David Meiland

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-BOXED-PROTI ... 266wt_1139

If he stiffed you, why did you go check out the "leak"?

Hard to tell, but did they cut out a chunk of rafter to run the pipe?

For those saying the rule is ludicrous, what would you recommend instead?

Re the IR and moisture meter, I view it the other way around--the meter confirms moisture if/when an anomaly is seen with the camera. I am a regular user of IR and find that to get consistent results you have to inspect at a specific time and sometimes have to "prep" the house by overheating it, running water, etc. I have taken my camera out many times and seen nothing because conditions were not right (inadequate delta T inside to outside, solar loading on the walls or roof, too much furniture in the way, etc). A really stellar way to use IR is in conjunction with a blower door, you can do before/after scans and often find a lot to look at. I would not expect to take IR to every inspection and get useful images, and it can take a fair amount of time to really look at a house of any size.

Current code/interpretation here permits a ladder or other similar access to a space not larger than 100 square feet. A customer of mine has a tower with a non-conforming spiral stair to the second floor and a ladder to the third floor. Live there long enough and you will take some kind of fall. I did a month or so of work there last summer, got in shape, and sharpened up my reflexes.

I have seen a situation or two where someone bought engineered flooring for a job that was all the same length, and they didn't buy any extra for cutting waste. They then hired an installer for a per-foot price to come in and install it. Seeing that there was no extra to allow for varying the course pattern, he did the best he could, and kicked himself for doing a job where he didn't order the material himself. Last floor I installed myself was prefinished wood. The packages each included a handful of very short pieces, 10-16" or so. I tossed almost all of those out. Most of the rest was around 36-42" long, with lots and lots of pieces nearly the same length. There were some ranging up to 60". It was a real chore to try to get joints scattered, and a lot of those 36-42" pieces got tossed too. Without any extra I would have had to install a very ugly floor. As it is, it's marginal compared to a random-length wood floor.

There's a house about a mile from me that looks remarkably like Fallingwater. I'll snap a pic of it later today as I go by.

Are all the pieces the same length?

How long had the unit been burning before you took your reading?

Are you saying these guys are installing all the tyvek reverse-lapped? And what do you mean by penetrations over 1-1/2"?

No experience with radon, but just for my curiosity, you're measuring pressure under the slab with respect to... where? Inside the house?

Are either of those tanks the two-chamber variety?

Dang, you got me again. The only vent product I see used in this tiny corner of the world is Cor-A-Vent. It doesn't stick out from under the cap shingle at all. Sometimes roofers install very thin zinc strips... extremely thin, not sure of the gauge but it's minimal... In the OP photo that looked to me like galv metal designed to hold the water for a second before letting it drain out the slots. Don't accuse me of having no imagination.

Never seen zinc strips like that. 'round here it's just flat sheet metal. Wish we had those...

Hey, not trying to persuade anyone of anything. OSB and MDF are very different, but they both fall apart in the wet pretty quick.

There is "MedEx" MDF for exterior use. I've had my hands on it once and soaked a piece in the sink for a few weeks. Minor edge swelling (less than 1/32" on a 3/4" piece) but I don't know what would happen after years. I consider the term "MedEx" to be generic, i.e. there was/is probably more than one manufacturer of similar product, but here's a current one, and note that it says not OK for exterior trim. http://www.sierrapine.com/index.php?pid=68

Wow. Was that put there by the electrician? The roofers wouldn't have used it on that pitch, maybe on the upper section...

There is a cement that will join ABS and PVC, but how likely that they used it?

That fitting is called a "cross" and it's not supposed to be installed on its side like that. I've only seen those in cast iron, never plastic.

Someone would have had to get off their arse and go buy a breaker. Must have been an overwhelming obstacle.

Just buy a new one. You will get a brand new calibrated manometer that way. The prices went down recently.

You were up here and didn't give me a ride? That's just mean! A customer of mine bought a table from Urban Hardwoods, down your way. It's a couple of big slabs of Madrona joined along curved lines that follow the grain, and it's perfect. I believe they do it with CNC but I'm not sure. Click to Enlarge 80.64 KB

Holy smokes is that cool! If you decide to go with an island waterfront place instead of a ski lodge, let me know, I'm your man. We do have hunting here, during tourist season, which opens in a couple of months.

I've heard of guys in these parts using "antifreeze" in their mortar in the winter when temps are going to go to 32 or lower, and I assume they mean automotive antifreeze. Anyone else come across this? No doubt the EPA would disapprove.