Bill Kibbel

Abso-friggin'-lutely! If someone argues, I might do a little calculating, just to prove that the existing chimney is oversized.

I've never, ever seen it for flooring. I wouldn't use flatsawn hickory for anything. It's one of the most sensitive to moisture changes of the American hardwoods. If I remember correctly, it changes dimension about 1% for each 3% MC change. If I was forced to use it for flooring, I would've applied shellac to all sides before installation. I'll bet each board has a lot of sapwood too, making it even less stable - and too much contrast in each board. Way too "country".

If you don't want the pins, Protimeter also has one called the Aquant. Go to the TIJ front page and click on HI-Essentials, the site sponsor on the right column.

I hardly use any boiler plate. I'm quite lucky to have rather intelligent clients. As a result, I don't need to use a canned comment containing 6 sentences to explain ungrounded outlets. It's just another item in the list of electrical safety issues that needs fixin'.

Hey Joe. I have quite a few books, copies of manuscripts and many other documents that cover Bucks County history in great detail. My research is usually limited to the use and ownership of buildings and not genealogy, but this mystery was easy to solve. The grave in your picture is of Michael Croman, buried at St Johns UCC in Richlandtown. The cemetery may also include members of St Johns Lutheran Church, across the street. The Michael Croman that you state served in the Continental Army is most certainly (Michael Croman Sr.) the father of the Michael (Jr) of the marked grave. The Michael (Sr.) that served was a Private in the Richland Company of Second Battalion of Bucks County Associators- listed 1775. He was born in Germany in 1734 and died here in 1808. He and his wife Eva Maria had 12 kids, including a son, Michael Jr. that was born in 1764. He appears to have been the oldest son. In the Bucks County tax list of 1779, Michael Croman is listed as a Weaver in Richland Township who owned 60 acres, 1 horse and 4 cattle. This is obviously Michael Sr., not his 15 year-old son. The reason for the Memorial Day flag on Michael Jr's grave may be because a currently living descendant claims that he stepped in at the end of the war and completed his father's term of service. There's no documentation, that I'm aware of, for this claim. It's more likely that he is being confused with his father and no one has checked any documentation or calculated his age. Maybe he served in the War of 1812?

You guys are full of it. I pried one open today and found the noise is caused by a bunch of these:

Here's the missing tag. Click to Enlarge 22.12 KB

That's from the Hotstream Heater Co., probably manufactured between 1915 & 1920. I have some info that I'll look for in the morning.

I was gonna say what JD said, except he explained it better with more details!

There's polyethylene gas tubing, but it's yellow. There's aluminum gas tubing that's coated on the interior and exterior with polyethylene (GasFlex). It's also yellow. There's copper gas tubing coated with polyethylene (Gas-Tec). It's yellow, but there's also an outer sleeve of HDPE available (Gas-Tec Plus), that's black. It's fairly rigid though and clearly marked. I think what's pictured is some type of flexible tubing with some unknown, field-applied protective sleeve.

The first time I saw a basement bocce court, I had no Idea what it was.

After 50 years, I don't know how effective the treatment still is. Take a pinch and hold a flame to it. I've done it with Balsam Wool to illustrate a point.

Yep, Silva-Wool. Manufactured by Weyerhaueser in Eugene, OR. It's made from Douglass fir and was treated "to prevent decay, repel rodents and vermin, and retard combustion".

The correct spelling is Inselbrick®. We discussed this before here: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... IC_ID=4873 Click to Enlarge 49.86 KB

"Traps shall be set level with respect to their water seals..." There are 2 traps on one arm that needs to be corrected regardless.

It would have been an insult if I am wrong. I would be thrilled to be proven wrong. What standard did you use when YOU determined your client's home is "not historic"? Did you actually find out how much LTL freight would cost? Did you present the clients with the option and cost? I was involved in a project in central NJ where they shipped 8 pallets of hand-made bricks from North Carolina for under $600.00.

[!] That's a comment I would expect from another one of the thousands of architects that should stay far away from historic buildings.

I found it: http://classicrockfaceblock.com/

Those rusticated blocks weren't made in a factory. They were formed on-site. These machines were very common about the time that home was built. Click to Enlarge 12.82 KB You could even buy one from a Sears catalog. There is only one company that has the machines AND some of the original casting plates. You won't find any other block manufacturer making anything that comes close - only "split-face block". I'll try to find the contact info. They're in Indiana and ship anywhere.

You could mention that the Western Red Cedar Lumber Assoc. specifies that decking planks be spaced 1/8" apart to accommodate drainage and expansion.

I'm not sure what you mean by "2"-2.5" of tarpaper". What I see in your picture reminds me of many buildings that I've inspected that originally had low-sloped roofs. After battling leaks for decades, they construct a new sloped-roof structure over the original. This creates a new attic space, with the old, built-up hot roof as the floor of the attic.

I'm only messin' with you 'cuz you can't kick my ass from 2800 miles away.

State Stove and Manufacturing Co. became State Industries in 1974. Mike, which "lost element" of a GAS water heater would result in a higher GAS bill? (can't find the smilie of an old, senile dude in Depends).

Um, what about the thousands of Italian marble lavs and basin slabs that I've seen in many late Italianates and most Queen Annes I've inspected?

From someone who sees historic marble architectural details fairly frequently and has been to some of the most incredible marble quarries, here's some things to to consider: Marble was once limestone. Under intense heat and pressure, the crystalline structure became very tight, so there is very limited porosity. Properly polishing marble has virtually eliminated porosity. Polished, real marble will not stain, unless something acidic has attacked/dissolved the surface. Marble that came from dolomitic limestone was most often chosen for exterior details as it is more resistant to acidic contaminants than marble from calcite limestone. If there are stains on real marble, its due to loss of polish or the stains are only *on* the surface as a crust or by static attraction. By the latter part of the 20th century, what's being sold and installed as marble often isn't the same material as the real marble seen in the historic buildings. Here's the ugly truth - many types of stone (that isn't a granite) that can be cut smooth and take a certain polish, can be called marble. That's right, a highly polished petrified mammoth turd can be sold as marble. When purchasing from a supplier, be sure to get authentication from the quarry, that it came from the correct spot in the earth to be true marble. The problem of stains and idea of using sealers came about recently when folks started putting these polished rocks in their kitchens and used them as working surfaces. Um, many foods and beverages that are now contacting these surfaces are VERY acidic, resulting in loss of polish and allowing stains. Working with a couple conservators in the UK, who are trying to protect historic, architectural marble and other unglazed masonry from potentially acidic pollutants, penetrating sealers are sometimes used (in very specific situations). One product name I've heard is Lithofin,