is best, but, Jim, well said. Tom Barber in VA

Kurt, maybe that's why the realtors don't like me. I make my comments loud and clear in front of the realtor. Tom Barber in VA

Miles, look in the basement if there is one and also look near the main panel box. During construction in my area of VA the receptacle by the main panel box is made hot and is normally a GFCI. Tom Barber in VA

The paneling bowing appears to be from a moisture problem. I am really stressing my memory here but, in the mid 70,s I worked with a construction crew that built houses for a while in the New Orleans area, many stories from that time period. The concrete slabs had steel cables run through them and a machine pulled the cables tight so that even if the soil under the slab moved the slab would stay intact. My under standing was that the cables were tightened at certain interviles during the curing process of the concrete. I was told that the cable in some cases could be pulled through the concrete and used again, that my explain the washer on the one side but I dont know about the box on the other side.Hope this helps ??? Tom Barber in VA

Was there an operable kitchen window nearby?

I am A Radon Mitigation system installer in another life, and normally the bottom of the sump pump should be the lowest portion of the basement. That is where the water and the Radon would normally be found. Tom Barber in VA

The Radon systems that are installed into this type of sump pump will normally work better than the ones that just go thru the slab. The suction is expanded to the entire perimter of the home and thus it will pull the Radon more effectively. If you are hearing a gurguling sound either the float is set too high, the float is stuck or the pump needs to be replaced. Tom Barber in VA

4" metal pipe is the norm here in VA, I don't remeber ever seeing anything else, except for the 4" round plastic which does not work. Tom Barber in VA

Whoops, varei.org Tom in VA

Virginia Association of Real Estate Inspectors varie.org Tom Barber in VA

Unfortunatly that is the way most chimney's are flashed in this area. What's the matter with your glasses the white flashing eliminates the need for a cricket?[] Tom B. in VA

You would need to find out what code the builder used to pull the permit for this particular house. In VA when there is about to be a major code adoption, a lot of the larger builders will pull pemits under the old code for an entire subdivision. In VA you would have to go to the building dept. and find out which code was used to build that particular house. Tom B. in VA

1. It's not a fart fan it is a moisture fan. 2, Yes it is a code item and it is installed incorrectly. Tom B. in VA

Gerry, I hate to burst your bubble but I built my own home in 1990 and I purchased stanless steel wood stove pipe that was packed with Asbestos. I had to repalce a piece that had worn out about 2 years ago. All of this was purchased in Northern VA from a local supplier that bought it from Canada. Tom Barber in VA

This is very common in my part of VA on very old homes. They where installed so that the kitchen sink just ran to daylight and out onto the ground, hopefully away from the house. As laundry rooms and bathrooms where added, the laundry room and sometimes the bathroom sinks where connected to these lines. Most of the homes that where done this way have been changed over to where they now drain into the septic systems, but not all. The "DROIDS" in this area always claim that they are "grandfathered in". I always tell my clients that it is wrong and should be changed. Tom Barber in VA[:-dev3]