home inspector: This guy is not having a good day.
- 02/19/08 09:09 AM
I see a lot of strange things driving through the streets of New York. I came across this today on my way home from work. I couldn't help but to stop and take a few pictures to share. I feel very bad for the man that was driving the truck. He will probably loose his job over this. They spray paint on the clearence sign coming in does make it difficult to read. I used to have a tractor, many years ago. Anytime it looked close, I used to inch my way under, hanging out, or getting out and checking. It was scary. One time, … (17 comments)
This photo was taken in a multiple dwelling. A 21 story, 200+ apartment type building. I don't know how many of the units are wired this way, but, the impression got was that it was "more than a few." Another problem I find in this type of building is fire wall/penetration faults. In the picture above, you can see that during the conversion of a commercial to residential 16 story building, holes that were never repaired, were chopped to … (19 comments)
home inspector: Applying Silicone Like a Pro.
- 02/06/08 12:35 PM
Well the shower stall is done, and I thought I'd share some more pictures. As most of us know, tiled joints always crack where there is a change of direction, so I specify applying silicone in the corners. Having spent years as a glazier, I was "schooled" in the way of "tooling" silicone. I'm pretty good at "free handing", but hate the lump when reapplying pressure on the gun. This technique give me the ability of smoothing out the lumps and not making a mess.
… (16 comments)
home inspector: Blogjacking
- 02/03/08 05:49 AM
I don't know if this is a "usual" and accepted practice, but here goes. I find that contributing in different forums has increased my search ratings when someone enters certain keywords into a search. Of course, we all know this. I try not to "blog" simply for the purpose of "blogging" and I certainly put plenty of effort to keep my contributions original and worthy. During a recent search, I found that someone has attached their website to a blog that I posted. When you look at search results, you see my name and a partial of the blog. When you click on it, it brings … (11 comments)
home inspector: Leaking shower pan
- 02/01/08 12:04 PM
Well, the shower pan is coming along. It has been replumbed and releaded. The plumber did a beatiful job, but I was disappointed that he didn't preslope the base. I now has the correct drain and it is about 5" lower.
Now here it is getting mudded. Since we are installing white marble, white sand and white portland was used to make the mix.
Here is Chris, Adjusting the height of the drain.
And here is some tile going down. With white thinset, of course. … (13 comments)
home inspector: Leaking shower stall... or shall I say shower sink?
- 01/29/08 11:15 AM
In addition to doing full Home Inspections and Certified EIFS inspections, I also find myself doing quite a bit of trouble shooting for folks that are having problems in their homes and can't seem to pinpoint the cause. Today's mission was an intrusive inspection of a leaking shower base. The unit is located on the 16th floor of a high rise building on the upper Eastside of Manhattan. Image Insert:43.85 KBAs you can see, there are no curb walls and there is minimal pitch.Let's look a bit deeper.Image Insert:64.4 KBSo here we have the heart of the problem.Image Insert:67.64 KBImage Insert:83.58 KBImage Insert:40.96 KBIt's hard to tell from … (10 comments)
home inspector: Condensation on Windows
- 01/19/08 11:51 AM
I got a call from a landlord that is having a mold problem in one of her rentals. The problem has her in L&T court. After cleaning the mold, it reoccurs. She has informed me that the windows are sweating quite a bit, which by the way, are the problem areas. I asked her if she home had single pane or insulated glass windows, she was unable to answer the question. At this point, I have no clue about the construction of the building or what I will be facing until I look at it tomorrow. I have been considering different possibilities, they include: … (12 comments)
home inspector: How much time does it take for you to write a report?
- 10/06/07 02:04 AM
I find I spend more time writing a report than it takes for me to do the inspection itself. By the way, an "average inspection takes me about 3 - 4 hours. When I hear of guys doing 2 inspections a day, 5 days a week, I just can't imagine myself doing that. I am using a new program and I'm just beginning to get used to it. The first time I fired it up, I think I spent about 17 hours to get the report done. Now, about 5 reports down the road, I'm probably down to 8 hours. OK, I … (34 comments)
home inspector: THANK YOU NIMA!
- 08/01/07 10:44 AM
A really nice thing happened this past week. The other evening I received a phone call from a gentleman that introduced himself as Nima Rezvan of Countrywide Loans in Norwalk, Connecticut. He sounded too nice on the phone, so, being a New Yorker I was sure he was trying to sell me something. Perhaps he sensed what I was feeling, so he immediately assured me that he wasn't a telemarketer and had nothing to sell. He told me he was a fellow Active Rainer and that one of his clients was purchasing a home in New York and needed a Home Inspector. The … (10 comments)
home inspector: RE Agents/Conflict of interest
- 07/20/07 02:04 PM
This is actually a copy of a recent response I made on a different thread. The original is a bit old and has gone through a bit of drift, so I am reposting it as it's own blog in order to give others an opportunity to read it. It has to do with the discussion resulting fro me stating that I felt it should be illegal for an RE Agent to refer a Home Inspector.
"I believe that no one should prohibit me from making a recommendation of anyone."
I have mixed emotions regarding this issue. I don't like anybody telling me who I can work … (16 comments)
home inspector: Challanged Home Inspection
- 07/13/07 12:20 PM
Last week I inspected a home in my area. I drove past it the night before just to get an idea of what I may need (ladder wise). I was horrified! The house... a very nice house, was built in a "soup bowl". Every side of the building was pitched wrong! The house was built in an area that is historically a flood area. I knew that I was facing a "Bad" inspection. Besides seriously improper slopes @ all elevations, there were also a number of water diversion systems and signs of repair, that made it clear to me that water … (18 comments)
I see a lot of strange things driving through the streets of New York. I came across this today on my way home from work. I couldn't help but to stop and take a few pictures to share.
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