Jim Baird

IRC 2000 Section R1005 requires exterior air supply for factory built and masonry fireplaces. It goes further (R1005.2) to prohibit source of air from garage or basement, and from elevation higher than firebox. A local contractor has been vociferous in protest of a denial of his air intake that terminates in a soffit outside the chimney. He claims his letter from the manufacturer(Heatilator), that states, "it is often times necessary to run the outside air duct vertically...in close proximity of the termination cap of the fireplace..." amounts to manufacturer's instructions (which R1005.1.1 allows). Our office consensus says that such "instructions" should be issued by way of printed materials included with every unit sold. Have there been similar discussions in other places?

In our area, (NE GA), 29 ga. enameled steel roofing is a popular choice for houses, both new and existing. I was called to inspect problems a homeowner had after having this roofing installed on a 35 yr. old FmHA house. New panels were screwed directly to existing single layer of asphalt shingles on approx. 4 in 12 pitch hip roof with one hipped wing turned out to cover a front porch. The roof looked OK from the outside, except for some swag on one of the hip ridges that probably pre-existed the metal. Owner showed me photos of water streaming down the inside surface of one whole exterior wall. In addition, the inside surfaces of the plywood roof decking had become black, apparently from mold, though they felt dry to the touch. Manufacturer's site I checked recommended furring strips over existing shingle roofs, but only as a "best case" scenario. Contractor did eliminate two turbine vents from the house without replacing them, and soffit vents were in place but occluded by deep dish fiberglass batts. The loss of vent looks to me like a reason for blackening of decking, but as for water streaming down outside wall I am at a loss. I suspect that blown rain may be finding a way below tops of panels at hip ridges, and don't know the condition of the covered shingles. Have any of you seen problems associated with this kind of roofing?

Briejoe, The ICC certification route is pretty good too. Their training sessions aren't cheap, the tests average 30% passage rate, so it takes an average of three tests to get the certs, but when you get one you've been thru the paces pretty well. If you're a "do-it-yourselfer", just buy the books, take the tests and the knocks on the head.

to quote John Prine, troubador extroardinaire, from his song, "Dear Abby" "Dear Slinger, dear slinger You have no complaint, You are what you are, You ain't what you ain't, So listen up buster, and listen up good. Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood. Signed, Dear Abby"

B. Like Kurt, I have been overpaid as an expression of appreciation. Like Brian, I don't "feel" right about getting paid for a product I've not yet delivered. I don't wish for bad luck, but I could get run over by a truck or something before I deliver the report.

Lance, I can't(won't) quote you chapter and verse but I think it has to do with limits on filling conduit volume and with the conduit maybe interfering with heat dissipation. If you're an electric engineer, seems like your grasp would exceed that of most of us.

Buster, If your state standards say to write it up, write away. I agree with your opinion about the need. IMHO a "ductless" range hood ain't no hood at all, except for a light source. It just blows whatever you're cooking right back in your face. I always gripe about it in reports when I find it. In our area only upscale custom builders even think about venting at the range. All the "spec" builders are "economy" minded (cheapskate). I see it as part of a general decline in the quality of what the market is building. I really have to bite my lip and stifle my urge to comment on the lack of attention to detail and just plain bad taste in new residential construction. I should have been an art critic I guess.

A prospective buyer wants me to inspect this one, but I'm too busy to fool with it. Anybody have a ballpark price for inspecting it?

How many in this group have ever seen eight-inch concrete block used for masonry "veneer", laid up outside, and apparently wall-tied, judging from detritus laying about, to wood framed wall? It is stuccoed, left several inches clear of every window and door opening, and plug ugly. It is not known if there is enough footing projection. House is unfinished, owner-builder went bankrupt!

Brian, If you are not the one with the electric license, then it is only up to you to point out code violations. If the electrician wants to give it the HHF (HOHUM&F___IT), that's up to him.

El Gato, If you want to learn about residential codes I would suggest you pursue ICC certification. I personally don't think you can offer a fair service, especially on new work, if you aren't code certified. Jaime

I'm not sure what the point is of the original story, unless it's because we are supposed to be down on the French because they wouldn't join our Jingo parade to war. They did help "liberate" us from the British, right? They did give us the Statue of Liberty, and set the example for our colonies with their own popular revolution. It is said that de Gaulle told Kennedy not to go into Vietnam, that it was a "sorry path". Paris is 2000 years old. I would hope that there would be some wisdom resident in a culture that mature. Hope this qualifies as "culture" and not the forbidden "politics".

Wrong, IRC does not call for vent hoods. In fact, it specifically excludes residences from having to have exhaust ducts on range hood, provided they are are of the "ductless" design. Check IRC2000 M1502.1

What I have having trouble grasping thru this exchange is what is meant by "hearing air coming out of the fixture". Especially if its a toilet, seems like there'd be a bubblin' goin' on.

I overheard a new P2P franchisee at an inspectors' trade group meeting telling that all you needed was $22,000 to buy the franchise. My only encounter "in the field" was when a realtor called me to cancel a job because P2P offered them a $75 coupon that they could present to their client for a P2P inspect. This was a case of "money talks", while "quality walks".

If I'm not mistaken, that's a picture of Frank Zappa, who made an album called "Sheik Yerbouti". Dear Frank has departed this world, leaving us with a lot of great music that was done with humor and no over-inflated sense of self worth. I don't think his ghost nor his heirs would be offended.

Forgot to mention, Labelling is easy with Text box, again no wrapping, and drawing toolbar is for circles, lines w/arrows.

Randy, I don't know which version of Word you are running, and I know Word can be "temperamental", but I learned how to throw pics onto text pages easily and quickly with word, and do it all the time. For photo shuffling a simple browser is best. I use ACDSee, available online free as shareware w/registration. In Word, the secret is in the formatting. Insert picture, then select it, then right click to format. Resize it as you like. Then choose "no wrapping" to put it where ever you want it in relation to text. If your version of Word won't let you choose wrapping style, select the picture and click text box, which can be "wrapped" selectively. Good luck!

This image is downloaded from the Hwang Ho, Chinese counterpart to the Hubble telescope. Note the red shaded border at the property perimeter. Visible only through the Hwang Ho's special Feng Shui filter, it shows an auspicious condition for the fortunate Bairds, who are thus protected from evil spirits. Download Attachment: Birdseye2.jpg 94.48 KB

My wife's grandad was a teamster in Chicago, and he independently confirmed those rumors to her. Remember too, that those specs apply to residential as well, and don't forget the added reinforcement of random firearms.

Here's one I like: Another reason why I don't keep a gun in the house The neighbors' dog will not stop barking. He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark that he barks every time they leave the house. They must switch him on on their way out. The neighbors' dog will not stop barking. I close all the windows in the house and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast but I can still hear him muffled under the music, barking, barking, barking, and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra, his head raised confidently as if Beethoven had included a part for barking dog. When the record finally ends he is still barking, sitting there in the oboe section barking, his eyes fixed on the conductor who is entreating him with his baton while the other musicians listen in respectful silence to the famous barking dog solo, that endless coda that first established Beethoven as an innovative genius. --Billy Collins

For photos like that when you are shooting up and the sky is in the background try using "fill flash" or force the flash if your camera has it. This gets rid of the shadows. Another trick that works for me when I am too far away to utilize the flash is to frame the pic in such a way as I edge the sky out of it and let the camera adjust to the lower light condition at the soffit with only the soffit in the pic. Later I can brighten it up without the huge contrast to deal with. My five-year-old Sony digicam has a backlight adjustment that lets me read exposure in the shaded area. Regarding the electric, it looks to me like new vinyl siding and soffit were fitted over existing connection of service drop to building.

Friends, I know that the electronic age has resulted in huge productivity gains for everyone that works. I'll bet you didn't know, however, what great leaps forward are being made by your public sector counterparts. See below the text of a local TV news item about some of our area county inspections. An 11Alive News investigation into some building inspection records from several Metro Atlanta counties raised some questions about the depth of the inspections and whether the inspectors are being overworked. Georgia is one of the few states in the country where home builders are not licensed, although the legislature is in the process of addressing that issue, which makes home inspections even more important. In one of the counties included in the investigation, 11Alive News found records of building inspectors conducting more than 80 to 90 inspections in one day. One day in July, one of the inspectors reported 101 inspections at 28 different homes. His supervisors said that roughly a third of those were quick re-inspections to make sure problems that failed previous inspections had been fixed. But records show many of those 101 inspections were more involved. Don Jascomb of the Department for Planning and Development in Gwinnett County said the inspectors were meeting standards set by the International Code Conference (ICC). The 11Alive News investigation, however, suggests otherwise. For example, the standards recommend 45 minutes for a final inspection on a new home which includes the final check on the structure, the plumbing, electricity, and heating. But when one the inspectors followed by 11Alive News during the investigation, the same inspector who reported 101 inspections in one day, he spent 10 minutes or less on several final inspections. Meanwhile, in Cobb County, records show one inspector had a day of 52 inspections and averaged about five-and-a-half minutes per inspection the entire month. His supervisor called him an experienced employee and said his expertise allowed for such short inspections.

Friends, I appreciate all the responses. Very informative. As usual, in my case, practicality won out. I decided that SUV was preferred body style, ladder rack a must, less than V-8 imperative. All research showed prices of everything way too high. Phone call to car salesmen I have known and dealt with yielded one nugget. Low miles plus low price equals deal, nevermind colors etc. Bought a '99 Chevy Blazer, cheapest thing on the local Honda lot, but it carried their little sticker and their standard lot warranty. They have fixed two problems already with still a week to go on the 30-day. It gets just under 20 MPG and seems to be an OK ride.

Ain't it a shame what "code minimum" allows? I point out 3/8" decking as "minimal" or "marginal", along with expression of regret about cheap construction. I've written several roof replacement jobs for housing rehab, and every time the contractor tries to remove old shingles from 3/8" decking, the stuff delaminates and huge pieces come away with the shingles.