Paul MacLean

I drive a Ford Ranger pick-up. The 24' extension ladder cost $120. The pipe rack installed on the pick-up to carry the $120 ladder cost $300.[] The rack was added after the photo (left) was taken.

I also agree with educating clients. The real pay-off is when you get an unsolicited comment like this: "One of the most educational days ever. Paul taught us a very comprehensive lesson on home maintenance, on top of educating us about repairs needed. He delivers what a customer expects, then goes several steps further. We feel we know that house up and down." That was good day![]

Mike, Your got better genes than I did! I will walk that garage roof, but not the house. Sticky feet ain't the problem...it's the balance man! I'd look like a weird golf ball as I came rolling off that roof. Down here a 22 foot ladder is just about a foot shy for most two story houses. You have to have a 24 footer to reach the roof, and the transition can be scary.[:-hot] As I've said before, 24 foot is about all I can handle safely.

Now if we can just get them to put weepholes in masonry...[:-banghead]

No check, No report. It works wonders[:-grumpy]

Getting in here late makes it easy. What did the guys miss Norm?

Our crawl spaces in Central Texas predate the 1950s, have exposed dirt, low clearances (2 feet is wonderful), are frequently wet or damp and almost none of the old leaky frame houses above them have a mold problem. Hell, I hardly ever find mold in these wet crawl spaces. I'm sure our climate has a lot to do with it, but it was in this climate that Linda Ballard got famous. I have to agree with everything Mike, Kurt and the EPA said. Mold has gotten totally out-of-hand.

Gotcha Mike, I reported "wiring problems (possible open neutral)" and punted it back to the electrician. I was just surprised that the Sure Test treated it like a dead circuit with no suggestion of what the problem might be.

Thanks for the comments! I only recently started using the Sure Test after January's ASHI convention. So I have the three light tester in my pocket all the time. Basically I use the three light tester and fall back to the Sure Test when things start looking suspicious.

It's taken me over 14 years to get to this point. About 45% of my business comes through my web site, about 20% from agent referrals, about 15% from ASHI and other inspection organizations and the rest from other referrals (i.e. former clients, other inspectors, etc.) It has been many years since actively solicited agent business, and that's a good feeling!

Yesterday inspecting new construction, I found four receptacle outlets that did nothing on my SureTest...a blank screen. So I got out the trusty old three light tester and it told me there was an open neutral. I can't find anything in my SureTest instructions that identifies open neutrals. Any comments?

I only run heat pumps on one mode (heating or cooling) depending on the season and outdoor temperature. But I always test the emergency heat feature regardless of the outside temperature.

Scott's comments about attitudes and the NHIE reminds me of training I received when I went to work for APA (then the American Plywood Association) as a Field Representative back in 1968. Gawd I'm getting old! Anyway I knew nothing about plywood or the wood products industry. APA sent me and other new hires to Tacoma for two weeks of intensive training. The training was thorough and well done. I learned a lot. After all the congratulations and preparation to tell the world about the benefits of plywood, a senior executive gave us a little speech. He informed us that we now knew just enough to be dangerous. While we knew more about plywood and its uses than 99% of the population, and we would be providing valuable information to builders, students, architects, etc.; we were under no circumstances to portray ourselves as experts. If we ever found ourselves in a legal hassle, APA would put us on the witness stand and make us look like a fool. That message has stayed with me. No matter how much you know about a subject, especially houses, you never know it all. It's best to admit your weaknesses and call in the specialist. No one ever got sued for saying "I don't know." I'll put away the soap box now.

Donald, In my cursory pool inspections I don't move any valves, and it is so stated on my report. If the seller is around I will enlist him in the inspection and let him "show" the buyer how everything works. Most sellers are proud of their pools and feel honored to help. I also automatically recommend a "pool school" from a qualified pool contractor as part of every pool inspection.

Donald basically got it from what I can see. I thought about a pool heater being removed, but that PVC capped in the yard makes no sense to me and the open PVC would have presumably been capped. I guess a closed valve might keep the system pressurized, but I'm really stretching it now.[:-dunce] OK Norm...what did we miss?

Norm, Keep the pool info coming. I only do a few pools a year and don't have specific questions, but I sure enjoy following the topic. I may not respond, but know I'm looking. Thanks for your efforts!

The Portland Cement Association also has an excellent manual on Stucco - "Portland Cement Plaster (Stucco) Manual." It's listed at http://www.cement.org/Webopac/cgi/swebm ... i=splusweb Type in the title and hit Search.

Here are a couple reasons not to exhaust the bath fans through the soffit. These were taken by some of our brethren. Download Attachment: BathFanSoffit2.JPG 167.99 KB Download Attachment: BathFanSoffit1.JPG 223.71 KB

Only 5% to 10% of my inspections have a septic system. So the best route for me is to keep the number of a person who specializes in septic tank inspections handy and give it out when the occaision arrises. I'm not aware of any lost inspections because I don't do septic tanks. Works for me...

Last week I did an early 80s house that had been through an extensive remodel and update. It was well done and I thought the house was in excellent condition everything considered. Still there was a long list of repairs (mostly minor) including things like missing GFCIs and a water heater on the garage floor. The client was out-of-town with the agent running interference, so I had to deliver the report via agent. I got a late evening phone call from the agent reaming me out for writing up so many repairs. She was really upset saying I killed her deal, etc. After trying to answer her questions for awhile, I finally tired of her abuse and told her to have the buyer call me (she wouldn't give me the buyer's phone number). I then asked her to never call me again. After we hung up my wife, who overheard my side of the conversation, asked me if the agent had been drinking...interesting observation and question. 36 hours later the buyer called me. We went over the report and the buyer thanked my for my detail. The real client was happy...screw the agent!

By the time you get to the parking garage your commute is half over! 49 stories...geez!

Brian, I choose the time of the inspection. Every effort is made to accommodate the buyer, but the inspection has to fit MY schedule. I also do everything I can to have the buyer follow me like a puppy dog. It slows me down, but the benefits outweigh the cost. When the buyer is with me, I have an extra set of eyes, I learn all about his hot buttons and he knows exactly what I did and didn't do. Make the buyer a friend and if you screw up you're much less likely to hear from an attorney. Just my take on things...

To echo Chris' comment, I always ask the buyer to arrange access to the property. On the rare occaision an agent is handling everything for an unavailable client, I still make sure my Inspection Agreement is signed before the inspection and payment is due at the inspection. Still, I haven't been able to completely eliminate screw-ups. S**t happens!

Another dumb client story... I few years ago I was doing an inspection for an IBM engineer. Attic inspection time arrived and I pulled down the attic stairway and climbed up. The house had a high roof so there was lots of headroom and it was easy to get around. The attic was not floored and as I stepped from framing member to framing member, the voice behind me said "Can I come too?". I turned to the see engineer step off the stairway onto the bare sheetrock ceiling above the garage. I yelled and he stepped back onto the framing. We were both lucky that day. An engineering degree doesn't confer commom sense. Watch them clients!

I joined ASHI about 5 years ago in the middle of the .com boom in Austin. Why? Because people moving into Austin knew about ASHI and had never heard of TAREI. It has paid off big time for me. Almost a third of my clients mention ASHI as a part of the path to my doorstep. Back then, I was one of three ASHI members in Austin. Today there are eight, but I continue to get business through ASHI. FWIW I also belong to four other inspector organizations just for the exposure and web links. I get 10 to 15 ASHI referrals for every one from other HI organizations. ASHI membership pays for me.