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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture? 7.24.11 - 07/28/11 08:37 AM
Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture?
HINT: Hairy wood is rarely a good thing.
ANSWER: Everything! What you are looking at is a piece of wood that supports a porch. So you are looking from below the porch and the grey material at the bottom of the picture is the concrete foundation wall. What you are also looking at is some white fungal growth (that's the nicest way I can describe it) in different forms. There is the white powdery stuff near the top of the wood, then there is the creepy angle-hair stuff hanging down from … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - House Fire Caused by Tree Hitting a Power Line - 04/11/11 10:28 AM
Nashville Home Inspection - House Fire Caused by Tree Hitting a Power Line.
Recently it was reported in the linked article above from The Tennessean that a house fire was caused by a tree hitting a power line. This is a scenario that is all too common yet easily avoided. Look at the picture below.
Unfortunately some people think it looks good when vegetation encroaches on power lines or a building. However, from a Home or Building Inspector's perspective, there is never a good time for a building or component of a building, like a power line, to share space with vegetation. Even … (2 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Tennessee Home Inspection - Why are Those Radon Tests SO High This Year? - 04/06/10 08:21 PM
(Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at Activerain. If you are looking for the HABITEC website please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank you!)
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Have you noticed an increase in radon gas measurements and/or radon tests failures this winter? Don't feel alone, everybody has. At HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, providing home inspections and radon tests in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, we have seen the same thing. Why is that?
Simply put, the weather this past winter created a perfect storm for elevated radon measurement results. The EPA recommends testing for radon in the winter anyway, because it is the time of … (1 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Building Inspection - Ancient Roman Brickworks - 03/26/10 08:54 PM
Ancient Roman (Italy) brickworks ofter still stand today, either as part of an historic but unused building or perhaps still in use in conjunction with newer construction. A good place to see historic roman brickwork is at the Forum, which includes the Colosseum and other sites. The photo below is of brick that was used to build one the Colosseum blind and embedded arches.
The white stone structure on the sides of the arch were a limestone-type rock used for columns and walls as it was easy to cut. Notice the shape of the brick, compared to modern day brick. This … (2 comments)
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building inspection: Ancient Roman Engineering - Arches - 03/22/10 08:47 PM
Ancient Roman Engineering - Arches
By
Richard Acree
http://habitecinspections.com
Two of the most visible and impressive components of Ancient Roman structural engineering and architecture include the arch and the column. This article is about the arches designed and used frequently in ancient Roman engineering.
A trip to Rome will quickly reveal that the ancient Romans were very advanced in engineering and architecture. The use of arches as a structural device was rampant in buildings and bridges. No place is this more prevalent than in the Colosseum itself, shown above. Arches were used to strengthen walls, provide passageways, and provide ventilation. … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Building Inspection - Foundation Failure - What is Wrong With This Picture? 3/2/10 - 03/02/10 08:29 PM
HINT: Why is this new apartment building laying on its side in Shanghai?
Answer: Someone violated the Cone of Compression. It seems someone decided to dig out a hole next to the building to build an underground parking garage. That is where the Cone of Compression is. The space below and adjacent to the foundation at a 45 degree angle cannot be tampered with or the Cone loses its structural integrity.
They put the dirt on the other side of the building for short term storage. The weight of that dirt put lateral pressure on the foundation which was … (7 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Foundation Cone of Compression - What's Wrong With This Picture? 1/4/10 - 01/06/10 07:44 PM
[Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at Activerain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website, please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You!]
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Now on to the article: What is Wrong With this Picture?
HINT: Well, I suppose we could make a pool out of it??!!
ANSWER: The Cone of Compression is the area from the base of a foundation extending out and down at a 45 degree angle from the sides of the foundation. The Cone of Compression is not suppose to be disturbed once it is established. Otherwise, the foundation can become unstable and start to move. In this … (4 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Passive Radon System Installation - What's Wrong With This Picture? 1/5/10 - 01/06/10 07:29 PM
[Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at Activerain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website, please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You!]
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Now on to the article: Nashville Home Inspection - Passive Radon System Installation - What is Wrong With this Picture?
HINT: A radon mitigation system is suppose to take air/vapor/radon from below the home and transport it to the outside of the home, usually at the roof line.
ANSWER: The idea is to capture the radon gas before it enters the home, including the crawl space. It usually works best if the pipe is under the moisture … (7 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Vegetation - What's Wrong With This Picture? 1/6/10 - 01/06/10 05:44 PM
[Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at Activerain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website, please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You!]
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Now on to the article: Nashville Home Inspection - Vegetation - What is Wrong With this Picture?
HINT: None! Everybody knows what's wrong with this picture. The real question is, How do you get it down from there?
Answer: Hire someone who knows what they're doing! Trying to get this down without experience in this kind of work can easily damage the house and cause injury to people involved.
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in … (3 comments)
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building inspection: Continuing Education Course for Realtors at HABITEC! - 01/05/10 09:45 PM
HABITEC is pleased to offer a 6 Hour Continuing Education Course for Realtors licensed in Tennessee! The next class date is June 17, 2010, in Mt Juliet, TN.
The TREC-approved class is priced at $45 for the 6 hour course. And, GROUP RATES ARE AVAILABLE! More details are available on our website at http:/www.habitecinspections.com/educationmaterial.aspx. The class can cost as little as $10/realtor when groups of 30 or more sign up!
Please contact us at 615-376-2753 to reserve your seat. We hope to see you there!
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Electrical Junction Boxes and HVAC Ductwork Asbestos - What's Wrong With This Picture? (11/01/09) - 11/02/09 08:50 PM
HINT: Two things are potentially wrong. And, the house is about 75 years old.
ANSWER: Sure, the electrical box should have a cover. But what is that white stuff in the back ground? Could it be asbestos? Only a test will tell for sure.
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, and contributing members of the Active Rain Real Estate network, and are intended to educate and otherwise assist home owners, sellers and buyers, building owners, sellers and buyers, realtors, real estate investors, property managers, … (6 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Spiders in the Attic - What is Wrong With This Picture? (9/26/09) - 09/26/09 09:33 PM
HINT: These things hunt for their food.
ANSWER: This guy, a recluse spider we named Spider MAN, was sitting right at the top of the attic stairs. He is about the size of a silver dollar!!
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, and contributing members of the Active Rain Real Estate network, and are intended to educate and otherwise assist home owners, sellers and buyers, building owners, sellers and buyers, realtors, … (4 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Tennessee Home Inspection - Soffit Vents - What's Wrong With This Picture? (6/30/09) - 06/30/09 08:45 PM
Nashville Home Inspection - Soffit Vents - What's Wrong With this Picture?
Hint: You are looking at the underside of an eave and specifically the soffit vent. Anything look odd?
Answer: Paint! Lots of it. But in all the wrong places. Soffit vents provide cooling air to the attic ventilation system. If they are painted over, like these in the picture, the space for cool air to enter is compromised and hence the entire ventilation system is compromised. Without adequate cool air, the attic can overheat and this … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Furnace Issues - What's Wrong With This Picture? (6/26/9) - 06/26/09 07:18 PM
Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at ActiveRain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website, please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You! Now onto the Blog!
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Nashville Home Inspection - Furnace Issues - What's Wrong With This Picture?
Hint: You are looking at the inside of an HVAC split system interior unit after the front cover has been removed.
Answer: Rust! Lots of it. But the unit was 18 years old so some deterioration is expected. But not this much. The rust happened because the insulation on the line set that tracked into this unit had deteriorated above the manifold … (1 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Tennessee Home Inspection - Brick Veneer Ledge - What's Wrong With This Picture? (4/17/9) - 04/18/09 09:19 AM
Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at ActiveRain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You! Now onto the blog! Nashville Home Inspectionv - Brick Veneer Ledge - What's Wrong With This Picture?
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HINT: Did you ever wonder how those brick veneer walls stay up there?
ANSWER: Brick veneer walls exceeding 4 ' in height require a concrete foundation to rest on and usually there is an angled metal drip edge between the bottom row of bricks and the concrete foundation. Wainscots not exceeding 4' may be exempted depending on local codes. However, bracing any veneer … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Tennessee Home Inspection - Water Heater Exhaust Pipe - What's Wrong With This Picture? (3/27/9) - 03/27/09 10:01 PM
[Welcome to the HABITEC Blog at Activerain! If you are looking for the HABITEC website, please click on http://habitecinspections.com. Thank You!]
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Now on to the article: Nashville Home Inspection - Water Heater Exhaust Pipe - What is Wrong With this Picture?
HINT: Funnels work best if the stuff being funneled is flowing down, not up.
ANSWER: So in this case, sure, some of the exhaust will enter the exhaust pipe. But how much will miss? And how much is too much? This is a good reason why water heaters must be installed by a licensed plumber.
Thank you,
… (3 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With this Picture? (3/8/9) - 03/07/09 08:44 PM
HINT: KABOOM!!
ANSWER: The homeowner installed a free-standing gas stove in the living room as an after market device. Then he placed the supporting propane tank on the opposite side of the wall and ran the gas line into the crawl space and up into the living room. Now look at that picture and imagine a fire that starts in the house at the new fireplace. How long will it take the heat and eventual flame to reach the propane tank? Minutes? Before the fire department shows up? Probably. Now imagine how large the explosion will be when the tank … (1 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture? (3/7/9) - 03/06/09 12:31 PM
No hint this time. You should be able to figure this one out on your own.
Did they run out of money?
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, and contributing members of the Active Rain Real Estate network, and are intended to educate and otherwise assist home owners, sellers and buyers, building owners, sellers and buyers, realtors, real estate investors, property managers, and lenders in the process of owning, buying or selling homes or commercial buildings. HABITEC is a residential (home) and commercial building inspection company serving … (5 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With These Pictures? (3/5/9) - 03/06/09 03:04 AM
HINT: Water gravitates to the lowest point in a surface area.
This pier and surrounding moisture barrier is stained and holding a soil buildup as if substantial water has been here.
Same thing here.
And this pier has a nice little lake around it.
Answer: There are stains and in fact standing water at the base of several piers in this crawl space. Why is that? Could it be that after the dig for the pier foundations and construction … (0 comments)
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building inspection: Nashville Home Inspection - Rick Cozby joins HABITEC! - 01/28/09 08:41 AM
RICK COZBY JOINS HABITEC!
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, is pleased to announce that Rick Cozby, formerly President and Owner of House Sense, Inc., has joined Richard Acree and Ron Rittiner at HABITEC as a full time Home Inspector and Environmental Services technician. HABITEC is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with one of the premier inspectors in Middle Tennessee.
Rick's experience and credentials as a licensed Home Inspector (#258) and certified Environmental Services Technician are impressive. Rick has been a Home Inspector in Middle Tennessee since 1994. Since then Rick has completed over 4000 home inspections! He … (0 comments)
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Richard Acree - Nashville TN Home Inspections
Nashville,
TN
More about me…
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC
Address: PO Box 413, Brentwood, TN, 37024
Office Phone: (615) 376-2753
Email Me
Home and Commercial building inspections, mold assessments including inspections and mold sampling, radon testing and water quality analysis in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
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