Paul MacLean

I frequently get asked how I came up with the name New Day Inspections. It's a long story. It's quiet here this morning, so I'll bore you with it. I didn't want to use my name because I don't think "MacLean" has the right ring to it. So I started ponding ideas and remembered that Dave Thomas named Wendy's (the burger chain) after his daughter. That was a good idea, but my daughter's name is Dawn. And Dawn didn't have the right ring to it either. But what is dawn? Sunrise? No, I'd be working afternoons too. But dawn is the beginning of a new day. And for folks buying a new (to them) home, it's a new day. And it was a mid-life career change for me, another new day. So New Day Inspections it is. Also New Day is easier the remember than MacLean. The curious thing is that I have been asked by some if New Day has any religious connotation; absolutely none! Now that I'm ready to retire and trying to sell my business, I'm glad I didn't use my name. It's tough to sell a sole-proprietorship, but I know New Day Inspections will be an easier sell than MacLean Inspections, if it sells at all. I'll get off the box now.

R30 is recommended for attics here in Central Texas. Assuming the R30 is uniformly and properly installed, the cost of additional insulation might have a long payback. If it takes 10 years to recover the cost of additional insulation in energy savings, it might not be worth adding more insulation. Just food for thought...

You guys are more ambitious then I am. I'd tell them to have an electrician solve the problem. There's only so much searching I will do before I punt.

Richard, I recently had the same experience you did...extremely hot water at what looked like normal water heater controls settings. I tried to adjust the setting by turning it up to "Very Hot" and the burner would not light indicating a problem with the control. I reported the scalding water and recommended repair. Unfortunately I did not record the brand of water heater.

The candy business would be easier to sell and I need therapy. [:-crazy] There's also a home inspection business for sale in there somewhere.[:-party]

In Texas you can check with the Secretary of State's office for corporate names and at the County Courthouse (Parish in LA) for DBA's. I believe if the name is not registered you can claim it. I don't know if it works that way in LA, but it's probably worth a try.

I think it might be interesting when the T&P opens under pressure and blows that scalding water back into the AC coil. I don't know what would happen, but I can't think of anything good.

I don't swap links with anyone, but it's mostly because I am a computer dufus and am not personally capable of setting up the links and don't want to learn. Plus I don't have a links page on my web site. Besides, I read somewhere recently that just exchanging links won't help unless they are handled properly, on the home page, and that mishandled links can actually hurt. This is scuttlebutt and not verified so don't take it as gospel. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will jump in here.

I won't be attending the ASHI conference this year. Florida is not one of my favorite destination spots (I know, I can be strange). Besides I'm going to retire in six months or so, and am rapidly developing a short timers attitude. If anybody wants to buy my business, it's listed at http://www.vrnorthaustin.com/area-listings.asp

I got into home inspections in 1989 when I found that no one would hire me to do work I wanted to do. I was single and had just gone through bankruptcy, so I had no debts or family to worry about. I was throwing newspapers at night to keep days open for inspecting. I did 70 inspections the first year (my 1040 said I earned about $7000 that year), 120 the second year and 180 the third year. It wasn't until after the third year that I finally felt secure enough to quit the paper route and start looking for a woman. I guess I would have to say that inspecting is a tough business to get into. If I had to do it again in today's market with a family, I don't think I could make it. Inspecting wasn't as complicated in 1990 and I could get by on a lot less. I feel for anybody trying to get into inspecting today without a sizable nest egg to get them through the first years. Just my experience FWIW.

Scott, I'm impressed! I did a 4300 sq. ft. 1980's house this week. It had a P&B/slab foundation, a 3-car garage w/ apartment, pool & spa and lawn sprinklers. I started at 9am and left at 5:30pm with no lunch break. The house beat me up and I was wiped out by the time I finished up at home about 7pm. It appears you work faster than I do. And as far as inspector B is concerned, it sounds like he just walked through the place. I would think it would take the agent more than 6 hours to just show the house to a potential buyer. I guess some of us earn our money and some just take it.

If you can see all of the roof surface from the ground, maybe binocs will work on metal or tile roofs, but with comp shingle being 95% of the roofs here, I don't see how you can judge the wear of the shingles without getting on them. Tiny pits and cracks just aren't visible from the ground and those cracks and pits tell me the shingle's days are numbered. I walk every comp shingle roof I can. Of course walking roofs is a 365 day sport in central Texas. If there's white stuff on the ground we stay home! [:-smile_g

I've said this before, but around here a can't get on a two story roof with anything less then a 24' ladder. I have the carry an extension ladder. The Little Giant, Cosco, etc. ain't long enough. [:-cry]

I have been using BRP for several years now and while their deductible is high ($5000) they have treated me fairly. A couple years ago, I had a missed termites claim. KP Claims, who handles settlements for BRP, drug out the process for over two years and has just settled for $17,000. I just mailed my check for 5 grand (ouch), but in the process BRP has renewed my policy twice with no premium increase. The interesting thing is that the original claim was for $13,000, so it cost BRP another $4000 for dragging it out.

As he rushes to the defense... [:-wiltel] Yes, I noticed it was OSB, but I did not originate the photo. It came to me from another Austin inspector and I just passed it on. I should have known the sharp eyes on this board would pick up on the OSB.

Glad to hear you're OK Donald. This might be of interest to Texas A&M fans. Download Attachment: AggieHurricanePrep.jpg 665.95 KB

To state the obvious...isn't that why there are T&P valves on water heaters??? [:-bigeyes

PS: Now it looks Rita is headed farther east. That's not good for brother Donald. The news reports say there's a few million people leaving Houston and I45 North is moving at about 4 mph plus gasoline is in short supply. I met someone this afternoon who left Houston at 2 AM this morning to avoid the traffic. It didn't work. Anyway, she's in Austin now. A little rain here would be good. We may not hear from Donald for awhile, but I'll be thinking of him and everyone else down there.

Donald's in the north Houston area so he's going to catch some grief. I'm in Austin, but Rita is forecast to be down to 75 mph winds and heavy rain when it passes 50 miles east. Rita should blow by here Saturday afternoon, so I don't expect work to be disrupted. Donald, what do you expect?

I normally don't pass this stuff on but this is too good to leave on the table. Enjoy... John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called pullets and eight or ten roosters, whose job was to fertilize the eggs. The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells. The farmer's favorite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen he was, too. But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate. The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover. But to Farmer John's amazement, Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one. John was so proud of Butch, he entered him in the county fair and Butch became an overnight sensation among the judges. The result...The judges not only awarded Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize" but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well. Clearly Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly & greatly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

I'm with Kurt. I just report the problem and tell them it needs fixing. If it's serious, I'll use the word 'immediately' or WJ's 'the sooner the better'.

We have post-tension slabs everywhere here, and I've never seen an exposed cable end that looks like that. Of course, if it's post-tension slab you should not see the cable ends.

FEMA is stubbing their toe on this one too. My wife has an apartment building with a vacant unit. She has been volunteering at the Austin convention center and took the opportunity to attempt to find out how to move some evacuees into her vacant unit. After getting the "I don't know, ask so and so." run around for a couple hours, she gave up in frustration. We hear about some property owners making apartments available, but she couldn't find anyone to tell her what to do. I'll stop here.

In Central Texas, I tell'em galvanized and cast iron last about 50 years. Which means in this area they have generally reached the end of their expected life. A warning about the possibility expensive repairs is reported.

Could it be the termination of a floor drain; perhaps from a second floor laundry room. I see floor drains occasionally, but they're usually PVC.