ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2012
64
Comments
Sometimes the obvious is so obvious it is overlooked. When people call for inspections, in this case a one-year warranty inspection, they know there are problems with the house. Often I write down a list of things they see as problems, and listen to their descriptions of problems. One problem i...
11/29/2012
This is a simple post about common sense. How to knock 10 years off your shingled roof's lifespan in 90 minutes. And how? By knocking off the shingle granules! Getting home I heard it. A pressure washer was nearby. I have written posts before about pressure washers. They damage houses. Esp...
11/28/2012
13
Comments
Whenever possible, and especially on a new construction inspection, home inspectors have to check behind things. Sometimes it isn't possible, because of difficulty or damage that might result. But when it is possible, it is important! Such was the case on this new home. It's a little hard to se...
11/27/2012
"The way to maximize production is to maximize the incentives to production.* And the way to do that, as the modern world has discovered, is through the system known as capitalism - the system of private property, free markets, and free enterprise." Henry Hazlitt (1894 - 1993) Why is this so har...
11/26/2012
When I do new home inspections I like to look at the insulation installation with my thermal camera. Often I find that the builder simply says, "Let's skip this part." Thermal imaging and another insulation fiasco. This is a master bedroom, quite large, with a 24' long tall wall under the high ...
11/25/2012
In A Contest Of The Most Inefficient HVAC Installation, This One Wins! This new house has a fourth level. I love fourth levels! They make excellent use of otherwise unused attic space. However, a fourth level is hard to air condition and heat. It is by itself, usually surrounded by insulated w...
11/24/2012
A dryer vent through the roof is a very dangerous thing. I have written about dryer vents before, in many contexts. Including through a roof! But this one is so dangerous I have to reiterate my points. I always prefer to see a dryer vent on the side of a house. Even if it's high. Why? How do yo...
11/23/2012
22
Comments
When gutters and downspouts are poorly arranged gutters can be overworked. When gutters are overworked, what can you do? Well, gumming up the works does not help. Not with real gum or sticky stuff. That takes a real professional. This is a slanted metal roof surrounded by two small gutters tha...
11/22/2012
16
Comments
All of us here at Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! Looking from top to bottom and from left to right - Jay at a Redskins game in August 2012, the Intrepid Reporter at Atlantic Cit...
11/21/2012
A client contacted me for a home inspection, asking me also about an obvious problem out front. Yep, that was a problem, but there was a roof problem as well. So, in this case, it wasn't only the obvious - roof questions are always difficult. The first stair on both sides of the front sidewalk,...
11/21/2012
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Jay Markanich
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.