Bill Kibbel

And the home inspector is paying for it 'cause he said "The bulb's just burned out".

I added a few links (yesterday, I think). They don't show up. Do they need to be reviewed and approved? I get to see a few new ones every year - on high-end additions and very expensive farmhouse reproductions. Each one has been almost perfect. I'll bet it's the same company doing the installations.

If you're dealing with prefabricated pans and accessories, you need to get THE manufacturer's instructions. If the details are field formed, here's a good illustrated guide: http://www.copper.org/applications/architecture/arch_dhb/roofing/standing_seam.html

Yeah, it's the local scene that's most important. I try to find where the smartest folks are and then hang out with them. Shoot, that's why I'm here at TIJ.

I find the same thing, but I don't tell them to waste money on sending in a camera. I just tell them to replace it.

Photoelectric sensors are only one of the acceptable devices to meet the secondary entrapment protection requirements. There are also "edge sensors" or "inherent door sensors".

I looked into SureFire. Didn't like the run time. It's listed in minutes, not hours. I can't get through an inspection on 3 Stingers. I use 2 XPs on most buildings now. Then there's the CP comparison. SureFire lists theirs in lumens. Too complicated for me to calculate.

It's very common for developers to purchase large colonial era farms in these parts. Some actually work around the farmhouse, but knock down all the outbuildings and it usually ends up on the smallest lot in the development. A former client, now a developer, called a couple weeks ago and asked if I would inspect a 150 year old farmhouse. He claimed it wasn't cost effective to restore and he wanted a report to show township officials that it needs too much work and should be demolished. He remembered how in-depth his inspection was and how much detail went into the report. I explained to him that I would not contribute to the demolition of an historic home and have been retained many times in the past by groups fighting developers and other evil beings that attempt to destroy fine examples of our architectural and agricultural history. He assured me that he respects my expertise and if I thought the home was worthy of restoration, they would consider it. He scheduled an appointment for today. This morning, I arrived early at the subdivision. After viewing the exterior of the 3 story stone home, the client's partner arrived to unlock the house. He insisted that I detail each and every little fault with the home, in the report, so they could start working on convincing the township. He went on to say that they need this building gone as soon as possible. I angrily told him that I'm not here to expedite demolition of an historic structure. When my client arrived, I was livid. I felt he intentionally told me "what I wanted to hear" to get me on-site. He implored me to continue the inspection, but I refused, since it was clear that my recommendations would not be used to preserve and restore the home. Not the first time I had to fire a client. I already sent e-mails to the township historic commission, historic society and county conservancy. I'm pissed -- and sad. Hand-cut and dressed stone, hand-split slate, hand planed trim, doors panels and sashes, hand-quarried, burned and slaked lime mortar and hand-hewn joists. Typical Bucks County, PA farmhouse. Indoor plumbing: Drain from stone sink:

Thousands and thousands of "experienced" inspectors are putting out absolutely horrible reports every day. Probably around 50 - 60 produce something of real value to their clients. A handful write detailed, understandable documents that are retained and reviewed by their clients until the next real estate purchase. Their clients show it to their friends, families and co-workers and they'll use it to instruct contractors performing repairs. There are some folks here at TIJ that write that kind of report, and it's not generated from software boilerplate. Get some of those reports and read 'em.

I see these occasionally, installed when the basement gets finished or part of a cheap addition. I frequently obtain and review the installation instructions. Some state "No hearth extension required". One states "Hearth extension is an optional accessory". One states "A hearth extension is recommended but not required". When you see one of these in a finished basement, with a low ceiling, fire it up for an hour. Using an infrared thermometer (8:1, not a cheapo) Measure the temperature of the floor directly in front of the firebox. Then measure the temperature of the ceiling directly above the fireplace. It will quickly illustrate that if a hearth extension is needed, then you'll need to get enough to cover the ceiling. Now, if I farted while standing in front of it, you'd want some floor protection. [:-jump] I can't stand these stinkin', real-men-don't-start-fires-with-a-switch, unworthy-of-the-title-of-fireplace, things anyway.

It needs to be capped, but not because of the rain that might enter. The chimney is now a "cold" chimney since it is no longer venting what it was originally constructed for. There is now a moving cold air current and condensation will rapidly deteriorate the mortar in the joints at the coldest (top) part of the chimney (they're already eroding). Soon, the bricks will begin to spall. If it didn't have a cap in my area, they're would be a pair of glowing eyes in the second picture and the nest occupants would have been a snack.

I was a little shocked when I saw those pics. The 3 species of sturgeon that we used to have here are all classified as endangered.

6" fall within 10' of foundation except where the slope can not be created, drains or swails need to be provided. 2000 IRC R401.3 Drainage

What Tom described is correct. I find many T/C lined flues with that issue. The rest are attempts at creating an illusion of a flue liner.

If you don't want to shell out the bucks for EPDM, just duct tape together some dry cleaning bags. Seriously, the best would be cross-laminated high-density polyethylene. Google "Permalon" and "Armorlon".

I would guess these are multi-course panels (3-4 courses per panel) w/out overlapping, staggered end joints. The manufacturer probably specifies caulking end joints, unless this is yet another exterior wall covering product that relies solely on building paper to protect the building.

Asphalt siding. Some refer to it by its original brand names such as Inselbrick®, Inselstone® or Inselwood®. It's similar to asphalt roofing shingles, but backed with the old style Celotex. Available from the mid 1930s to about 1960.

When applicable, I put this in reports:

So a general contractor in Colorado made a similar statement as yours. Did you post this as an authoritive source or an example of someone else perpetuating a myth?

Below is copied from this earlier thread on this topic: www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3682 "Bad connector, uncoated brass: OK connectors: I really need to clean out my hard drive".

I would probably try to walk the valleys and perch on the chimneys. I hope the low slope dormers aren't slate. The house is listed as built in 1900. It has had many alterations/additions. I doubt the roof is original. I've been to many of the East coast quarries. I might be able to ID it with a picture and accurate color description (Mid-Maine slates can have an incredible service life). I would add to Jimmy M's list to replace face nailed replacement slates and look very closely at head lap. Why is that myth still being perpetuated? I've seen thousands of slate roofs between 5 and 500 years old. 4 had underlayment.

The only issue I'm aware of is when passing through a foundation or footing. Any drain/waste/soil pipe then needs a pipe sleeve (2 sizes larger) or a relieving arch.

The slabs aren't that thick here. Most of the tube is in contact with damp soil. The soil is kept warm all winter so the termites are happy to extend their season. I remember one that had decent air flow, but the air lost all its heat before arriving at the vents.

Masonry bee. Never heard of them in N. America, but they're a mild nuisance in the UK. They usually burrow pretty deep into the mortar though. Who here thought I made that up?

Very common here for mid 1940s through 1960 slab homes. If'n it aint asbestos it's paper ducts. Almost always eaten by termites and collapsing. When you turn on the blower, the house smells like a dirt crawlspace.