emalernee

Maybe the end wall was never tied into the ceiling joists or roof rafters and the 40 years of wind on the sail of a chimney pushed the wall out a total of no more then the 2 inches you found. The siding may be newer and covering up the separation of the chimney at the roof rake. Newer shingles and flashing would also hide the movement. Carpenters around here ussually don't start drinking until after the afternoon coffee break, when the boss has gone for the day. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Brandon, Google â€Å“z brickâ€

That may not be full size (thickness) brick. Could it be Z-brick (3/8th thick glued to a stud and plywood chimney cover? I installed a three sided prefab fireplace that hung from the exposed rafters in a large addition back in the 80's. The stud and plywood cover stood 20 feet tall on the shed roof to clear the existing house roof. We crossed braced and tied it into the rafters with steel rods to keep it from swaying. To keep the weight down (town said all chimneys must be brick) the Architect spec. Z-Brick. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

bootsan, Does your area have hail storms and does the weather mostly come out of the south? We see south roof plane damage caused by hail in Ohio. Insurance will replace only the damaged side. What you show in the pictures could be old hail damage. I inspected a house last week that had the south side replaced with insurance money. Have to look at a roof next week for a homeowner that believes he should get a whole roof shingle replacement and not just the south plane, as the insurance company is allowing. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Could the white cable be the 220V line to the electric stove? If it is, then it is improperly installed. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

So, what's that white cable that is pinched between the stove chassis and wall? Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

A company (www.superiorclay.com) in my area makes Rumford Fireplace kits along with other nice things out of clay. I read about Count Rumford years ago and have wanted to build one of his heaters, but to this date have only installed three of Superior Clay's chimney pots. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

As the price of copper keeps going up, I found a two story turret that is completely covered with copper on a old house. We were doing a brush on mold of some details on this old house and I notice that where some paint had worn off the turret that copper was showing. I got my folding ladder out an climbed up there to find that what looked like painted lapped siding and tin detail was all copper. They sure knew how to build them back then. As this is in a part of town where there is a problem with vandalism and theft, we hope someone buys the house and starts renovations soon. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio Image Insert: 94.1 KB

Looking at your pictures and hearing about the built-in gutters (some call them Yankee Gutters) and the age of the home, it would be a shame to cut them out and hang everyday gutters. Have the owners checked with the local preservation society? There could be some money available for preservation and restoration. Also a good source for craftsmen that know the what and how of old houses. The school that I am attending (Building Preservation & Restoration, Belmont Technical College) has a project house that was built in 1843 with built-in gutters. They were rebuilt using a membrane type material and have held up well over the last 15 years. Yours are terne coated steel that would have required painting every few years. If it had been copper, only the joints would have needed re-soldered about every 50 years. If your going with a 40 year roof, why not consider a Guaranteed for Life asphalt shingle. Proper flashing, venting, and insulation can add years to the system. That old lady has been around for over 100 years, in another 100, when it is inspected again, it could be said that those folks back in 08 sure knew how to preserve a piece of history that can never be built again. Looks like some great leaded windows. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio (weekends) St. Clairsville, Ohio (weekdays)

In my area the buyer has more then likely signed off on having the house tested. The RE people have it, inspections, and WDO in the contracts. As the RE gets to them before us Inspectors, we loose out on lots of jobs. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

I'm in. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

The bill was passed out of committee on Tuesday, April 8, but an amendment to put a firewall between real estate agents and Inspectors was tabled. Now the bill goes before the House before being sent to the Senate. A group of Inspectors from Cleveland went down to the committee meeting to protest the weakness of the bill to no avail. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Mike, Some history on the Ohio bill. Ohio ASHI, Ohio NAHI, and Northcentral Ohio ASHI went together about two years ago to craft a bill, hire a lobbyist, and find a house member to sponsor it. Northcentral backed out over something and introduced a bill in the Senate that went nowhere. OASHI and ONAHI introduced a bill in the House that also went nowhere. Last year OASHI/ONAHI rewrote the bill and that brings us to the here and now. I believe David Tamny is the author of the third website you list. He is a member of both Ohio ASHI chapters. My thought is that most Ohio Inspectors Know little of what is in the bill and how far it has gone or how far it has to go to become Law. It has been hard to light a fire under em in either camp. I and another Inspector have made regular visits to the players at the state house to keep informed and answers any questions they may have. I think the bill is weak in protecting the consumer and has set the bar way to low for entry into the field. I just started attending Belmont Technical Collage (BTC) working towards an Associates Degree in Building Preservation & Restoration (BPR). This is the same school that did a study on licensing Home Inspectors in Ohio. With my hours from Akron U, I should be able to finish by this time next year. With things looking like home sales won't pick up till next year I thought I should get this done before I get to old. Also, I will be able to join Bill's old house Inspectors group. (BTC) outlined a course of study for Home Inspectors that goes way beyond the 40 hour certificate schools. A lot of the outline follows the course work demanded in their BPR. I do wish more Ohio Inspectors would show up on your fine forum and get involved. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

I have been told that the members of the Ohio house Labor & Commerce committee are planning to vote on a Licensing bill next Tuesday (4/8/08). The file may be to large to post here (1mb), but the bill is labeled Sub.H. B. No. 257. Not many Ohio Inspectors on this forum ( Not many on any forum that I can tell), so I am wondering what the TIJ board of experts think. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

I think the problem is not with the concrete, but with the 3-4 feet of frozen soil, under the concrete, thawing. When that thaws the ground may shift or sink and cause the concrete to follow. Read about a freezer storage building around here that was going through major repairs and the need to keep the floor frozen to prevent damage to the foundation and floor. You may want to contact a contractor that works on that type of building and get his/her take on the subject. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Phillip, Small correction; Joists are horizontal members that support floors or ceilings, Rafters support roofs. In my area, the biggest mistake that the stick builders use to make on the roof system is to not locate the bottom of the brace on a bearing partition. With open living spaces the norm, most builders just oversize the rafters to eliminate braces and purlins. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Thanks for your replies, I'm sure that Doug has his answer to his question, whether on not it is what he wanted to hear is another ? The article that Bill Kibble directed us to is what is happening in many old cities. Tearing down old buildings that could be rehabbed, just to leave a weed filled lot that no one wants and that brings in no taxes, seems to be the only answer government can come up with. It is happening in my city also, We have lost over 40,000 (10,000 houses) in population in the last 35 years, but the length of our roads, water, sewer and utilities haven't been reduced so taxes go up for those remaining. Some in our government want to tear down every other house and split the land between the remaining houses to make the city look more like the burbs. Yet, the burbs are suffering even greater in this market turn-down and as the population ages, most move away from big houses and yards. Cities should update their maintenance codes and enforce them! If people choose not to keep up their property (affecting the value of their neighbors house) and are unable to sell them, homesteaders should be allowed to take over and bring the house up to current standards. There, I solved some of the Problems of the world, now to go drown myself in a adult beverage. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio P.S. I asked Doug to come to this forum because of the discussion going on at my other favorite forum on opening "it" up to the public to ask questions. Kurt and others have the solution to that problem, but will "they" listen?

I recommended Doug ask the question to you here in TIJ. The city is Weirton, WV that may not have had any new homes built since 1968. Think "Rust Belt". He called me about this and I live 90 miles away, plus I do not own a copy of the 68 NEC, so I thought he could get some guidance on here. According to him, the city has given him 10 days or the house get torn down. The first question is; does a house with a new service installed and one outlet next to that box (no other circuits are connected) meet the standard set by the 68 NEC? I have already suggest that he contact a local Electrician. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Daniel, The Ohio chapter of ASHI had a fellow Inspector from West Virginia speak at our December meeting that might be a good person to review your current project. His name is Samuel A. Woods, P.E. and his email address is sam@advantagehomewv.com. He specializes in Structural Inspections. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Thoughts on General Home Inspection Training and the schools. Does anyone fail the classes that are offered? Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Mike, I'm getting a blank space before you comment about wrapping our minds around something. Did you remove the link or picture? My wife tells me I have my mind wrapped around a bunch of nothings and now you go and prove her right. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Looks like the neighbor to the right did the same thing, but at an earlier date with different material. I am wondering if what was there was a false porch to allow the use of full length windows or was it a functional porch? Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Standing around the kitchen of a vacant house today waiting for the buyer to show up and the owner's (he is flipping this repo) phone rings. Says to the party on the line "Sure, roof to the foundation, everything is looked at. $200.00. Yea, I can do it tomorrow morning, I know where it's at." Off the phone now, he introduces himself to me as a Home Inspector. The Marketing Org. he belongs to (that is certified) sure didn't teach him how to price inspections. Buyer agent is there and after exchanging cards she ask why she doesn't see my cards in her office. "Don't visit offices", I says. How can you get work?" she says. "From people like your buyer (who wasn't price shopping)that rejects the list of inspector you handed him and looks for guys like me." I'm glad I not swimming in the same sea as them, one being afraid to bite off to much or the big fish won't crap more pellets his way. The other thinks she has everything under control, with the minnows swimming behind her rear end. May have made new friends, one wants to attend a meeting with me at one of the organizations thats been around for awhile and the other said she is going to have to rethink her relationships with Inspectors. Winning hearts and minds one house at a time. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio P.S. Price shoppers don't bother me, my wife answers the phone.

I heard tales of a eatery down that way that throws their hot diner rolls at you while you're eating? Any chance we get to go there for supper? Looking forward to learning WATTS and meeting the tops in our field. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio

Knob & Tube was still being used around the Cleveland suburbs into the 70's. Union protectionism. Cast iron drains were required in some areas into the 90's for plumber job security. Amish are still using rough sawn lumber on their buildings, though most have gone to using vinyl siding to cover up their own houses. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio