DonTx

I also doubt that the windows were installed properly. If you ever get to see behind the Brick Veneer, look up the AAMA 2400.02 standards for installing windows and/or the manufacturers installation instructions (if you know the manufacturer).

My guess would be asbestos as well. Some of the older homes in downtown Houston have asbestos shingles on them, but I don't think I've ever seen one laid in a Dutch fashion either. I believe you were working with a early 1900's roofer who was thinking outside the box. P.S. Was there any underlayment? It's common to see the shingles outlast the underlayment in this area when asbestos shingles are used.

I heard the same thing (stinky stuff in gas corrodes copper) and I believe our SOP requires us to call it out (I'm going to recheck now). As I understand it, propane stinks naturally and is not corrosive to copper.

Our friends have owned one for over a year and love it. She drives it about 100 miles round trip each day to work so the miles have racked up fast. I thought the ride was as comfortable as our Tahoe. She says that she averages anywhere from 19-21 on her mileage depending on how much she drives in the city. Good Luck and keep us updated on your new ride..

After I spent a grand on new sheetrock, tub and shower surround, I move stuff if I have to! Like most, my contract says I don't do it. However, when 2 and 2 are coming up 3 1/2, I'll move what I have to. For example, kids toys don't go in a linen closet behind a tub and shower. I knew that and thought it odd the day I was there, but I didn't take the toys out. 2 weeks later I found out why they were there, to hide the mold and water damaged sheetrock! Nice catch Chris and good lesson for all of us to remember! BTW, where did the termites come up from...drain pipe or crack in the slab?

Now that's a "Featured Inspector" picture you could leave up for a while![]

I need either some standards or installation instructions for granite countertops. Two of the issues I have is the use of a sub counter and moisture barrier (are they needed/required) and where seams can occur. On many jobs, I see the seams at the sink. My Residential & Light Commercial Construction Standards book says seams should not be near sinks, but they give no references. Any suggestions?

Hi Paul, If you strive to be the most thorough inspector around and write better reports than 99% of the other inspectors in your area, you'll be able to command your own price. Don't get bummed when people hang up and go shopping. It's a numbers game. You're going to have people who only want a cheap inspection no matter what. Then you'll have people who want the best inspection they can get. Those are the ones you want but your work will have to exceed their expectations. It use to burn me up when I'd spend time on the phone with a prospective client only to have them use a cheaper inspector. Now, I could care less. When the hang up and go shopping, there'll be someone else call shortly who is willing to meet my price. In time, this will happen to you. If you're truly offering quality inspections and reports, then start out a little higher than your competition and explain it to your prospective clients why you're more expensive. Another thing, when you charge more, you'll have to do less inspections to make ends meet. Even if you're the cheapest inspector, you're not going to book every inspection. Don't fight it, just charge what you need to and let the crumbs fall where they may. The longer I'm in this game, the more I find myself picking the low hanging fruit. I was recently turned on to eLance for some outsourcing. eLance is where you post a work project and freelancers bid on the project based on your job description. On many projects you can see what other Freelancers are bidding on the same project and on accepted projects you can see the winning bidder. Rarely does the lowest bidder win these projects. From browsing through the projects, I'd say that the majority of the projects are awarded to the upper end bidders. People will pay for quality service. Stick to your guns.

Jeff, Thanks for the links. Good info. However, the last one wouldn't work for me.

Hi Chuck, You'll find KB Homes putting a 5 ton unit in their 2 story homes up to 4200 sf. They swear that it's more than enough. My common reply is "Perhaps it is if we were in Michigan, but not South Texas" What I normally do is tell the Client that the unit will not likely cool adequately to keep them comfortable, especially if both upstairs and downstairs zones are going at once (I've actually documented this several times on 1 Year Warranty Inspections). I also state in my report that the system needs proper load calculations performed by a qualified and licensed HVAC contractor. If the system is really bad, I just put in the report that the system needs evaluated by a Mechanical Engineer who specializes in design and repairs of HVAC systems. So far, the few times my Clients have actually had an independent HVAC contractor out to do calculations, the builders HVAC team have been way off. I generally recommend either Central City Air or Kingwood Air. Either of those companies are really good, especially David @ CCA. By the way, the new TRCC Performance Guidelines state that the system is suppose to keep the inside temperature at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside air temperature. Pretty lame but I've seen times where I could actually use this against the builder. Good Luck,

I tried ServiceMagic for about a year. There were already several inspectors in my area who had been with them a while and were a lot cheaper on their inspection fees than I was. They also received the 5 Star Provider status. I received exactly 1 inspection from them. Not worth my time to chase all those price shoppers. My experience with the "locator" services has been the same. A lot of "email leads" but darn few actual inspections. I think most of those people are your competition or price shoppers. If you have cut rate prices, they'll probably work for you. Otherwise, you'll have to find another avenue. The locator service on ASHI has actually worked pretty well for us. It may be because there is only 8 (at last count) ASHI inspectors in Houston, I don't know. Just started doing commercial inspections for a RE investment company out of Cal. that found us on the ASHI locator. We've done 2 restuarants and 1 day care for them in the last 2 days. Nice thing is they didn't quibble at my prices. The article for a newspaper thing is good. The last time ASHI is mentioned in the Chronical (which isn't very often), we'll get 3 to 6 inspections out of it. Your best bet is to try different things and see what works for you. Never stop testing, that's Marketing 101.

Many new and older Condo's here will have a "sub panel" in the unit with the main at one end of the building. (the 'subs' are wired like a sub also, meaning that the grounds and neutrals float) Does the 6 throw rule apply to the sub panel or only to the system? I say if the system has at least 1 main breaker we're okay. My other inspector thinks there should be main in the sub panel as well. Which one is it?

Thanks Scott, I just grabbed some illustrations off of Dura Vents PDF. That'll have to do. Thanks,

Does anyone have the listings for either storm collars or fire stops? I inspected a new home about two months ago that had two water heaters. One had the normal storm collar and some had used a flat fire stop collar as a storm collar on the other one. Now the builder says he's not replacing it. I told the Client that even if we disregarded everything else wrong, it's just plain damn ugly looking and needs replaced, however I would like a listing or code to light a fire under the builder.

The foundation was poured out of square like Steven suggested. See it all the time. Off the top of my head, I believe the brick can not overhang more than 1/3rd per BIA.

Rednecks rule don't they! That is truly amazing. When I see something like that, it just leaves me thoughtless for a moment and then the thoughts come trickling back in....who would do something like this?....what kind of mindset was that person in when they thought to do this....did they realize how much danger they were in?....if so, they must have gonads of brass... You HAVE to send that one to the Reporter!

My concern with that crack would be water intrusion. However, I'm guessing that's not a real beig issue there in the Land of the Sun. A patch and paint job should have you good to go in no time.

I have a hard time believing that the water heater is new. It looks like it has been sitting around a while. Probably one of the first sealed burner units that came down the pipe. What year was it?

Chris pretty much hit the nail on the head. I've never thought of new home construction inspections in that matter, but his experiences nearly mirrors mine. However, instead of making 4 to 500 on a 1 time inspection, the new construction home will give me about 1500 bucks or more for the same house, not including the 1 yr warranty inspection. I just make more money off of the same house. I have and use a zip level. I don't use it on a daily basis but I'm thinking I should just to provide the customers measurements for future references. A few guys in the area already market their inspections that way. New construction inspections have made the difference between barely scratching by at times to living comfortably year round. They also gave us a boost in the beginning and allowed us to be profitable our first year in business. As for zip levels, they're just another tool if you do a lot of new construction. They can also help out on those older homes as well.

Does anyone have some info on the different types of treated woods and the proper fasteners to use? I understand borate is less corrosive than the copper treated wood, but I'm having a dickens of a time discerning the two in the field. The tags on the ends are not usually visible and grade marks are being turned toward the foundation. I see a lot of anchor straps nailed with regular carbon steel nails and I'll usually call this out under IRC 323.3. I generally hear "it's the new borate treated lumber so it's okay". Anyway, some documentation would be helpful. Thanks,

My inspector is having the same problem with his SureTest. When using the cord, it gives hime the "No Ground" message. I told him that I thought it was the cord. On my old ST-1D, the ground prong came loose after about 6 months. Not loose enough where I noticed it, but loose enough to where it would not read correctly. I wrote up every outlet in a house for having no grounds one day and then just before leaving, I tried my night light. Had to go back and test them without the cord and all were okay. After my inspector having trouble with his 61-155, I refused to buy a new one and now just scan ebay for an old ST-1D.

Seen it before, nice for those who haven't.

I buy quite a few tools off of ebay. One thing I wouldn't buy off of ebay is my inspection software unless it was a leading name brand such as 3D, InspectXpress or my favorite, Whisper Solutions. There are some things you can scrimp on, there are others you should never scrimp on. In my opinion your software is one of those things you shouldn't try to cut corners on.

I briefly thought about asking how to take screenshots....but decided against it. I fear how that thread would have drifted also [:-eyebrow

Yeah Scott, that's the page I get from Norton. However, when I start the removal process, after I ran step 4. Norton did not find the Trojan. I tried it twice and never found it.