Peacock

At the risk of sounding dense, Kurt are you saying why bother with an invasive inspection - assume there are problems and proceed with a repair plan?

The 16 unit stucco clad wood frame condo building I am involved with here in Seattle may have water intrusion problems particularly in relation to the original aluminum frame windows. The architect consultants have stated the only way to get a clear understanding of possible hidden problems would be to remove stucco. As a building inspector with over 25 years? experience, I have argued that adequate information could be obtained through removal of the plasterboard on the walls and the ceilings inside the building. The architect?s claims evaluation from the inside will not provide sufficient information. Removing portions of the stucco practically guarantees the need for a complete replacement of the siding regardless of what is found underneath. Removing and patching the plasterboard is relatively easy and cheap. Am I my missing something? Any opinions? Thanks, Terry

Sorry, don't have the answer for that. My customer called to ask about this after I had recommended chimney repairs.

Had a mason recommend a stainless steel flue liner for an older brick chimney used by a newer oil furnace. This is not common and I question the need. Any thoughts?

Any one have an opinion on how to deal with aluminum clad wire in lower branch circuits (120V, 15 or 20amp)? I usually treat it like unclad aluminum wire, recommending correcting with Copalum spliced pigtails. But rereading the CPSC bulletin (http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/awrepair.htm) on the subject, I'm not so sure. They refer to "old technology aluminum wire", but this is a 1978 house. The seller has a bid from an electrician to correct the problem with UL wire nuts. Any opinions? Thanks, Terry