Just a Little Puzzle. - 05/31/11 12:14 PM
Just a Little Puzzle.
OK, just a little puzzel? This is the puzzle from Sunday's blog.
The idea was to come up with the name of the town "where the title of these blogs comes from,... figure out the name of the 'little mill town'."
All the clues are in the first sentence "Long ago and far away on the western shore of an eastern island province there was a little mill town."
And you are given this hint: "Of course using goggle is allowed."
I did make one error. I should have said 'google maps" specifically.
 
So use google maps look at … (9 comments)

Jughandles - A New Definition - 05/30/11 01:45 PM
Jughandles - A New Definition
I bet you thought jughandles were attached to jugs or pitchers so you could lift them and pour.  And that's still true.
But I've learned that in New Jersey the term jughande is also used to describe a loop in the road system that controls traffic wanting to turn accross the oncoming traffic of the roadway.
Left turning vehicles are directed off on the right on a lane that veers away and circles to a stop sign in a road intersecting with the original highway. Drivers then turn on to that road and wait for the light … (5 comments)

Well Well Well......................3 holes in the backyard, #4 (surprise!) & PUZZLE - 05/29/11 12:13 PM
Well, Well,Well.......................three holes in the backyard #4 (surprise!)
Well, I wasn't planning a 4th in the series but I had stuff left over. And I have a little puzzle (at the end).
The earlier blogs in this series discussed blog writing (#1), blog commenting (# 2), and reblogging (#3).
Well, now I want to draw your attention to another little gem in the AR arsenal and that is Invite Others.
Invite Others can be found 6 up from the bottom on the left side navigation column of your My Home page. Go there by clicking on Invite Others and you are presented with … (5 comments)

Do You Ever Have That Sinking Feeling?............................An OMG FIle. - 05/28/11 12:15 AM
 
Do You Ever Have That Sinking Feeling?............................An OMG FIle.
Do you ever feel like you are just floating along, not connected to any thing. Not grounded. Well you might not be if you are on a deck like the one shown below.

You can see that the support beam that's been added to this deck at mid-joist span to support and stiffen it is doing neither. It's not even touching the joists or the footing post below itself.
It could be removed and it would have no effect on this deck. You'd never know it was gone.
Usually as … (12 comments)

"Ch Ch Ch Changes"....Don't Always Improve IT (Your Roof, Your House) . - 05/27/11 11:09 PM
"  Ch Ch Ch Changes"....Don't Always Improve IT (Your Roof, Your House) .
 
The Roof View
Here's a view of a 'flat' roof that has been shown on some of my other blogs.
Flat roofs are not actually flat. They either slope to a central drain or drain to one edge.
This angle is gradual so the drop from the high part of the roof to the drain is not much. Here it is about 6".
Thats fine when it's just raining and there is no blockage of the drain(s).
Blockage from debris is only a concern if you have … (3 comments)

WTF?.....They Stay There, Move Up, Slide Back and Eventually Creep Ahead. - 05/26/11 06:44 PM
WTF?.....They Stay There, Move Up, Slide Back and Eventually Creep Ahead.
I've got it. I finally figured it out. 
Have you ever noticed when you're traveling on a highway, the auto-route or even a turnpike, that there are drivers who you think are passing you but they take forever to do it? 
They come up behind you, get in the outside left lane and then creep up to pass you. And they move up and slide back or just stay there for mile after mile. Eventually they creep ahead of you and cut over because there is some one else on … (7 comments)

I Know Better, But Poof!...There It Was....Gone !! - 05/25/11 11:29 PM
I Know Better, But Poof!...There It Was....Gone !!
 I'd spent over half an hour fleshing out this blog I'd started. There was some kind of twitch on the screen. Poof, it was gone!
I mean GONE. No back arrow, no undo, no restore button.
I reached for them. Of course they weren't there. Why?
I wasn't working in 'Word' or some other text processing program.
What was I doing?  I was composing right here on the screen in AR.
How many blogs have I read where we've been advised to write in a text processor and copy it to AR when … (10 comments)

"Faulty Towers".....Funny, Faulty Decks.........Dangerous ! - 05/23/11 11:53 PM
"Faulty Towers".....Funny,       Faulty Decks.........Dangerous !
Faulty Towers was a hilarious British comedy. it was a sit-com staring one of the founding members of 'Monty Pythons Flying Circus'.
Faulty decks though that's a different kind of story, and if you are unlucky it's appearing on a balcony or deck near you.
Take a look at the example below and remember just because it's been there for a while doesn't mean that it always will be (there).

At 'A" you can see the short remnant of the original cantilevered beam built into the original floor framing of this building. … (8 comments)

The Overflow Valve MUST Be Checked! - 05/22/11 04:47 PM
 
Jut because it's new, doesn't mean it's right! Some builders are in a hurry. Some just don't care. Flippers can be among the worst. Check out this article.
 This is a reblog so link through to the original writer's blog and leave your comments there.
 
Via Jay Markanich (Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC):
When I am on new construction inspections I always check the overflow valve on bathtubs.  Especially when I am in a flipper's property I always check the overflow valve, if the tub is new.
You've seen them.  The are found high on the wall under the … (0 comments)

Wenatchee Home Inspection-The Dirty Dozen of Electrical Problems - 05/22/11 04:37 PM
 
This blog has a good comprehensive list of electrical problems that inspectors are on the alert for. The stats at the beginning actually apply to the US but the proportions will be the same here in Canada. Safety conscious home owners will find this informative.
This is a reblog so when you wish to make a comment please link through and do it on the original writer's blog. Thank you.
 
 
Via Donald Hester NCW Home Inspections, LLC (NCW Home Inspections, LLC):
Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspection- The dirty dozen of wiring Problems <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = … (0 comments)

Well Well Well............................... 3 holes in the backyard, #3 - 05/22/11 02:38 PM
Well Well Well............................... 3 holes in the backyard, #3
Well, what else can you do to max your AR experience.   It may seem that some are just 'playin' in the rain' to collect points.   And some may be, but we are all working in this industry.   So we're doing this for SEO reasons, for advertising and to establish that we are capable and competent at what we do.
In learning how to use all the features in AR I've realized that the point system had been structured to 'incentive-ize' what we should be doing any way.   How many have … (11 comments)

Are you a Famous Groupie? (or, "Finding things to blog about") - 05/22/11 01:51 PM
 
This is a further development of one of the features in the blog I posted yesterday. Russel Ray has put this together with good graphics that clearly show how to use the feature and where the links and buttons can be found.   This is a re- blog so when you make comments please link through to his original blog and make them there.
 
Via Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray):

Are you a Famous Groupie?(or, "Finding things to blog about")
I've been reading quite a few blog posts from people participating in the 31 Days … (0 comments)

Well Well Well............................... 3 holes in the backyard, #2 - 05/21/11 01:56 PM
Well Well Well............................... 3 holes in the backyard, #2
Well, some days you can't find any blogs to comment on. No blogs to comment on. That's daunting. 
Sure there are lots of blogs out there but a huge number of them are listings and of course that's to be expected.
But many are writing on subjects you don't know enough about to comment on. It's not your area of expertise or things are different in your area.
And you don't feel like posting "oh wow, what a great post, too bad I've no clue what your talking about, but I have … (25 comments)

Well Well Well...............................3 holes in the backyard #1 - 05/20/11 11:28 PM
Well Well Well...............................3 holes in the backyard #1
Well, some days you may not feel like writing a blog. I don't know . You're tired.  You don't have any ideas. That's the way I am today.
You know?.. Gee ..how could you tell? 
Yeah, OK no photos for one thing. Yup . That's a dead give away.
I've either got your attention or put you to sleep. There is a point to this, I'm not actually rambling though I'm sure I could be convincing to some.
Writing a blog is about writing. Yes it's great if you have something you want … (14 comments)

A Man's Home Is His Castle, Right? - 05/19/11 11:15 PM
A Man's Home Is His Castle, Right? 
Well that's the old school way of saying it. Saying "One's home is ones' castle" may be grammatically and politically correct (gender neutral, for all that.) But it doesn't 'ring' true. Doesn't sound right.
So, I say 'a man's home is his castle'.
While for a few days there have been these runes painted on the street and sidewalk outside my 'castle'.
Yesterday I came home to a 'moat'.
There were barricades and the whole sidewalk was gone, with a six foot wide trench where the sidewalk and curb used to be. That's definitely a … (9 comments)

Just A Handful Of Nails? On A Million Dollar House? Are You Kidding? - 05/18/11 12:14 PM
 
Just A Handful Of Nails?   On A Million Dollar House?
Yup! A handful of nail is the answer to "what's holding the deck on?"
That's pretty shocking on a building valued at a million plus. The nails are Ramset type, a heavy duty concrete nail that is shot into place with a 22 cartridge. They are thick and hardened to do this but they are not for permanent use out doors. The will and are rusting.
They are not made to transfer weight, and certainly not live loads like people walking on decks. They are made to attach wood … (14 comments)

E-plaid? Is It The Trend Leader? Email Has Defined Snail-Mail. Is E-Plaid the Same? - 05/17/11 10:26 AM
E-plaid? Is It The Trend Leader? Email Has Defined Snail-Mail. Is E-Plaid the Same?
You know what plaid is, right? Those patterns championed by the Scotts. Defining clans and families. 
Well that may be so but most of us hear 'you not wearing that today!' when we put on that nice plaid shirt given(birthday, xmas) to us by ___ (older gen family relation) . Unless of course you live in a real life version of the set of "Men in Trees".
Nevertheless I believe I've been inspired by this electrical vision for the latest fashion e-plaid;

So here's my inspiration … (8 comments)

Don't Do As I Do, ...Do As I Say!...............(You Don't Want No Sparks, Baby!) - 05/16/11 06:52 PM
Don't Do As I Do, Do As I Say!............... Don't open the electrical panels. That's my job (or your electricians). We have the training, but there is always a degree of risk. So don't open your panels! Period.
Around here the electrical utilities normally lock-out the larger voltage switching and bus bar panels. They do this for a reason. Higher voltages are dangerous. There is no serge protection and arcing potential is high. (That means sparks baby!, You'se don't want no sparks.!)
The lock-out devises are simple one-use wire and plastic things with the utilities logo in them. If they've been opened … (16 comments)

The Fabled Tankless Water Heater - 05/15/11 02:18 PM
 
Wether it is hot water equipment like this article discusses or mulit-glazed window units or any other 'new/better' system or technology, it is definitely worth the exercise to look at the numbers.
1 - Calculate the savings verses the cost to buy and install and then
2 - compare the time it will take to recover that expense with the warranty that is offered.
Many times your question "Should I buy?" is answered right there, with the math of the facts and figures provided.
You can do the cost math with out knowing anything about the technology.
This article is … (1 comments)

The FLIP side of the RENO is RESTORE. A FLIP is a CON even when it stands on edge. - 05/15/11 01:52 PM
 
 The FLIP side of the RENO is RESTORE.  A FLIP is a CON even when it stands on edge.
As far as I'm concerned flipping is a four letter word. It's a cheat and cover up. Just cleaned and freshened up to show better and sell at an up tick. Buy low, clean up, and sell high.
The real clean up is the 'sell high' bit.
                          -----------
But even renovators (real ones) can miss things. I once inspected a fabulous place. It was a total remodel and rebuild … (11 comments)

You found eves trough guttering inside! Where? An OMG File. - 05/14/11 10:05 PM
You found eves trough guttering inside!  Where?                                                        An OMG File.

Oh yeah. There it is. And where is it?     NO.  Not in the attic.!
Yup. That's where I found it. The grey stuff you see is cellulose insulation.  The insulation you see in the gutter is stained and densely compacted.
And you know what that means, right?  Yup again, it means water!
Oh boy. This is news no one is going … (8 comments)

Daddy, Why does that house have bags under its' eyes? - 05/13/11 09:46 PM
Daddy,  Why does that house have bags under its' eyes?    ........Sill'yness

 
If windows are the eyes of a house then damaged or stained zones under the windows are 'bags' under the eyes.
So the 'bag' that you see here is simply wet masonry. It is wet from melting snow that has been sitting on the window  sill. The water from the snow (or rains at other times of the year) slowly soaks into and seeps through to wet the bricks and mortar joints below. Sometimes it just runs down the surface. But the mortar soaks in the water … (12 comments)

(AP) The apartment was dirty with mold. Insurance wouldn't settle. An OMG File. - 05/12/11 10:36 PM
 The apartment was dirty with mold. Insurance wouldn't settle.    It was A.P.          An OMG File.

I was calling to investigate a 'mold' problem that turned out to be dirt, soot in fact.
I asked my client why she thought there was mold. She brought out the air quality test report.
As I was reading it, her daughter came in from the other room. She was home sick from school and wearing a face mask.
She had respiratory problems. My hair stood on end.
"When is her medical appointment?" I asked. "Tomorrow" was the … (16 comments)

"EXTREME ARCITECTURE" - An "Off The Shelf" Review - 05/11/11 09:50 PM
"EXTREME ARCITECTURE" - An "Off The Shelf"  Review
 
"EXTREME ARCHITECTURE"  Building for Challenging Environments by Ruth Slavid ISBN-13: 978- 1-85669-609-8 Challenging environments: The problems, and the thinking with design and technology applied to solutions, creatively and with imagination. Hot and cold, both arid and humid. High altitude, latitude and attitude, on land, on water, on ice. In the ground, under water, in the clouds, Arctic, antarctic, in space,on the moon and Mars. To many this is a coffee table book and the photography is of that quality. But it is much more. This shows some of the leading edge … (8 comments)

It Was, And There Was, Everywhere But That Was Not The Problem. - 05/08/11 03:41 PM
Tt Was, And There Was, Everywhere But That Was Not The Problem.
 
Yes, It was mid winter, it was a condo, and there was snow and ice everywhere but that was not the problem they’d brought me in for.
No their problem was quite obvious and visible, so they thought, but they didn't understand why.
That's why I was there.
They had water damage on the ceiling and sidewall of an archway, two distinct areas and a significant amount of water.
 The year before they had had water damage on the ceiling of the floor above and had the roof … (9 comments)

"GET YOUR HOUSE RIGHT" An 'Off The Shelf" Review - 05/07/11 12:44 PM
"GET YOUR HOUSE RIGHT" An  'Off The Shelf" Review
 "GET YOUR HOUSE RIGHT"            Architectural Elements to Use and Avoid
By MARIANNE CUSATO & BEN PENTREATH with Richard Sammons & Leon Krier Forword by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales ISBN 978-1-4027-3628-5 This is a clear "do" & "avoid" (don't do) discourse with sets of illustrative sketches  that show the pitfalls and errors in the selection, use and placement of architectural elements. This is an excellent discussion and usefull reference for homeowners, real estate and building professionals alike. The "orders" of architectural design are introduced and discussed … (8 comments)

IF You ARE Serious About GREEN (Building), This Blogs For You. - 05/06/11 03:28 PM
If you're serious about GREEN, this blogs for you.
 
Catherine Mohr builds green / Video on TED.com                   Green thinking   You've seen or you will see many articles on 'building green' and good environmental practices. Some of the discussions are practical and to the point.  However many are just advertising with 'green' inserted where ever possible. The key to being green, being environmentally responsible, is thinking green. This video article is a perfect example of  that kind of thinking. N.B.             TED.com is a forum for leading edge ideas, concepts and … (3 comments)

Your real estate agent can only do so much. Turn that so much into so much more! - 05/05/11 01:58 PM
 
I couldn't have said it better. If you follow this advise, points 1 and 2 you'll be ahead of the game and not have last inning up sets.
This is a reblog, and I usually disable comments on reblogs. If you would like to leave a comment, click on the link below and leave your comment with the original author who did all the work on this post and deserves your support with your comments.
 
 
Via Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray):


Your real estate agent can only do so much.Turn that so much … (0 comments)

One, Two, Three, You Can't Hide From Me! - 05/05/11 11:08 AM
One, Two, Three, You Can't Hide From Me!
   The First Clue
  Here the street face of the painted basement concrete wall is blistered.
 The other adjacent units are not. They have smooth solid paint surfaces.
Blistering paint is caused by water escaping from underneath.
This means the walls are wet or are getting water from some where.
The most common sources are conditions found higher up the walls or from the roof.
 
 

   The Second Clue
  This is over head on the same front wall. This is the roof soffit.
Now the dirt on the top of … (6 comments)

"When Duct Tape Just Isn't Enough" An 'Off The Shelf' review. - 05/03/11 10:57 AM
 
"When Duct Tape Just Isn't Enough"                                                               An  'Off The Shelf'   review.
 
The TAPE - Did you know that it was made for the US Army in the Second World War to keep ammo boxes dry. It was used to patch anything from jeeps to boots.
It stayed on in wet conditions, hence the nickname "duck tape".
After the war it became known as "duct tape" as heating contractors … (8 comments)

Viewing Under Duress?.......Not Always A Bad Thing! - 05/02/11 11:45 AM
Viewing Under Duress?.......Not Always A Bad Thing!
We all appreciate good weather. It's nice , its comfortable and we are less stressed and more relaxed.
For a home viewing , as well as property inspection it makes things easy too. You usually have access to every thing, lightings good, landscaping and other exterior details are all visible.
But sometimes it's instructive to see properties under stress. A good example is rain guttering systems. Nothing will tell your the strengths and weaknesses of your system like putting on the rain gear and standing out there in it when it's really pouring and … (9 comments)

This wall looks pretty good, no problems here, right? - 05/01/11 11:10 PM

This wall looks pretty good, no problems here, right?
Well maybe.
But look up at the second story level.
Look where the decorative front type brick meets the planer single colour side brick.
You can see the joint between the two, right?
The light whitish colour of the mortar, yes.
Why is it like that, we don't see any others like it do we.
So lets go over and take a closer look at it.
Now you can see it ; 

  Now you CAN see it!
  There's a bulge! 
  What does that mean?
  That means that the ties that … (8 comments)

 
_b6d0056butler-1 Rainmaker_large

Robert Butler, Montreal, Canada Home Inspector

Montreal West Island, QC

More about me…

Aspect Inspection

Address: Montreal - West Island, Serving the greater Montreal region, Pointe-Claire, QC, H9S 4l7

Cell Phone: (514) 914-1249

Email Me

Usually I'm presenting an aspect of home maintenance, value improvement or 'how too' instructions to feature best practice ways to do things around building and property issues. Some times it's building tech history or how thing came to be as they are, the back story on terms, expressions and phrases. I keep track of the strange, the unique, the special and interesting things I get to see, including the dangers. These are filed as OMGs. OMGs always have photos, so I share the file with you from time to time. The rest come out of thin air. More than once I start writing a comment on someone else's blog and end up inking a whole new blog. Am I inspired or am I ranting? You can decide.


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