Nolan Kienitz

Dunno what to say ... so I won't say a thing. [] Click to Enlarge 54.04 KB

Hmmmm......I bet if you knew my overall debt level your jealously would fade. I used to worry about it but now I just make payments on time....always. .....and forever it will seem. ... And of the major reasons why I really like my 2006 Trailblazer. It has all of 101K miles and runs great. In town I still get 17-19mpg and the occasional $$ I have to spend now and then is far and away better than the payments. I'm aiming for 200K with my TB. It also 'fits' very well with tools, ladders and simple comfort of driving with good visibility. .

Very, very nice. Yes ... with youngsters such as this ... there is hope. .

What a piece of property for a nominal investment of $78M. On its own island in Flathead Lake in Montana. Listed as the 5th most expensive property in the USA. I was born/raised in NE Montana in a very small farming community ... Properties such as this certainly are a specialty ... in most all communities. All I can saw is: WOW!!!! $78M Shelter Island Estate - Realtor's Listing Business Insider article on $78M Estate in Montana A friend of mine found the heli-cam video that was taken during the home's construction. Property owner is a Southern California real estate developer. Shelter Island Heli-Cam Video .

CR, I don't know about the product you mentioned, but I've been using EchoSign. It is owned by Adobe and it works very well and very easy. EchoSign

Just seems like the "mold is gold" mentality just keeps raising it's head. Common sense/observation is key. So many of these approaches are just about ginning up fear as well as trying to spin 'extras' for more $$. .

Show us the stats you found. It didn't take long to find a couple of charts that show 2000 existing home sales (sfr & condos) at just over 5 million and new home sales at just under 1. Or about 6 million total. Then the GAO estimates about 85% of mortgage applicants get an inspection. When you add homes that may get multiple inspections before a sale is finalized, as well as pre-listings etc, ASHI's estimate of 5 million inspections performed seems reasonable enough. Isn't that a rather high estimate? I don't have any solid stats for this, but I've always heard and been told that 'at best' only 40-50% of home buyers get an inspection. Just seems that the GAO estimate is rather 'rich'. I wish I had some solid support for what I've "heard" over the last 10-12 years. .

Naw ... don't think someone would have used PhotoShop just to add a chair []

Ian, I like it. Flows pretty good and the highlights to the selected line is most helpful for my aging eyes. .

Texas requires licenses for 'mold assessment' and 'remediation'. One person cannot hold both licenses. Texas Dept of Health - Mold Program .

I don't have to deal with radon in Texas (either as a homeowner or as an inspector). That being said ... when I lived in Colorado (SW of Denver in the foothills) my home had a basement with a floating floor and had a radon mitigation system installed with pipe that ran up a chase through attic and out the roof. Fan was part of the installation as well. It was in the property when we bought the home and just an element that was expected in homes in Colorado. It worked very well.

KM - This T-Stat sounds like the "bee's knees". I've been looking into the Nest as one of the providers down here has it on one of their offerings. I got a new HVAC system three years ago and had the White-Rodgers "Big Blue" T-Stat installed. Lots of programming possibilities, but I'm having to bring out the manual to refresh my gray matter on changing settings. FWIW make sure (if there is a panel, touch-screen access) that the blame thing is visible and has fonts in a size that people with vision limitations can see it to make changes. Of course with it being accessible to so many of the devices (iOS, Android, etc.) ... at least I could access it from my iPad or iPhone. I'm one of "those" that has the dang visual limitations in seeing the panel of the W-R Big Blue T-Stat. Dang aging thing again [] I'm certainly interested in learning more about y'all's T-Stat. I know you are enjoying your trip most of all.

There are many good inspectors in the San Antonio market that you should engage to help guide you through this process with such questions. Send me a message (offline ... NolanATNolansInspections.com) and I'll provide you some contacts. .

Maybe to reset his overall mindset and then have a reference when the traffic in the Chi-Town area gets terrible. He could muse that all-in-all ... it is not that bad in Chi-Town. []

And only in "paperback" ???

Kurt will likely just cool his jets for a bit of time before he provides any updates ... just to give all of us heartburn and/or any other anxiety!! []

FWIW ... The City of West Monroe has adopted the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code. I'm not even going to try and guess what that actually may be and would rather leave the opining on that to Marc !! [] From my perusing of their (City of West Monroe) website and FAQ it does not appear they require a permit for a new home construction. That is assuming that your home is being built "within" the city limits of West Monroe. City of West Monroe, LA ... adopts codes .

Similar over here in Texas. Seldom do the rods get driven to flush with grade. Often a couple inches to 6-8 inches above grade. I've seen several sticking up through a piece of flatwork such as your image as well. AHJ not so fussy in many cases. .

I was subpoenaed in a dispute between my client (buyer) and seller of a restaurant. The summons arrived two years after the inspection. My inspection noted many shortcomings in the property and referrals to specialists with respect to cooking equipment, walk-in freezer and on and on. Property also had severe roof problems (flat roof). Lo and behold, after close/sale of property, there was a huge/long rainstorm and a portion of the roof caved in causing damage. Insurance paid for everything so (supposedly) no harm no foul. Well, buyer (my client) decided they wanted to get insurance or seller to pay for additional remodeling that was not part of the insurance claim. So they (buyer) started to muddy the waters and filed a lawsuit seeking $$. Goes without saying I was nervous and after my first visit with the buyer's attorneys I had some, but not much relief. Both sides had called in high-dollar companies for their professional opinions as to all the circumstances. My report was sort of in the middle of the whole she-bang ... but none of the reports I was able to see (I did see them all) took any exception to what I did/reported on. (Whew) Anyway ... yes, I was called as an 'expert witness' (sort of), but it was termed as a 'fact witness' and thus being I was on my dime and not allowed to charge anyone for my time. This suit went on for yet another two years and I had to contact my attorney to review all the documents to ensure I wasn't being set up. That cost me $$ that I could not recover as well. Anyway ... bottom line is that 1/2-day before the supposed actual court session (the court data had been set/cancelled/reset 5 times over 2-1/2 years) the buyer's attorney called and said they had settled out of court. BTW - I was never contacted by the buyer (my client) about this and never once talked with them after I went over all my findings that were in my report at the time of the inspection. I honestly don't like getting calls like that or knocks on my front door from the local sheriff with a subpoena. Thank goodness I've only had one and that is enough. .

USA Today has been running a series of articles on "green" technology in construction. Goes without saying there are strong views/opinions on either side of the spectrum regarding "green" or Leeds, etc.. Recent article details efforts in some school buildings in the Houston Ind. School District. Green Schools - Maybe not so much .

Maybe because it has been changed to an 'outlook' account? Maybe Mike O. is getting something on the down-low for the subscription? .

JK, I'm going to peruse the back-side of the Zenith and see what labels I can uncover. That is great information ...

Ah the history and mystery of old radios. I grew up listening to AM broadcast and shortwave radio in the '50s on a 1939 era Zenith radio that my parents had. I think such times helped spur my overall interest in radio and I ended up working in commercial broadcast radio for many years (on air and ended up as an engineer for a couple stations). Got my 1st Class Radiotelephone license (now known as a GROL) as well as my amateur radio license. Below are two images of that 1939-ish Zenith radio. I got it refinished a number of years ago when living in the Houston area. Still works and it fascinates the grandkids with all the buttons. Click to Enlarge 95.32 KB Click to Enlarge 42.6 KB

Jimmy, My best wishes to you and your passion. Like many others I consider myself fortunate to have been able to share and learn from you. As Mike O. noted ... your stool at the counter will be waiting for your occasional visits and pearls of knowledge. .

JV - I like those sweeps and the access, but consider "down the road" if there is a failure and you have to replace a line. Make sure you don't have to re-invent the wall should you have to have access. Not that you ever want to or hope to, but I'm just retentive about 'planning ahead' for (as Jim L. commented: You don't know what you don't know). Being on an exterior wall I would do everything I could about wrapping each of those supply lines with an insulation wrap. Sort of similar to what is on an A/C refrigerant line. Even thought you are "South" and in LA ... we are similarly "South" in the Dallas area, but they still wrap each of the PEX distribution lines with the insulation sleeves. Just better to safe than sorry and when it is open it is far easier to do it now. .