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Scottpat

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Everything posted by Scottpat

  1. One of the first things I ask when I'm hired as an expert to help defend a home inspector lawsuits case is did the real estate agent refer the home inspector to the buyer. I just picked up a new case last week on an inspector and after reading the report, it could be used as a pillow it is so soft. Guess who referred the home inspector to the buyer..... Later today I have a conference call with the legal team where I will be recommending they should attempt to settle, quickly!
  2. Thanks Jim, I forgot about the clarification that Garet did.... I never worried much about cabinet glass to start with, it's something I might see every 200th home!
  3. Just think of the weight in a typical kitchen cabinet full of dinnerware. In one of our cabinets we have 12 place settings of Fiesta ware. I would venture to say that it is probably around 60-70 lbs, then add in the weight of the cabinets and I bet we are close to 100lbs in just one cabinet. Base cabinets fail as well. Have you ever seen or wondered why the granite countertop looks like it is pulling away from the wall? Most likely the cabinets are pulling away from the wall due to the weight of the granite. I have also seen where the weight of the cabinets and granite tops are not supported properly in the crawlspace or basement.
  4. This is the article by a Don Lovering in the ASHI Reporter from 2007, it will make you rethink the way you inspect kitchens.. http://www.ashireporter.org/HomeInspect ... ering/1191
  5. I started about 6-8 years ago right after I walked into a home and the cabinets were laying on the floor and countertops. One corner failed and it pulled the rest off the wall. This is when I learned about the pitfalls of using the wrong fasteners. In my market I'm in homes where the kitchen cabinets cost as much as some German luxury cars. Don Lovering did a good article in the ASHI Reporter several years back on cabinets that covers what to look for.
  6. Thanks Erby, the stickers had all been removed. I'm going to borrow your verbiage if you don't mind!
  7. I agree with Steven, the problems we see with EIFS are way too common to just be an EIFS problem. We see the same missing or improperly installed details with brick, cementious board, stucco, faux stone, etc....
  8. I need some help trying to ID if this is a Drywall screw. I think it is and the builder is saying it is not. The owner voiced her opinion very strongly that I could not back it out to look at it. My client who was birddogging me the entire inspection is actually the one who pointed it out to me. He found them when he first looked at the home earlier in the week. Click to Enlarge 31.68 KB
  9. Folks improperly paint EIFS all the time, once it is painted you need to keep painting. I doubt that wall has a moisture problem, normally walls without rooflines intersecting or penetrations in it will not have moisture problems. The fasteners are showing most likely from being driven too far into the foam board and then the base coat coat is thicker over the fasteners, or it could be the lack of a base coat and or the finish or lamina coat was applied too thin. Add a little sunlight, age and pressure washing and you have what we are seeing....
  10. They really do not have a committee like they use to have. Sites are suggested, staff makes recommendations to the board of directors and the board votes on the location. Next in line after Philadelphia will be San Diego CA, and then Las Vegas. If I had to guess Nashville will be in 2018.
  11. I'm seeing a good amount of bamboo flooring in vacation or weekend type homes that are closed up for periods of time. Another consideration would be the tiles that mimic the look of wood flooring.
  12. The clearance requirements are embossed on the pipe right above the paper barcode sticker.....
  13. Nothing should be in contact with the flue pipe. As for being safe, unless that pipe gets hot enough to ignite the gas inside the pipe you have nothing to worry about. The chance for that happening are about as good as getting hit by a meteorite.
  14. I see CSST going the same route as EIFS.... everyone rushed to use EIFS when it came out in the 1980's, then the problems started to show about ten years later. Then the lawsuits started to fly, fingers started to be pointed, new install methods and guidelines were developed and folks basically stopped using the product.
  15. I think the reason appliance connectors have escaped is due to their short length. Normally they are only a few feet whereas most CSST will span the length or width of the house. The amount of CSST pipe increase the percentage of possible problems.
  16. Lighting is going to poke a hole in the black coated pipe just like the yellow covered pipe. It is still a thin flexible pipe and lighting is color blind! I have been told Lubbock no longer allows CSST pipe and that other TX municipalities are considering the same. If we are lucky, we might start seeing a move to really limit the use of CSST across the country.
  17. The length of an inspection report is not alway an indication of its quality. This week I'm reviewing a 63 page report for an attorney and when I did an inspection of the same property my report was 27 pages in length and included eleven additional fairly major items that were missed or excluded from the original inspection. It's all about the information in the report and if it is written in an intelligible and understandable manner.
  18. I'm siding with Les.. If I had nothing going on and my client asked me to meet the electrician, I would do it and most likely not charge for it. If I had agents asking me to meet an electrician, I would simply tell them to have the electrician to call me if they had a question. It's not going to hurt anything or break any confidentially laws by talking to the electrician to clarify your findings. Situations like this can easily be turned into a marketing opportunity with a little show of good will and a smile.
  19. I would not even note it in my report. IMVHO,this is in the same category as loose door knobs and cabinet pulls!
  20. It can not cost much to have pvc pipe installed. I would say the PEX is not proper material for this use and recommend have a PVC, Copper, or Galvanized installed. PVC is not allowed for TPR discharge lines, it is not rated for the heat and it will melt. CPVC on the other hand is Okay. PEX is just fine, it will handle the heat. Just add a strap towards the bottom to hold it in place.
  21. I'm more concerned with supports/clamps/holders with PEX on long runs, in walls and at fixtures.
  22. Could very well be fasteners that are failing.
  23. So that is from an inspection company and not an electrician? I love it! That is a letter I would have framed for the client so they can hang it next to the panel....
  24. Typical problems with a 100+ year old home with a stone foundation and a basement. Keep in mind that any waterproofing not done from the outside is akin to putting a bandaid on a bad case of roadrash! You can cover some of it but eventually it's going to seep on through. It is virtually impossible to make a stone foundation watertight, most folks just try to manage seepage.
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