Mike Lamb

Does this material have a name? It was soft, something like cork board.

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Thanks, Bill.

60 year old Bryant steam boiler. Does the cast iron look more recently patched or could this be from original manufacturing? I didn't see the boiler fire but there was water in the sight-glass. No leaks.

Are there any credible cases of asbestosis other that those who worked around the stuff?

I wish I started an album of all the cool and bizarre flooring that I see in old attics. This was good one.

"Quick tip to make your writing more engaging: Never start a sentence with "There is." When you do, that sentence is entirely unnecessary. Instead of saying "There is <thing>." Just jump right into whatever it is that's a problem with this thing. For instance, you might write: There is much efflorescence (white powder) at the east and back walls of the building. This is typically caused by excessive moisture coming into contact with the water soluble salts in the brick and/or mortar. You can brighten it up even more by getting rid of two-for-one phrasing and unnecessary modifiers: There is much efflorescence (white powder) at the east and back walls of the building. This is typically caused by excessive moisture water coming into contact with moving through the water soluble salts in the brick and/or and mortar. Finally, get rid of the passive voice: At the east and back walls of the building, water entering and moving through the brick has caused efflorescence (white powder)." Much better. Thanks.

I found these remarks from the BIA tech notes: "Efflorescence that appears on newly constructed brickwork, less than a year old, is referred to as “new building bloom.” New building bloom generally appears in a fairly uniform pattern across the wall surface and can be attributed to normal evaporation of water after construction is complete. In most cases, new building bloom will dissipate over time if the brickwork is allowed to dry after completion and if environmental factors such as wind and rain are given sufficient time to naturally clean the brickwork. When efflorescence occurs more than a year after construction is complete, it can generally be attributed to excessive water penetration or poor drainage and is often most severe in winter or periods of cold weather. Under certain specific circumstances and conditions, it is possible for the crystals of efflorescence to form within the bodies of brick units. When this occurs, the growth of crystals and the resulting pressure may cause cracking and distress to masonry. It is not practical to attempt to exclude all soluble salts from masonry materials, nor is it possible to prevent moisture from coming in contact with masonry exposed to the weather." AND : Known as cryptoflorescence or subflorescence, salts that crystallize within masonry can develop tremendous pressures which may result in brick spalling. So I guess to answer the question in my OP. It may or may not be an important problem. They will just have to wait and see. After six years, except for the efflorescence, brick and mortar is in good condition.

This is from a 2018 three story condo building. The east had much efflorescence. The rest of the building was good. I found the efflorescence to be excessive. How important is this to the owners of the building to do something about it? My remarks below in the report are a little wishy-washy. There is much efflorescence (white powder) at the east and back walls of the building. This is typically caused by excessive moisture coming into contact with the water soluble salts in the brick and/or mortar. Most of this seems to be on the side where there are decks/porches. Note: I did not see appropriate flashings above the porch ledgers. Water running behind the ledger may enter the bolt penetrations and be contributing to this. Consult a mason familiar with efflorescence cleaning and remediation. Consult a porch specialist on how best to flash or seal the areas above the ledgers.

Eastside for sure. The Chicago Skyway.

Here's a story from 2 weeks ago but it's not funny. I was inspecting a 20 unit building on the S. side in a distressed area for an out-of-town investor. When I do these I try to get into every unit. It was the property manager with keys, a real estate agent, and me. We were trying to get into a third story apartment when the owner burst out screaming and he had a gun. The agent and I ran away down the stairs And when I heard the, "pop, pop, pop." I tried running down 5 stairs at a time and slid down half a flight of stairs on ass. I called 911. The property manager did not run out with us so I thought maybe he had been shot. Then the crazy man came running outside screaming chasing us, so the realtor and I ran a block away and jumped inside another apartment building that had a front door partially open. Locked it. We hid in the basement while the crazy man was pounding on the glass outside screaming I don't no what. Police came. The nut bag choked the property manager but he was okay. The police then berated us for trying to get into an apartment without the tenant being notified which was BS. The tenant thought we were breaking in, which again was BS. The dude was cracked up. And they said the gun he had was a pellet gun which did not make me feel much better. Unfortunately, I never finished the job so I didn't get paid. So I came back a week later with a small army of property managers and realtors, and the goofball was there apologizing to us that his behavior was wrong. My pepper spray was ready for any additional crack head behavior. I finished the job and got paid. I had another encounter with a dangerous occupant about 5 yrs ago but that's another story.

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This basement floor had a bunch of relatively straight cracks at various locations. The builder told me that they were control joints and the method used is to lay a strip of metal – Or something like that –beneath the concrete surface and an intentional crack will develop there. I never heard of this and my research came up with nothing to corroborate. He said it was a relatively new thing. I don't think it's a problem but is the fellow full of malarkey? Thoughts?