Jim Baird

Hate to say it friends, but when you participate in open exchanges like this, you open yourself to all kinds...like playing with a ouija board opens you up to sinister spirits from the dark side. One day some guy called me on the phone from a rooftop in Denver to ask what I thought about blahblah. He'd seen one of my posts somewhere. Keep a clean nose and watch out for those who carry around a fire hose.

homnspec, remember that I-code allows NFA reduction to 1/300 if half the area is in upper one-third of attic height and is assisted by inflow at eaves.

The venting you describe sounds marginal, especially if they are stationary and not helped by eaves venting. Otherwise, might it be smoke damage?

My fees are based on size, age, and distance from my office. I quote 'em on request, from the hip, to the caller who wants it done. Sometimes I eat the bear, sometimes he eats me.

This just in from the desk of the Baird Associates vice-president's office of information correction. The figure for the routine inspection fee was $1200, not $12000. I know that if we charged like lawyers that would still just be a morning's billing but it's a bit excessive for our area.

Different Jim agrees w/Housdok. Two 20 amp appliance circuits must be dedicated to kitchen, but not all receptacles therein must be GFI. GFI at receptacle can protect everything downstream. That's probably what happened.

Forgot to mention a home inspector I heard of who did a routine home inspection for an elderly client whose fears had been stoked about which issue I forget, but the inspector only charged $12,000!

The sloppiest I've seen around here are the HVAC guys, espectially the retrofits, probably because the crawl/attics are places nobody goes much to check on performance. Then there are the vinyl siding guys, whose prices tend to be surprising. We finance! I know one guy in an old, 1800 SF or so 1 storey frame house who was given a siding and cornice price of $100,000!

I'd put a grille down low in the door to this "penthouse". This looks like confined space if ever there was one. In confined space the code wants air sources both high and low. This location, howver, doesn't look like it's going to kill anybody by oxygen starvation. Wonder why the "B" vent stands so tall? Looks like it needs guy wires.

Notice Brian didn't mention those jumper cables. I suspect they may be the electric component of the widely acclaimed Goodman Plywood Water Heater Drip Pan System that he probably sold them while doing the inspect.

Without knowing the size room, it is hard to follow you, but my reading of IRC2000 M1703 says inch per 4000 btu is for use with "vertical ducts". If it's pulling from soffit vents to floor level I'd say it maight be a stretch. Maybe that heater is a survivor of a flooded warehouse sale. For $190 a SF I'd expect better in a new house.

Some of us would like to see revealed the trade secrets of the masters of the plywood water heater drip pan.

Answer #1, Post water heater items on plumbing. Looks to me like a crystalline residue left by prior leaks. This heater's housing looks to be on last legs. Does it leak as we speak? Maybe the water being heated is rife with mineral content. Why is this heater elevated anyway? Garage location?

The Kuntry Kodebook calls for hot-dipped galvanized staples and pretreatment for roaches (also called "palmetto bugs" in the Deep South)for all such bathroom wall applications.

Chain saw?, I think up in Canada they call that a Paul Bunyan hair brush.

I was most impressed by the Captain's demonstration of patience shown by his 34 minutes logged with the disgruntled agent. To quote Mose Allison, "If silence was golden, she wouldn't have a dime."

Rob C., Wait just a minute, friend. I thought you said earlier the cap was made of the "multi-layered", so-called "architectural type", that explains the "multi-colored" appearance in the photo. Now you tell us they are the plain 3-tab kind? Whatever. I'm not a roofer, but I've been told those architectural style cost a little more just to pay for the extended warranty, which, in any case, is prorated thru time. All the so-called warranty does is ensure that if they fail in 20 yrs or so the customer will return to buy the same brand just to get his little pro-rated discount. The extra cost up front is just a prepayment on the return trip. The other "advantage" to this type roof is that it loads the structure down by a few more pounds per square due to the extra ply. I have seen more than a few roofs where part of the cover was new, and part was left in place. Such a case will occur on the pictured roof when the flat little "valley" area starts to leak soon.

Rob C, Did you say brand new, as to say it hasn't been through a snow covering and melt yet? The little valley will have no more than half the service life of the rest of the roof. Just teel them it should be fine for a "dry weather" roof.

Hey Kurt, Sounds like a great job. What I like about this work is the way I always find something I've never seen before. Question: If this log home is 112 years old, what factors lead you to be concerned about "long term" considerations? Is 112 yrs not long enough to prove the building's durability? If the bark has yet to fall away, when do you expect it might? Or, did the "structural renovation" mentioned involve log replacement?

Chad, I thought my stuff was verbose, but 61 pages leaves me in the dust. My description of a 90 yr old "cottage" last week ran 4150 words on 16 pages, which may be a record for me.

CP Connell, Thanks for yet another reason to bite nails and cast occasional glance over the shoulder. See below regarding liability limitation clauses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facts A couple bought a home. They hired CAL to perform a home inspection. The inspection agreement states that CAL’s liability for any matter related to the inspection cannot exceed 50 percent of the inspection fee. Since the fee was $385, liability was limited to $192.50. The inspection stated there were no problems with the home. After the couple moved in, they noticed a roof leak. A roofer said that the roof was defective because it had no flashing, something that should have been noticed by the inspector. The repair would cost between $8,000 and $10,000. The buyers sued CAL for breach of contract, fraud, negligence, and breach of warranty. CAL moved for a declaration that the limit of its liability was $192.50. The trial court held for CAL. The buyers appealed. Decision Reversed. The contract limiting the inspector’s liability to half the fee was a contract of adhesion. There were no negotiations. The contract was presented to the buyer on a standard, pre-printed form prepared by the inspector on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, without any opportunity for modification of terms. Since the inspector was an expert and the consumer had no experience in the area, there was grossly unequal bargaining status. Such exculpation clauses are particularly disfavored in contracts for professional services. The damage limit was so small as to effectively eliminate responsibility for the inspector, which is contrary to state public policy of encouraging reliable home inspections and to hold professionals to industry standards. Citation Lucier v. Williams, --- A.2d --- (2004 WL 257036, App. Div., N.J., 2004)

Just booked an inspection of a 1915 model Sears "kit" home. Buyer tells me seller has advised that gas furnace is original equipment, Chrysler brand, still functional. Waiting with 'bated breath to have a look. Anybody ever seen a working furnace that old?

To answer my own question, I just talked to the manufacturer's dealer/installer about the installation. The key to the method lies in the screw's design, which he says was developed for application of the product (Fabral) to plywood and OSB. Problems associated with fastening he has seen derive from the use of too fine a thread screw thread.

Heatilator is made by a company called Hearth & Home Technologies. Their website is www.heatilator.com. It was the company mentioned in my nearby post about air inlet.

Enameled steel roof panels are popular in our area for residential. Most apply them to lumber furring strips, usually over OSB deck. Have just seen it applied directly to 1/2" OSB(thru felt) for the first time. Have been told the panels won't hold screws. Any comments or experience with this?