Jim Baird

I first saw them here about 20 years ago when my friend, Brad, put them in the overflow parking area near his orchard. (He makes hard cider.) I remember thinking that the idea was absolutely brilliant, but I promptly forgot all about it (too much cider) until I saw this thread. On the subject of "perviosity," a project that I recently worked on used "pervious asphalt" for its parking lot. I'd never heard of it before. They put down 18" of rock and placed one lift of pervious asphalt on top. It's the dangdest stuff. It looks just like regular asphalt, but no matter how hard it rains, the rain just soaks through the asphalt - no rivulets, puddles, or anything. Stormwater runoff is a big source of sedimentary pollution of waterways. In our state planners are slowly catching on and requiring stormwater engineering for developments that create X amount of new impervious area. Slowing down runoff also keeps groundwater from dissipating as quickly.

...also are no cheaper than the solid variety... onward and upward with perviosity...(not perversion)

Uh, wasn't a realtor, it was the buyer. And, she was, on the contrary, a very nice lady. I met her multiple times - at the initial inspection, at the inspection for the plumbing after the water got turned on (again, a foreclosure) and at a subsequent re-inspect. Heck, some folk think I'm a nice guy, yet I've erred/sinned many, many times in the past. Perhaps your milage varies. I just think she was at her wits end with the insurance company, being denied not only this, but multiple other seeminlgy legit claims. Also, while you may have been rude and/or blunt, I developed quite a rapport with her - as I try to do with all my clients - and wasn't going to be rude or blunt to such a client. That's why I hemmed and hawed, and couldn't be blunt or rude. . .grimaced at my final response, but that's it. Again, your milage may vary. My mileage varies from job to job, but my principles do not. Anyone asking me to lie over my signature gets a reply very strongly on the negatory.

Hmmm. Let's see. I think that I would have a hard time not saying something very blunt and very rude. Client who makes such request is not even close to "nice lady". Sounds like a typical realtor to me. I also think that if she asked for the report in Word I would caution her that altering the report without my permission might bring legal action (even if it is an empty threat).

Knob and tube plus galvanized pipe = pretty old stuff, been wet for so long, but could not have lasted if the wetness was original to site. Spaces I have been in that are that old are usually bone-dry and tend to choke you with dust.

In my blighted worldview insurers are a couple of circles deeper in Hades than realtors, who are really way down there.

I posted a very similar view of the same installation in about July after my short visit to Seattle/Olympic Park. Doesn't look like the plants that live in it do very well.

Give 'em a C for creativity. Likely added to an existing line? I guess there are plenty of "shade tree" plumbers too.

...and you can see the shadow where the old stepped caps used to be.

Great stuff. Somebody among the "we" has some good design sense.

"...There's little or no data on what does..." As Neil Young would say, "It's a field of opportunity." Without stepping off the cliff into the verboten zone of politics, I think that as long as gubmint subsidizes anything, it might as well subsidize home improvement. In my days writing housing rehab jobs that were funded by federal block grants I always got in a word to my "clients" about how good it felt to spend federal dollars on fixing people's homes instead of buying bullets and bombs.

"...I guess I should have called them 'gabled bumpouts'. They're too short to be wings..." Down here they call them dog houses. For some reason people think they look good.

Thanks for posting Mike. I did not know about this one, but do think that subsidies for energy efficiency upgrades are the right direction to go in.

The dirtiest ones I have seen were in houses where the occupant did not know they had a filter. BTW, a few lavender stalks in a mesh bag is a natural way to scent the air flow.

The perils of "mixed media" cladding. In our area a builder who regarded himself as a creative type mixed roof covers, as in part sheet metal panels and part three-tabs. How does it look? If looks could smell I would say, "Stinko".

vitos, Listen to my brethren above. Do not attempt the path through the jungle without a guide. There may be quite a number of pitfalls.

Black rat snake. He just eats the mice and should be welcome.

Bain you must understand he was the motor for that fan. They just forgot to feed him.

I worked several years for an AHJ in a rural area where manufactured houses were numerous. Probably the biggest problem with installation was getting them to provide positive slope around the building. The installer may or may not have to do it, depending on the terms of his deal with the owner. Many people just give you dumb looks when you try to explain to them what it means.

As I've mentioned before, I farm my services to more than one small AHJ in my area part time, so, some days I am the muni. Local electrician called this AM to run by me his help's installation of a two-inch conduit to gather and contain a number of branch circuit wires that pass up and/or below ceiling/floor from panel. This instead of bundling and shoving thru a two inch or so hole in plates. The only issue I know of with romex in conduit is fill limits on conductors in conduit, which he acknowledged, but reasoned that the romex sheathing offers some separation and noted that in residential many circuits go most of the time with virtually no load. I told him his thinking makes sense to me, and that I would not flag the technical violation made by the use. Opinions?

"bell curve" type dimmers

Fabry's off the hook re the arc faults. Existing building exclusion. I have heard lots of negative reports re AFCI performance anyway.

As a personal preference I have always been a pre-twister of my connections, and I have found the nut itself to be an aid in the whole twisting effort due to the little wings if they have 'em. If not the sidecutters are a help.

So?

Looks like faux wood to me. I would certainly raise a flag to keep an eye out in case the ends start popping up. The main defect I have known with weekender carpentry is screws too short, but then you don't usually get to see that on an inspection. I did a sort of forensic check for a disgruntled deck customer whose carpenter had used a variety of screws, some short as 1 and 5/8 to fasten five-quarter pine. Needless to say, given heavy southern exposure and no sealer the deck was not holding up well.