Mike Lamb

Like Eric, I also hand write my reports. I’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding broken English but it can slip out. I have written things that were unintelligible but I suppose a lot of HI’s could do the same behind a keyboard. Recently, I threw away reports that were more than 7 years old and I cringed at a few as I browsed through them. Some belonged in the garbage. I tried typed reports years ago with HI software on about 30-40 inspections and for various reasons, it just took me too long: about an extra 1.5 hours or more per inspection yet my time in the field had no significant drop. A fully typed report is better, no doubt, but I had to make a personal decision whether it was worth it for me and I decided it was not. My trade off is I now provide an addendum with photos along with my report covering only the items I deem very important. I can scan my written report, attach my addendum with photos and email to parties concerned in about 40 minutes or less. Mike Lamb “If I exorcise my devils, well, my angels may leave too. When they leave they are so hard to find.â€

My volume is down 40% from '07 and that was not a killer year.

Guess it's a matter of experience and perspective. I've never had a shingle slip underfoot and I've gone up some roofs that were so bad they looked like they were going to slide off the framing any minute. I installed covers on roofs that steep long before there was an OSHA around requiring harnesses and such. That roof wouldn't have given me two seconds pause. Walking roofs is an individual decision. If you don't feel comfortable when you're on the top of a 6ft. ladder you shouldn't be going up on a roof. If you start to get off a ladder and your knees feel rubbery, you shouldn't be walking on the roof. If you have a lousy sense of balance, you shouldn't be going up on a roof. If you don't have a pair of lace-on shoes with soft soles and can't bend your foot well back toward your knee, so that you can keep your soles flat on the roof at all times, then you shouldn't be walking on a roof. If you can't descend a roof like that by standing up and walking straight down the roof looking outward from the house, you shouldn't be walking on the roof. There are others, but you get the idea. There are lots of us in this business who are just as comfortable on a roof as we are on the ground and it's our experience - most of it learned in the trades - that makes us comfortable. People who work steel, who build bridges, who work powerline towers, who install roofs, who build silos (like I did as a teenager), have to work high and for them it's just part of the job. You won't find anyone working those jobs who experiences some of the stuff I said above. We aren't showboating when we go up on a roof; it's just part of the job and we know when to listen to the little man inside that says, "Uh uh, no way." That's us; we don't begrudge the others who don't want to walk on roofs, but we sure get tired of all the sermons against doing so. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike You know I never looked at the first photo until now showing a flat roof in back so I amend my position. I would have walked that roof but not from the front. If you don't want to go up on a roof, fine, but I believe the best way to look at a roof is to walk it. If you feel you are going to fall down when you get up out of bed in the morning, you shouldn't get out of bed, and you definitely should not be walking on roofs. Yes, I get the idea. Now if you are saying, Mike, that you would walk up the front of that house without 2 seconds pause, I'd say you are giving foolish and dangerous advice. Even to those of us who are not afraid of heights. I had shingles slip out from under me on a roof not nearly as steep as the front of this house and I slid on my ass for a very long, nervous 12" before I came to a stop. If you slipped on the roof in question, even you would be over the gutter. I don't care how soft your soles are. I had the very unfortuate experience of seeing a window washer fall 8 stories and land 30' in front of me. I never learned why he fell but I can assure you he and his family wishes he had been more careful. I can still hear the thud. My neighbor's Dad fell off his garage roof and landed on a fence. He's a vegetable. I'm not afraid of heights but I sure as hell respect the forces of gravity a steep roof presents. When you were putting covers on roofs this steep long before OSHA called for harnesses and such, did you use slide guards or was that for wimps? "That's us; we don't begrudge the others who don't want to walk on roofs, but we sure get tired of all the sermons against doing so." I don't blame you one bit.

Don't ever walk a roof this steep again without serious back-up hand support, that is, something firm to grab on to when your feet slip. You'll be a one sorry HI when one of those shingles you step on isn't fastened. This roof is just too steep to consider as is. Please don't do it again. You can see the chimney is too short from the ground.

How about the framing was incredibly wet or damp when the veneer was installed. The framing dried out rapidly for some reason causing bricks to move, mortar to crack and rowlocks to jump. The resulting mortar deterioration is from little being done to correct the problem in 50 years.

Thanks. It's for seepage only.

If you were going to seal a crack (about 1/16") in a poured foundation from the outside, how would you go about it and what type of sealant would you use?

The condensate pumps I see do the job and they are cheap ($50 - $100). They can pump water straight up for 15' or 20' and run as long as 50' or more. It's often the only way to get the condensate to a drain without tripping over hose or pipe on the floor. I carry a plastic cup with me and when I'm in the mood I pour some water into that little hole on top of pump until the float trips. If there's no water on the floor or ceiling, I'd say it was working OK. Why do you say, "cheesy?"

Re: stairs against the house, I don't think about it much, unless it tips towards the house or is causing some sort of problem.

I don't think the IRC is lacking. R404.1.6 Height above finished grade. Concrete and masonry foundation walls shall extend above the finished grade adjacent to the foundation at all points a minimum of 4 inches (102 mm) ... A concrete patio is a finished grade. This does not answer how close siding should be to the grade but foundation above grade is more important.

Any house that comes with a pit bull I will recommend they get a different dog.

Jon, your comments are pretty bad and your boiler plate is even worse. If you were buying the home you would want to replace the panel but you won't put that in the report? "This notifies the client about potential issues and places the liability on the electrician." How gallant. It doesn't notify, it confuses. "?Monitor, Possible major concern:" Oh, boy. Blah, blah, blah, "...but I recommend you consult a licensed electrician for an in depth evaluation, load testing and correction if necessary." Nuff said.

Grip-Tite has a good video to illustrate this anchoring system. http://www.safebasements.com/grip_tite_w.php

If pertinent to your inspection, you can find shower and tub grab bar specs and requirements from the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG) http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.26 4.20 and 4.21

Thanks. The patch is holding out water and the anchor is holding up best I can see. The grade is good. House is on a little hill. Maybe the foundation got smacked by the dozer when they were back filling.

This plate looked bolted through the foundation. Why do you suppose it's there? 30 yr. old home. The "X" patch did not look like a structural concern to me. No bulging to speak of. No problems inside or out to suggest important foundation failure. Image Insert: 397.26 KB Image Insert: 393.53 KB

Image Insert: 129.72 KB The 2000 IRC defines "attic," as: The unfinished space between the ceiling joists of the top story and the roof rafters. I don't care for the wording. The seller does not belive the left and right roofs have attics and does not believe there should be an access to either. My guess is each has about 4' of attic ht. The left roof had no upper roof vents, only soffit vents and I'm worried about trapped moisture. Any comments?

Around here, I have found gable vents to perform handsomely. I don’t know why, but it works. I think it has been a long time since I have seen mold with gable vents.

Image Insert: 224.09 KB

I talked to several locals today and the loosy goosie ballparky quotes were in the $4 to $7 per sq. ft. $500 to $1,500 minimum. One guy told me without any specifics between $500 and $10,000.

I'll call around tomorrow to see what our local asbestos guys quote.

What does it cost to remove vermiculite from an attic by someone who is asbestos competent and licensed to do such a thing? I have priced asbestos pipe insulation and floor tile removal but not vermic.

Gas and Elec shut-offs are often outside and are not protected from clowns. On Halloween, anything goes.

A main disconnect is not required at the unit's panel (a subpanel). It is required to be somewhere though. Around here, it's usually in a room where all the meters are located with a main next to each meter. This room also usually has a big, honking main disconnect to shut down the whole sh-bang. The occupant needs access to their own disconnect unless the bldg. has 24 hour management. NEC 2002 doesn't require a disconnect outside the bldg but the AHJ makes that decision.

I called my State Farm rep less than a year ago and she was not aware of any State Farm documentation that says they will not insure a home with a fuse box. Folklore?