Brandon Chew

I'm siding with the naysayers on this one. That domino tool might be good for a production shop, but a doubled biscuit joint with a good glue bond is pretty strong and for even stronger joints you can go with mortise and tenon. One of the things I like about woodworking is that for most things there is more than one way to do it. Part of the fun is figuring it out.

I'll chime in too. The paint is forming a vapor barrier on the exterior of the house. Water vapor is moving from inside the house to the outside. The wall is trying to dry from the inside to outside. Back-priming the siding before installation and a better vapor barrier on the inside of the wall would help prevent this from happening. The wedges could help as a corrective measure by providing a way for the vapor to escape without traveling through the wood siding and pushing the paint off. Beyond that you are looking at replacing the exterior cladding with something breathable and/or reconstructing the wall assembly to get an insulation and vapor & air barrier system that is appropriate for your climate.

There is moisture in the soil. Concrete absorbs moisture. Wood expands when it gets wet. The expanding wood can break the concrete. Water can also get in the joint between the wood and concrete. Water expands when it freezes. In a freeze-thaw climate, the pressure of the ice can break the concrete. It's also not a good idea because the concrete is alkaline. This in combination with moisture will increase the rate of decay of the wood post. Preservative treatments on the wood will slow this down some but they will not stop it.

OK, I have to ask. What is AHIS and why should you have VERY GOOD Insurance? Next, what is considered to be very good insurance? Mark (AHIS) had posted that in certain situations he will turn on water and electric breakers that are off, and that he will light pilot lights. I took the comment to be referring to general liability insurance for any damage to the home or injuries to other people, and medical, disability, and life insurance to cover any damage to himself.

This forum is suffering from curmudgeonitis. First ya didn't like trusses with webs made out of Popsicle sticks, and now it's electric water heaters with plastic tanks. It's usually a lot cheaper to repair rather than replace a storage type water heater, gas or electric, if anything on it goes bad except for the tank. When the tank goes, it's time to put in a new unit. Back in 1992 I converted my oil-fired furnace to a high efficiency Cat-IV gas furnace. Shortly afterward, I replaced my electric water heater with a gas water heater, using the chase for the old oil fired furnace to run the new vent for the water heater from the basement through two stories and out the roof. That gas water heater is now 14 years old and while it looks and runs fine, the tank could go at any time. I'm going to put a new roof on my house this summer. I've had my eye on that Marathon unit for a couple of years. When my gas heater bites the dust or when I do the roof (whichever comes first) I plan to run the numbers and see if it makes economic sense to convert back to a well-insulated Marathon unit. When doing the comparison, as Mike pointed out, consider that during the real lifetime of the Marathon, you might go through 2 or 3 conventional units. Add replacement cost of the conventional units to the operating cost of the conventional units. Figure out the break-even point and compare that to how long you plan to live in the home. Also, in my case, by converting from gas to electric, I can eliminate a penetration through my roof, completely close off and seal the chase that runs from basement to attic and which provides a nice "stack effect", eliminate energy loss that comes from drawing combustion air from within the conditioned air space of the home and venting it to the outside, and not have to worry about back-drafting through the water heater vent when I use my fireplace. None of that really has anything to do with the Marathon, but is a factor in the conversion from gas to electric. I believe that the Marathons are either made by or are owned by a division of Rheem. It might be a good idea to surf or post on a professional plumbers forum to see what they have to say about the units. I haven't taken that step yet but plan to when I start getting more serious about it.

Dang! I wrote a nice long reply. After I previewed it and proofed it, I hit the wrong button and lost it all. I'm too bummed to write it again. The gist of what I wrote: The concrete looks funky. Mix looks wet to me. If so, concrete is weak. (Agree with Chad) Was the wall still in the same plane above and below the horizontal cracks, or was it bowed and hinging along the cracks? If it was due to hydrostatic pressure, expansive soils, or frost heave, I'd expect the cracking to be further below grade than you are showing in the pics, and I'd expect to also see bowing. It looks to me like someone grabbed the house by the footings, shook it, and the foundation tried to shear off where it came out of the ground. (Agree with Mike) If this is seismic damage and the concrete is weak (Chad and Mike are both right), the fix could be as extensive as having to jack the house up and replace the foundation. So on that note, and based on your description of the buyer, it might be fortunate that she's nervous (Agree with Eric). The house could still be a good deal for a buyer with deep pockets if the price is right. By the way, I don't try to sway my client either way regarding the purchase. I try to give my client good, clear information so they can make a decision about what is right for them. I'd call for evaluation by a PE that has experience with residential foundations. (Agree with Mike and You) If an evaluation is done I'd be interested in hearing about the findings and the recommended fix.

It says I have to register and log-in in order to see it.

I don't think you are limiting your liability at all by doing it this way. They were acting under your instructions, using your tools ... it might as well have been you doing it. If I was on a jury hearing a case, that's how I would see it.

The HI SOPs that I have read that mention probing, including the one proposed for NY state, do so within the context of looking for damage to structural components. They do not specifically mention wood decay or probing exterior components such as cladding, trim, or window or door jambs and sills. In the SOPs, inspection of exterior components fall under the catch-all of "observe and report the condition..." I think probing is necessary in order to assess the extent of the damage to structural components. I want to know just how much of that sill, beam, column, or joist is still sound, and how much of it is damaged. I need this info to form an opinion and to convey to the client my thoughts on the size and urgency of the upcoming repair job. Where it does mention probing, I agree with Chad that the ASHI SOP says it well enough. I routinely find and report wood decay of exterior components by using sight, touch (finger/thumb pressure), and sound (gentle tapping on suspect areas with a hard object such as the handle of my screwdriver). That's all I need to do in order to complete my evaluation of the exterior components, report my observations, and recommend repair or replacement of the damaged wood. I don't think probing is necessary in order to assess exterior components; in fact, since those exterior wood components rely on an unbroken finish to protect them from the weather, any probing that breaks the finish on wood that is not damaged has just made that wood susceptible to damage. When I do probe on the exterior it is to check structural components that are exposed to the weather, or to go through a gap or hole in the the exterior components in order to probe into the structural framing. If I can't get to the structural framing without damaging exterior components, and I think the framing needs to be examined, I recommend an invasive inspection and I explain to my client why I feel one is necessary. I have a job to do when I'm at someone's house and I get it done. At the same time I recognize that I'm a guest in someone else's home and I treat their property with respect.

I think I'm going to give up my dream of being a chopper pilot. Brad - good luck and best wishes for a speedy and full recovery. Brandon

We've had a Bosch for about five years. We love it, and if it died, we would buy another one. When it is running you can't hear it unless you are standing right next to it. Even then, the sound reminds me of a gentle rain striking an asphalt shingle roof. The dishwasher heats the water to a temperature higher than what is delivered by your water heater. This has two benefits. First, the hotter water does a better job of cleaning the dishes. It also allows you to dial back the thermostat a bit on your water heater, which will save some energy on your household hot water. The most common complaint I have heard about Bosch dishwashers comes from people who are used to a dishwasher that has an electric heating element to bake the dishes in order to dry them, and they don't realize that the Bosch does not use that method. The Bosch relies on the hotter water temperature and the thermal mass of the dishes inside to store heat in the dishes, which then drives the drying process when the rinse cycle ends. It works well on ceramic, glass and metal, but not well on plastic (due to lack of thermal mass). Your Tupperware bowls might need to be toweled off before you can put them away. If you have a lot of plastic dinnerware, you might find this annoying. It also takes longer for the dishes to dry in the Bosch than in the dishwashers that use the electric heating element. The Bosch costs more than a lot of models from the major brands, but it's very quiet, energy and water efficient, reliable, and does its job of cleaning dishes well. I'm just a happy customer and I am in no way affiliated with Bosch or any kind of appliance sales. Brandon

If IW 2009 is going to be at Disney World, I'll probably be going. I have family that I haven't visited in Titusville, which is about an hour east of Orlando and on the land side of Cape Canaveral, and I have two boys who will be age 10 and 7 at that time. It'll be my first time at IW or Disney (as an adult).

If the CSST ends in a listed termination outlet, is properly supported at the connection, and an appliance shut-off valve is installed, then a flexible connector can be used between it and the appliance. CSST can be directly connected to the appliance shut-off valve on a fixed appliance. For movable appliances, a flex connector between the CSST and the appliance is required. Install instructions for TracPipe are available here: http://www.omegaflex.com/trac/downloads.asp

Generally speaking, you are not allowed to discharge "clean" water from roof drains or groundwater infiltration from sump pumps into the sewer system in most municipalities. It may be allowed in communities that have combined sewer systems. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to your question. You should find the specific prohibitions in either the local building code or in the local sewer use law. Combined sewer systems use one pipe network to convey sewage and storm water runoff instead of using separate pipe networks for each. You'll tend to find combined sewer systems in the older parts of old cities. Because combined sewer systems discharge raw or partially treated sewage to lakes, streams, and rivers when it rains, new ones haven't been allowed for several decades, and the existing ones are being placed under ever-tightening controls by the EPA and states. Thus, even in systems where it was once ok to allow the sump pump to be tied into the municipal sewer, it might not be ok today. The control programs are customized for each sewer system. Different areas of each system may be under different levels of control, and they may vary in how aggressive they are in seeking out and eliminating things like sump pump connections, once they are prohibited. Sometimes they grandfather existing connections until the title to the property is about to change hands, and sometimes they are actively searching for these connections and, if found, require them to be removed, usually at the property owner's expense. I think the best advice a HI can give to anyone who is about to purchase a property where the sump pump is connected into the municipal sewer system, is that the purchaser (or someone on their behalf) should contact the municipal sewer department and the local building code enforcement officer and ask them if it is ok at that address, and they should do this before they take title to the property. Once they take title, the prior owner's problem will become their problem to fix. Cost of correction by a qualified plumber would probably run a few hundred dollars, but could run higher if it is difficult to locate a suitable place for the sump pump to discharge once it is removed from the municipal sewer system. Brandon

I spent some time reading the residential side of their site, including the sample report, disclaimers, and FAQs. Much of my specialized engineering experience is in the environmental field. Here are my thoughts. They are selling publicly available information that they compile from numerous government databases. As Mike O. pointed out, anyone can probably get their hands on this same info for very little out-of-pocket cost, but as Chris P. pointed out, it would come at a considerable expense in terms of time -- even if you already know exactly what you are looking for and where to find it. There is no way I could do a due diligence public record search of the same scope on my own at the prices mentioned (<$100). So for people who want the info this company provides, it is a great value. My take on their certification is that it is part of the company's liability management strategy. They are merely a pass-through entity of information provided by others. Their liability is limited to accurately passing the info from the government on to their customer (info is assumed accurate but not guaranteed). Their customer is you, the HI, or the environmental professional, not the end-user. They do not interpret or analyze any of the info that they provide; that part is left for you. From their FAQ: There is very little liability in taking publicly available info provided by the government and handing it to a member of the public (to you -- their client, or from you to your client). The real liability kicks in when you start interpreting and using that info. If folks think liability exposure in the home inspection industry is high, it's peanuts compared to the environmental field. After your client receives the report, you'll be the one answering those kinds of questions, which will come to you from your client. This isn't the same thing as handing the results of a lab report to your client and telling them to call the lab if they have any questions about it. In that situation, the lab generated the content so they are responsible for it. Bingo. Chris P. nailed it. Especially the last part. See comments about liability above. You'll need to be very careful about what you say (and what you do not say) about the info on the report. Not only from the E&O angle, but also so that you don't step into conducting activities that are controlled by other licenses that the HI may not have (real estate, engineering, and various environmental abatement occupations come first in my mind). Your client is going to have a lot of questions about what the info on the report means, and they will be coming to you for answers and guidance on what to do about it. Is five hours enough training? To teach you how to read the report and what not to say ... probably. Step outside of what they are certifying you to do with that info and you could get your clock cleaned. Regarding the length of the report, even a clean or "Good News" report has value, if the report contains info about which databases where checked that turned up empty. I'd look closer at that list of databases before I jumped into this service, but from what I've seen by perusing their site, it looks pretty extensive. "So they themselves say the report is NOT factual." Actually, what they are saying is that the report is completely factual in the sense that they are simply a conduit for information that is provided by others. They are not providing any interpretation or analysis of that information. That part is done by the people they get the info from (as part of the official report from the source), or by the people they sell the info to (you). "The above is a cut and paste, the spelling errors are theirs." Did you correct the errors when you posted it? I didn't find any in the passage that you quoted. Maybe for a true buyer's agent. But for a selling agent I think it's like playing Russian roulette. A "clean" report would be a great benefit but if something turned up, it's going to cost that agent money (in terms of time and lower commission). I think they'd rather choose other routes to fulfill their disclosure requirements. I think a lot of it comes down to your individual market. As Nolan pointed out, the real question is "do your clients want this info and are they willing to pay the price you would charge for it?" Regarding the price you would charge, two key items are: what kind of value can you add to the info beyond simply handing them the report, and how well you think you can run through the liability minefield. You need to be adequately compensated for your time and the risk that you assume. Side comment -- when reading their FAQ for the HI, there is way too much stuff on there related to "protecting the deal". A home inspector has a fiduciary duty to their client and should have no stake in the transaction.

Business operates in the best interest of "The Bottom Line", otherwise it ceases to be a business. Sometimes what is good for the bottom line is good for the consumer, and sometimes it is not.

Jackson - Try this. Go here Dan Freidman's site The second paragraph on that page has a link to the PDF of the updated 2007 report: If you left-click on that "PDF format" link and attempt to open that PDF on your screen, the download freezes and the document does not open (it does this for me, and I suspect it is doing the same thing for other people too). Instead of left-clicking on the "PDF format" link, right-click and pick "Save Target As" from the menu. Save the document to your hard drive and then open it. Also, while at that web page with the link to the report, check out the menu on the left side of the page. You'll find lots more stuff about FPE there. Brandon

I agree with Bill's theory and Kurt's "perfect storm" comments. Factor 1: appliance was not properly converted from natural gas to propane Factor 2: insufficient intake & exhaust vent separation Factor 3: missing section of intake duct Factor 4: tight house (assumed, because it was new construction) Factor 5: no CO monitors Factor 1 and poor combustion air quality (due to exhaust being drawn back into the home near the intake for the boiler) probably resulted in high production of CO. Factors 2, 3, and 4 combined to draw high levels of exhaust back into the home. The missing section of intake duct meant that the appliance was drawing combustion air from inside of the house instead of from the exterior. Assuming this was a tight house (it was new construction), then the disconnected intake duct became the intake vent to replace all air that was exhausted from the house (boiler, kitchen, other fireplaces, bathrooms, water heater). Factor 2 meant that much of the air that was being exhausted by the boiler was being drawn right back into the house. All five factors lead to the boy's death and the rest of the family becoming ill. It's a horrible tragedy and I'm very sorry for this family's loss.

Me too. The Declaration begins with "When in the course of human events...." But I got your point. [] Brandon ... wishing everyone at TIJ a very healthy and prosperous New Year! [:-party]

To be a successful HI you need to have a thick skin. Sellers, real estate agents, builders, tradesmen and others will all be seeking to tear you down. Consider any jabs in your direction on the forum as training for what lies ahead in the real world.

I was taught that homophones are words that have different spelling and different meaning, but the key feature is that they are pronounced alike. to, two, too pair, pare, pear wear, where weather, whether plane, plain need, knead not, knot no, know NOT winch, wench sediment, sentiment "a rye", awry I don't know the proper term for when people confuse the words in the last three examples. I just call it poor grammar.

Assuming we are looking at the underside of a roof deck covered by asphalt shingles, and that the sheathing is less than 3/4 inches thick (most plywood or OSB sheathing is), then the nails are required to penetrate through the sheathing (per IRC 905.2.5). For sheathing that is more than 3/4 inches thick, the fasteners must penetrate a minimum of 3/4 inch into the sheathing. In the bottom photo, to the right of the truss top chord, it looks like the sheathing is growing a beard.

I second that, on both points. As an engineer, my mind is trained to think logically and to solve problems. When I was working for the government, the situations which I found to be most difficult were those where neither logic nor solutions were sought by the people involved. On being an idiot now and again, I've discovered that the taste of crow isn't all that bad -- it's a lot like chicken. When I look back through my life at those times when I have learned the most, it wasn't when I got it right the first time or when I performed flawlessly. It was when I got it wrong. Brandon “I am not young enough to know everything.â€

Gary - thanks. Now that I have a frame of reference for your original comment I can address it. I agree with what Jim and Tom have posted. Article 12B does not say "a HI cannot inspect new construction". It defines what a "home inspection" is, and then says if you want to do that thing called a "home inspection", then you need a license (unless you meet one of the exemptions). Since a "home inspection" is performed on a "residential building" (see 444b-5), the definition at 444b-7 is just clarifying that, for the purpose of the licensing law, a residential building does not include new construction or a building with more than four dwelling units. What this means is that inspecting new construction, a building with more than four dwelling units, and non-residential buildings are all unregulated activities (at least as far as Article 12B and needing a home inspector license is concerned). Brandon

Interesting. Gary, please elaborate. Why not? Who can?