John Kogel

The sheathing moves how far? Enough to tear the nails out of a bunch of shingles? There would have to be some serious structural flaws for that scenario. So is the insurance guy saying the shingles stayed stationary while the sheathing dropped? [:-party] The shingles appear to have a weak bond between the layers. The wind may not have folded the shingles back enough to crease them, but tore them loose.

I would expect some kind of repeating pattern, if that is a manufactured siding, and I don't see one. Could it be ............ wood?

I call it a roofer's nightmare. I wonder what the first roof cover was? Asphalt shingle, maybe? It looks like there are two little roof ponds, either side of the front door.

Come here for a serious reply and get a joke instead. [:-party] Mike, if you still need to know, don't ask me, I'm Canadian. 1970's we start to see multiple receptacles along the walls, late 60's even.

Give us the persnickety on that boiler. We already know it works. [] When the clients want additional info, "Why should we replace it or what can we do to improve or fix it?", that is when we want those details.

Get a home inspector to check the place over before closing. He will find things you don't even know about. Your cellphone takes lousy pics in the dark. White paint may be to cover up previous staining. Get a home inspector to look at it. All that lint needs to be removed. Lint and dust trapped in a moist place, like inside those cheap vent hoses, are places where mold will grow. If you have a gable handy, it will work fine for venting those pipes, but make sure they install smooth metal pipe.

Brick attached to a wall is brick veneer by our code as it is with yours. I was just feeling pangs of self doubt brought on by fear and anxiety ....... not. []

Well, it's a two storey multiplex building, so it would be a massive undertaking to remove all the brick. Then once the brick was off, they could sell it for a buck a brick and install Hardi plank. []

Well, then I'm curious. How is it defined in your building code? Do you have an equivalent of the Brick Industry Association up there? How do they define it? I've called it veneer up until I was told I was a moron for calling it that. []

Thanks, all. That fellow is a British subject, so there is a translation of terms issue, no doubt.

The building is 100 years old, young for out east, I know. The structure is wood, probably 2 X 4, sheathed in shiplap where it was visible, then red brick. The brick ties have given up and the whole shebang needs repair. I see some of you call this a veneer, but a local mason here tells me veneer is the thin fake brick, so I'm calling it 'brick facade'. Is this correct or is there a better term? Can heli-ties be used effectively on a wood framed two storey? I imagine hitting studs will take some talent. The lintels over the larger windows are sagging badly from the weight of the bricks above. I can't show a lot of revealing pics at this point. Click to Enlarge 92.22 KB Click to Enlarge 50.27 KB Click to Enlarge 77.22 KB

His assistant is cute but she can't spell. []

There are a number of 200 amp fuse pulls, with the wire handles. The GE main is an 800 amp disconnect. That looks like the type of setup you would find in a commercial building or a multi residential building. Do you have more pics of those terra cotta blocks? Any cracks in those? It would be better if you rename your pics so that the whole world can't see the address. Not that it matters to us, but the owners might object someday. []

He is in Guelph, Ontario near Toronto. His sparky contractor mounts the breaker panel on its side on a blank wall in a full basement. Around here, that is only done if it's an upgrade in a tight space. But it is permitted. They do all the framing with screws. Hopefully anyone copying them will use the expensive grades of screws, not just cheap deck screws.

I'd at least make it a small deal. Under the weight of ice & snow, those will probably bend over and at least crack. I did say trim the edge in my pic. I was talking about Darren's overhang. Snap a chalkline. Use an old fine tooth Skilsaw blade, running backwards. Done.

Nope, haven't seen that. I'm not a petite person; more like second cousin to a hippo, and I can't remember ever splitting a shake by walking on it. Maybe they're made out of something up there that splits easier than what we've got down here, 'cuz I haven't seen that. Don't know why, just haven't. What, you and I and Jim are describing probably shows that there are regional differences that can be just a few hundred miles apart. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Maybe it's the wood. We used to ship all our best product south. Now it's going to China. The worst for splitting is resaws, which are sawn to a thin taper on the backside. The cut fibres absorb water, so they curl up. Here's some pics I found. I was unable to find the shakes with all the holes and splits. Pic 2, don't step there. Pics 3, resaws. Pic 4, a loose resawn shake at the bottom, just waiting for someone to step on it and go flying. Click to Enlarge 120.22?KB Click to Enlarge 116.33?KB Click to Enlarge 74.13?KB Click to Enlarge 99.08?KB Click to Enlarge 114.3 KB

Walking on old shakes causes many of them to split, as you know, but forgot to mention. []

At least it's a straight edge. I wouldn't make a big deal about it. Click to Enlarge 42.16 KB

It does in my opinion. But what if they screw in an LED bulb? []

I laid plenty of shakes in the 70's and lived under them myself. I'm no rookie, but I don't walk any shake roof as a rule. They are getting rare around here anyway. I look for a few split, rotten shakes, not hard to find from the ladder. I take some good pics of those and some shots of the whole. Tell the client the roof is old and will need to be replaced soon. "All you need for a leak is two cracks that line up, like this and like this". One time, the buyer's dad wanted more detail. A stain around a light fixture had him worried. I had already said shake roof, split shakes, rotting shakes, will break more walking around, etc. This roof had been pressure washed and painted. Finally I climbed up to the ridge to shut him up. Took some pics of the roof vent where they had punched hundreds of holes with their golf shoes and sprayed water into the attic. It was still a POC roof.

Thanks, Erby. That beats what I would be spewing. []

Another possibility is poor venting. I had a new first floor toilet that blew bubbles when I drained the tub ??

I have seen the TPR line "hovering" over a drain but I've never heard of needing to run the TPR line any where but within 12" of the floor irregardless of where or what room it's in. Am I mistaken? Yes, you are mistaken. It should be 6" from the floor. On the other hand, the drain pan should drain somewhere, because that is where the water will come from when the tank rots out. And it will be warm, rusty water. Click to Enlarge 26.96 KB

I'm not an expert, but I know the small conductor tap at the top for the fuse panel is wrong. There is a tap rule in the NEC which I can't quote, but the AC might not be a violation. But those lugs need to be rated for more than one conductor. I believe the taps at the bottom for the subpanel are undersized. They need to be sized to handle the full supply, which you say is 100 amps. Or they should be protected by a breaker in the main panel. It is amateur work, no doubt. Is there a 100 amp disconnect out by the meter?

Somebody went to a lot of trouble to drill a hole in a perfectly good shower enclosure. It makes a nice bathroom look flaky. I would be wondering what kind of similar improvised handiwork was hidden behind the drywall. Couldn't that pipe go out to the exterior wall instead? I guess I'm saying it is wrong.