michaels view: MIA...
- 07/16/12 07:49 PM
MIA...
Good morning, all. Over the past few weeks, I have been getting emails about being MIA. There is no real excuse other than a serious case of burn-out. 5+ years of blogging here on AR left me with a mix of bewilderment and brain strain.
Last month was not the best for me health wise. A few short visits to the hospital for non-life threatening surgery, a self imposed physical injury and purging my body and mind of the after effects of the anesthesia and drugs left me with a serious dose of the blah's - … (41 comments)
|
michaels view: My Fitness Pal...
- 03/07/12 05:45 PM
My Fitness Pal... There are many of us here in the 'Rain that are becoming more aware of our health and are doing something about it. While Rodger Mucci's group "Take it off in the Rain" is a step in the right direction, I was turned on to an App that adds accountability and more. It is called MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal gives you the online convenience to access your daily fitness goals from your MAC, PC, Droid, iPhone or iPad. You can track everything from your daily food intake, wight loss/gain, exercise routines and there is even an online … (25 comments)
|
michaels view: Weight Loss Is Not Always Measured in Pounds...
- 02/20/12 06:16 PM
Weight Loss Is Not Always Measured in Pounds... Last month I started several journeys. They were all intertwined to make the person I want to become. One of these journeys was health, strength and weight loss. For the last 3 weeks, the scale has bounced from 195 to 198 which is somewhat perplexing as I am doing all the same things that initiated the initial 30+ loss. I step on the scale every day and see the same old numbers <sigh>. Last Sunday I cleaned out my closet and got rid of all the 38 pants and baggy … (25 comments)
|
michaels view: Plastic Dryer Vents - A Fire Waiting for a Place to Happen...
- 01/31/12 09:05 PM
Plastic Dryer Vents - A Fire Waiting for a Place to Happen... Plastic dryer venting has been banned from residential usage for several years now. However; I still run into this material from time-to-time in newer and older properties. This product is considered a fire safety hazard and should be replaced if you have this present in your home. Most households use flexible foil as the connector between the dryer and the exterior discharge. Although not much better than it's plastic counterpart, it has been approved for residential use by Fire Marshal's in many municipalities. Optimally, the better … (56 comments)
|
michaels view: Size Does Matter...
- 01/21/12 09:37 PM
Size Does Matter... I have been running into many 40 gallon electric water heaters in my inspections, especially in rehabs. While I understand that it is all about turning a profit; 9 times out of ten, I write these up as being improperly sized. Here’s why: The selection of a particular type hot water supply system for a house is determined by several factors including the utility connections available, utility rates, hot water demand, and owner preference. There are several methods which can be used to calculate hot water demand. Each possibly will give different results. While no one … (41 comments)
|
michaels view: More Time On Their Hands...
- 10/13/11 10:14 PM
More Time On Their Hands... I often encounter things during my inspections that really make me wonder. I reckon there are some folks that have more time on their hands than they know what to do with. Being the inquisitive type, I pondered, how long did it take some schlep to chisel the hole in the foundation pier vs how long would it have taken them to route the pipes around it? But then, maybe that is why plumbers make so much money...
… (29 comments)
|
michaels view: Just When I Think I've Seen it All...
- 10/04/11 09:48 PM
Just When I Think I've Seen it All,someone sets the limbo bar on creative and innovative ways of doing things to an alltime low. Need extra outlets in your room addition? Why bother with the hassle of having meddlesome codes inspectors or the expense of an electrician to do things right when you can do things the half-fast way and save a bundle with the handy-dandy "Jumper MY Circuit" expander. Run as many extra outlets as you feel you need and plug one end of the "Jumper MY Circuit" expander in one outlet or is that inlet and the … (74 comments)
|
michaels view: Take the Money and Run...
- 09/30/11 10:54 PM
Take the Money and Run... It is not uncommon to have large, hail producing thunderstorms roll through the Middle Tennessee area. On occasions, some of these storms produce hail stones large enough to damage roof shingles and siding. While we have not had any real bad storms this year, we have had several of them the past few years. While inspecting a property in an area of known hail damaged roofs, I was taken by surprise to still see a hail damaged roof in this particular subdivision. Usually when a disaster like this hits an area, the insurance companies … (55 comments)
|
michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder....
- 09/26/11 12:24 AM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder... What better way to kick-start and get your week off on the right foot than with, a good cup of coffee, Active Rain, and a good motivational quote... "Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self esteem, and personal satisfaction." ~ Brian Tracy ~ I can only speak for myself, but there are days when I lack self discipline. Those days when IF I had my 'druthers', I'd 'druther' goof off and do what what is fun … (23 comments)
|
michaels view: WDO's...
- 09/20/11 10:40 PM
WDO's...
Unlike as in some states, home inspectors in the State of Tennessee do not have to be licensed for pest control and are not required to put the presence of WDO's (Wood Destroying Organisms) in their report unless physical damage has occurred. However; when inspecting a property, I do keep an eye out for these little critters that can literally eat you out of house and home and report accordingly. While inspecting the crawl space in a property in the Spring Hill area of southern Williamson County, TN, I came across several shelter tubes indicating active WDO's. Why?There … (35 comments)
|
michaels view: What Would YOU Do?
- 09/19/11 10:31 PM
What Would YOU Do? The most critical characteristic of stairs is that every step be the same. Building codes officials should enforce this rule - some do; some don't. On average, falls on stairs kill 4,000 people a year and another 2 million are seriously injured in the United States. Many different terms have been used in describing stairs and in this post, I will not get into detail about rise/run/spindle spacing etc. In the home inspection world, if something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Walking up this staircase, that little voice went off in my head raising a … (61 comments)
|
michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 09/18/11 11:24 PM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder... "Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. " ~ Douglas Pagels There is something about this quote I really like as I continually come back to it when I seem to push too hard. It is far too easy for me to get "hung up" in tasks and chores and let the simple things in … (22 comments)
|
michaels view: (not so) ~ Speachless Sundae...
- 09/17/11 10:00 PM
(not so) ~ Speachless Sundae... Let's face it, most of us have some way to remind us or jog our memory to do something. For some, it might be a string around the finger, a sticky note or an alarm set in the mobile phone. For some though, it takes something a little more concrete, or in this case an attention getter to let this property owner know that they cannot pull the car in any further. Sadly, the pollard was not only bent, but the some of the bolts were broken. One would think that there would be an … (22 comments)
|
michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 09/11/11 10:13 PM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder... "People who say that life is not worthwhile are really saying that they themselves have no personal goals which are worthwhile. Get yourself a goal worth working for. Better still, get yourself a project. Always have something ahead of you to "look forward to" ~~ to work for and to hope for. " ~~ Maxwell Maltz In my life, I have gone through several peaks and valleys. The peaks have been associated with a goal and having achieved it. Once achieved, I sometimes failed to replace that goal with another; hence … (31 comments)
|
michaels view: Out of Sight ~ Out of Mind...
- 09/07/11 04:10 AM
Out of Sight ~ Out of Mind... Over the years, I find it very interesting how negligent home owners can be. "Outta sight, outta mind" seems to be the norm. But, just because something is out of sight, doesn't mean that potential dangers are not lurking just around the corner, or behind your dryer. More often than not, many of the fire hazards that I see in homes are directly related to improper dryer venting practices or materials. The plastic accordion dryer vent material has been banned for use by most all municipalities for use with clothes dryers for years. However, … (48 comments)
|
michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 09/06/11 11:08 AM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder (Tuesday Edition)... "Life is about living your Dreams... Not living in them." ~~ Unknown. Knowing your dream and living it should be the goal of your life. Far too many people are going through the motions day after day. By knowing your dream and starting to live it, you have a powerful motivator to make positive changes in your life. When pieces of your dream start to become a reality, your life begins to take on a whole new meaning...
… (18 comments)
|
michaels view: Spam, Spam, and More Spam...
- 08/30/11 11:41 PM
Spam, Spam, and More Spam... I've never been a fan of SPAM. You know what I mean - the crap that comes in a can. I am even less of a fan of "the other SPAM" - the garbage that comes in your inbox or better yet; the rubbish left on the bottom of your posts. It seems as if here lately, the spammers are out in full force leaving their drivel strewn about, hither and thither in order to promote their self serving agendas or promote some idiotic tomfoolery. Many of us are busy and don't have time … (41 comments)
|
michaels view: Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder...
- 08/28/11 11:17 PM
Monday Morning Motivator & Some Points to Ponder... "Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? " ~~ Unknown Some time ago, there was a commercial running on the boob tube with the trailer, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Yet many of us are guilty of wasting the most precious asset we have been given - … (31 comments)
|
michaels view: What's Yer Gripe? It Works...
- 08/26/11 10:47 PM
What's Yer Gripe? It Works...Home inspectors can be picky so and so's. Like certain parts of the anatomy, sometimes we raise a stink, but we do serve a purpose. Having been in the home inspection industry as long as I have, I think I have seen just about everything - or at least new adaptations of the same 'ol same 'ol. That is, until I came across this ingenious plumbing issue in a flipper. What makes this plumbing issue not so common are the following: 1. The nipple just below and above the plumbing stop under the sink is black … (66 comments)
|
michaels view: Looking for the not so Obvious...
- 08/25/11 12:04 AM
Looking for the not so Obvious... Like everything else on this planet, there is an expected service life for products. Older cast iron waste systems prevalent before the early 70's certainly fall in this category. Typically, this material rusts from the inside out, gets sclerosis (much like your arteries), and is prone to clogging as the system ages. However, rehabbers often overlook these aging systems as they are often expensive to replace - especially between the house and the main. Service caps in the yard should be securely threaded into the pipe to prevent raw sewage from exiting the pipes … (19 comments)
|
MIA...
;)
;)
;)
