ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2012
6
Comments
We went on our annual Festival of the Lights trip to the Washington DC Temple grounds. Considering that there are over 500,000 lights no photo can do justice. The scene is beautiful. Every year the temple grounds and Visitor's Center are so decorated during the entire month of December. In this...
12/20/2012
25
Comments
It is that time of year, decorations, ornamentation, tinsel and such. Do people usually put Christmas tree tinsel in the attic? Certainly festive, tinsel is great, but not perhaps at the dryer vent in an attic. Ornamentation is always popular at holiday time, no matter the holiday, so the argume...
12/19/2012
36
Comments
I suppose even builders could advertise that some of their homes are professionally hand made, but in this case it is obvious at least these guardrail balusters are not hand made. They were installed well. None was loose. They were glued at the bottom and nailed with brads at the top. And obviou...
12/18/2012
"Statism is the disease that prescribes itself as the cure." Barry Loberfeld Pretty simply put! What other thing is arrogant enough to wreck something and then claim to be the only entity that can fix it! Our gubment does that all the time! But, to understand the comment, STATISM must be defined...
12/17/2012
I have to admit, this one is a first for me. The phone call started like this, "I want your thermal camera to see if there are rats in my walls." If there are rats there, I supposed they would demonstrate a heat signature! But only if they are right there when I am looking. I confessed to him ...
12/16/2012
25
Comments
The first thing I noticed on the builder grade deck was the Trex decking, seen when I went into the kitchen. I thought that was great as Trex is a more expensive product. It is a composite material, mostly plastic, and lasts a long time without the same problems or care that come with wood. But...
12/15/2012
23
Comments
Things change, codes change and appliances and fixtures change as a result. Why would a dangerous light fixture be installed in a new home? What can be dangerous about a light fixture? In the olden days of yore, okay not that really long ago, basement stairs were famous for not having enough he...
12/14/2012
30
Comments
So, really, do home inspectors discriminate? I would say YES! We are big discriminators. We are equal opportunity discriminators. Four years ago this month I actually wrote a blog about it. As a home inspector I discriminate ... every day. I really do. If an inspector isn't accused of discr...
12/13/2012
45
Comments
Outside of a new home I was inspecting, the supervisor was carrying a portable fire extinguisher, looked at me, held it up, and said, "The County said they are looking for this now." Until that inspection I had not seen one in a new home. The National Fire Prevention Association says: ___________...
12/12/2012
When you look at a house and see moisture discharge - where you don't want to see moisture discharge - it requires investigation. This is a new house. On brick facades of new houses they are putting a lot of masonry weep holes these days. It used to be they would leave out the mortar between a f...
12/11/2012
Rainmaker
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Jay Markanich
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.