Scottpat

I'm still alive!

This is old news, it happened a year to two back...

On my patio during the months of February and March we get reflected light from a home that is about 75 to 100 yards away on our patio. I have recorded temps as high as 155f on our patio table from the reflected light. It comes off a 42"x42" square window over a garden tub.

Yep, that is old soft brick? Looks like they have repointed in some areas with a harder mortar mix and that intern can cause the bricks hard fired finish to spall off and exposing the soft interior and it is then a never ending deterioration of the brick.

Good idea but I don't measure the depth of insulation..

I had a home two years or so back that was on a shared well with 2 other homes. This was an issue with VA on this home, I would imagine that it could be an issue with FHA and maybe some lenders as well. It was my understanding that the owners all needed to form a mini-association that would manage the well so that if the pump broke down or some other issue occurred it would be repaired. The VA had a concern that if something happened the home could be without water. From what I was told by the Realtor that it delayed the closing by almost two months.

I use Pledge furniture wax/cleaner. Works great and smells pretty good! Just don't spray it on the ladder and then the overspray hits the floor in your kitchen it will make your wife upset when she slides across the tile floor and into the wall!

If it was my home I would back fill the area and add sod. 6", 4" or even 2" of clearance is still some clearance and plenty of room to see termite action and that siding is not going to rot. Chipping or cutting that concrete is going to be a huge job.

I would have to say that it is reflected heat from some source.. In my backyard from late December to around mid February I can get reflected sunlight from a home that is about 75 yards away on my patio that registers around 130f degrees for about thirty minutes a day.

November is fairly normal and I'm as busy as I want?. 4-5 home inspections a week and 2-3 commercial construction progress inspections for lenders a week, keeps me busy.. Total income is up about 18% over last year and my workload is down, what more can I ask for!

37pCi/l is my all time high Lot's in the 10-15 pCi/l range.

The location of the taker has no relation to the questions that are pulled from the "question" pool for the NHIE. This is what makes it a national exam and also what allows a person that has passed it to use the same exam to obtain a license in about 30 or so states across the country without retaking the exam. I have obtained a license in 4 states by just filling out the paperwork and paying the license fee. Sure some states have a few additional requirements, but most don't. Some states do have specific "modules" that cover state specific requirements or items that the state wants to test on. Washington and Texas come to mind that have the additional module. Illinois on the other hand did not listen to anyone at EBPHI and did not want a state specific module made by EBPHI, the state takes 25 questions out of the NHIE and then adds in 25 state made specific questions to the exam. This invalidated the exam from being used by other states because technically it is no longer the NHIE.. So folks that live on the boarders need to take both exams if they want a license in both states.

On the bright side, we have another 4 years to try and get it right! The really sad thing is that nobody really wants either of the two candidates yet one will be elected!

An oops..

I had a friend take the exam and did not do very well.. He said the aeronautical charts got him.. I understand that they have some prep courses that folks are taking prior to the exam to help them pass.

Looks like the OSB imprinted onto it.. If that is stucco, it is missing the metal lath. I looks like it was applied directly onto the OSB.

Was the substrate OSB?

That's right. If you wanna get big, you're gonna play that game. If you're looking to be a small shop, it's pretty much a separate universe and that stuff almost doesn't matter. There are lots of people that understand this, and they're the ones looking for the right guy, not the Yelp flavor of the month. So true! Love "Yelp Flavor of the Month!"?

That test would be word of mouth referrals. Plenty of good inspectors in that area of VA.. JD Grewell and Jim Funkhouser comes to mind.

It happens. Homes commit suicide often. I would still be mad with the inspection company that produced to distinctly different reports on the same home!

Learning from other experts can be very eye opening. I had the opportunity to shadow a wood flooring expert a few weeks ago on a case and I learned a tremendous amount. He had some rare earth magnetic balls (you can stop laughing) that he rolled down the planks and it showed every single nail.

Jim, that would make a great SNL skit! If that was in the South you would hear "Hey Y'all watch this!" That usually never comes out well!

You only know how good they are when you need them! If I'm not mistaken the two you listed are kind of like a club. They have something like a master policy that covers all of their members. BRP, Target, Elite MGA, BNK are agents for major carriers. I would contact Niccole Barnes with BNK nbarnes@bnkins.com or Ben Garrison with Elite bgarrison@elitemga.com

I'm in the "do not insulate" the subfloor camp! I have found more wet/moldy subfloors in homes that have insulated subfloors than I care to remember. Most likely it is due to improperly installed insulation and leaking air ducts/boots for floor registers. But in homes with no insulation I seldom if ever find wet subfloors or damage associated with condensation. In the South we just do not need to insulate the subfloor. I know folks will not agree with this but, I just don't see the energy savings that will justify the cost and risk associated with insulating the subfloor in our part of the country.

That catalog is a Nathan Thornberry special!!