Hi, I'm Harry nice 2 meet all you HI's
posted on September 06, 2008 12:23:04 pm
Hey there. It's too bad that I found such an amazing webpage like this, so late! I've been browsing through it day in day out, only for a week now, and have learned so many new theories, systems, methods of inspections, etc. I have just obtained my license and now is the time where I reach out to look for employment. I need some ideas and tips though as to the how/what's/ and where's to initiate this process.:confused: My question is, how did you guys all start? Harry;)

Crawl space furnace
posted on September 06, 2008 10:03:28 am
I checked previous threads and nothing came up about requirements for furnaces when installed in crawl spaces. Is the unit required to be six inches above grade. Thanks Mat

Pull up a chair-Here's the bathroom horror story
posted on September 06, 2008 02:13:56 am
:o First, I thank all of you very nice people for responding to my first post. This is the first chance I've had to respond as I'm preparing paperwork to take Mr. Meadows to small claims court. :eek: Jason Meadows started this job on Aug. 4. He has 15 yrs. experience and was recommended by a friend that had seen his work. His previous employer said he trusted him to do his work. And No, he wasn't the lowest bidder. The lowest bidder might have been better. I questioned this guy's methods from the beginning but he always convinced my husband to the contrary. Well, the shower was almost finished. Then he finished the bathroom floor and it was worse than horrible. So I started demolition duty. I have everything documented with pictures. Sorry, not digital. You guys would have a field day with these. So here's the lowdown: Bathroom floor - Backerboard doesn't cover entire floor. A 4" wide strip of particle board (original floor) that should have been cut out was left along one wall. The backerboard was lower causing some tiles to be slanted into an adjoining flat tile. This made reinstallation of our vanity impossible. Floor tiles weren't level,edges sat higher than others. Grout lines were different widths. Some too large for grout to stay in properly. The floor pattern required the tile corners to be cut on 45 degree angle, forming a square when laid. Then a decorative piece put in the center of each square. All cuts were of different angles and lengths. He blamed it on his wet saw vibrating too much. But a couple of days earlier was bragging on his expensive equipment. Then he blamed his helper for the bad cuts. But he was laying the tile and should have stopped after the first cut. My expressed concerns about the cuts were ignored. He said I would love it after grouting. Tiles weren't laid close enough to walls leaving large spaces that the baseboard couldn't cover.Thin set was piled on each tile instead of evenly on the floor. All the tiles had areas with no thin set which made them vulnerable to cracking. Mastic, that's not for floors was under several tiles. The grout was already cracking and turning loose from the tiles within a week. Now this is the kicker. He wouldn't redo the floor(not that I wanted him to) because he didn't think he could please me! Now the Shower - He only uses the poured marble/resin slabs for the shower floor. I wasn't home the day it was installed. So I asked if a liner was used. He said no, we didn't need one. Da! My husband did all the plumbing under the floor and had to correct the tiler's wall plumbing. The shower handle pipe stuck out too far so the disc that goes behind the handle wouldn't have set on the tiles. This guy had put up the backerboard and still hadn't noticed the error until it was pointed out. Mastic instead of thin set was used for the shower tiles. I know this is a personal preference. But I would like to know the pros and cons of both. I experimented with the mastic and found that when dry it's very brittle and if wet becomes soft. And the mastic directions say use in limited wet areas. All horizontal backerboard seams weren't caulked. A portion of one seam was 1/2" wide and the caulking had a large hole.The backerboard didn't cover all the wood surface to be tiled. A corner seat was built on the slab with wood. There was no backerboard on the walls behind the seat. The space was totally open to the adjoining bathroom. One side of the seat top where it joins the backerboard wasn't caulked. If I understand right, when wood is used it should be pressure treated, covered with backerboard and a liner. None of the above was done. He said p.t.wood was used but that wasn't true. I'm told that brick or blocks are better and more stable. Packing tape was used to hold the tiles in place on the seat's front lip and extended on to the seat top. The tiles were laid right on top of the tape. The soap dish was glued to the tile surface. I knew that was wrong but he said there was a tab that goes between the tiles for stability. All grout lines were different widths. Many too wide to hold the grout for very long. I know rooms aren't plum so you fudge a little with grout lines if it isn't noticeable. But this guy compensated in the wrong direction! So the space between ceiling and tile got larger and the horizontal grout seam's width difference is very noticable. The spaces at ceiling are 0 to 1/2" wide. Tiles on top row aren't flush. One side edge sticks out farther that the other side. Any kind of moulding will make the tiles look slanted and won't fit flush. This guy wanted to put up wood moulding and fill the 1/2" crack with grout. Go figure! The front tile edges on side walls weren't finished out straight. Some tiles are more forward, etc. than others. So the front edges can't be finished out. The threshold was not properly built and sealed. He said he used p.t. wood surrounded by backerboard. That wasn't true. Three regular 2X4s were nailed together surrounded by two sides and topper made of the poured marble/resin. They were glued on to the boards with mastic. No caulking was on the side pieces edges. An attempt was made at caulking the top and sides on the outside. I found a big chip in the topper that would have eventually absorbed water and cracked and I had to show him the front side piece was bowed. We still don't have the new pieces. The topper that he said was level, should have been slanted 1/8" to the inside, but was actually slanted toward the bathroom floor. The inside threshold piece where it joins the basin was not caulked at all. It was grouted. The tiler's excuse was that he was going to put in grout caulk. Grout caulk doesn't go over grout! I've heard that bricks, p.t. lumber covered with wire mesh and concrete are very stable. And run the liner to the top of the threshold. I just don't think this threshold would have held heavy glass doors. The tiler said he ran several lines of caulk on the base as a water barrier. This wasn't true either. The backerboard at the base was caulked. But the backerboard didn't sit on the base. There was approx. 1/4" space between the two. There was no caulking under the tiles where they met the base. They were grouted. Only 1/8" of the 1/2" wide backerboard adjoined the basin. The basin was made too small.The tiles weren't properly cleaned and nothing was sealed. We were set up for a very costly home disaster. Water would have ruined floors in two bedrooms, two baths, and the hall. It could have created termite and mold problems. I'm really allergic to mold. This man's work ethics and billing charges are questionable. He doesn't disclose all charges in his bid. He ads $10.00 per hour for the helper over his hourly and sq. ft. price. We kept his hours yet he had 8 more hours than we did. In checking receipts he had charged us double for some things and other items we didn't even have. And a $100.00 dump fee which amounted to $30.00 tops. We didn't want to get into trouble for non payment, so he was paid. But we are going to small claims court. I have pictures, family and friends have seen the mess, and a very good tile man (yes I checked) has witnessed all the problems. I've called several home inspectors, but no response. I would really like to know if there are specific codes that he has violated and if these codes vary state to state. I'm aware of a code book that is too expensive for me to buy. Any information offered is much appreciated. A question was asked as to his license. I don't know anything about a tiling license, but I can't find a business license for him. I feel he is working under his father-in-law's license.

New to the world of inspection
posted on September 06, 2008 01:52:11 am
Hello all. I have recently joined the Inspection News board, and am enjoying reading along. I have a desire to get into the HI profession. This board looks like a great place to get some information and informed opinions from all areas of the country to help me in making the decision on my area, Folsom, CA and surrounding area. Anyway, I look forward to talking with many of you and hope that you aren't too bothered by some of my new guy questions. Cheers, -kc

deck posts
posted on September 05, 2008 09:22:45 pm
These deck posts are bowing so bad the metel feet are not flush on their pad. There were no markings on the posts indicating their structural rating. Shouldn't there be such markings? Can someone post a picture of what such marking might look like? Should the metal feet be fastened to the footing with a bolt or something? They are not in this case. You can kick them out. The posts were notched at the top as well.

Feel the love....
posted on September 05, 2008 09:03:21 pm
What's that they say about catching more flies with honey than vinegar?

Where to put the ladder?
posted on September 05, 2008 07:07:54 pm
My 15 year old son is just a few months away from being legally old enough to be granted his drivers license. He is always talking about which car I should buy him when he turns 16. :rolleyes: The shopping plaza down the street held an Italian car cruise-in a couple of weekends ago so the family went by for a look see. In the parking lot were a couple dozen Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, Fiats, Acura NSX, and Porches. Not all of them were Italian but no one was complaining. Really it was just a bunch of middle aged men drinking coffee and grinning from ear to ear while talking about their toys. We went because my son is always getting whiplash trying to watch cars as they zoom by. Thought it would be fun to see some up close. Guess which one he liked the most of all the cars in the parking lot that day?

Fire caulk needed?
posted on September 05, 2008 06:58:17 pm
I inspected a pre-fab Desa fireplace today on a new home and have a quick question. This was set up for wood burning with the fake brick interior. The back fake brick panel was loose and there were gaps between the side panels and the back panel. I looked at the instruction manual and saw no reference to sealing that joint. I know there is supposed to be metal around the firebox but it seems these joints should be sealed. Thoughts?

Hello all, just joined.
posted on September 05, 2008 03:48:36 pm
I stumbled across this site in my search for some inspection clarifications. Looks like an interesting site. :)

Down South for FEMA
posted on September 05, 2008 03:17:47 pm
Hi fellow inspectors, I'm usually monitoring and responding from my home base in SoCal but for the last 5 days, I've been in Texas and Louisiana waiting to get dispatched by PaRR & FEMA. Currently in Bossier City, spinning in circles. Any of you all live in this area? Would love to hook up and have a beer or whatever. Got lots of free time on my hands right now. Could get the call to move south at any time though. Dana

Pool Drain Suction: Meant to clean, not kill - Justice News Flash
posted on September 05, 2008 12:50:12 pm
InspectionNews has found this information related to pools and spas that might be of interest to you. Pool Drain Suction: Meant to clean, not kill (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2008/09/05/pool-drain-legal-news/&cid=0&ei=53DBSKmnNaGuyQS03J3ODQ&usg=AFQjCNHSU9-NRpaGY-ov4EdWPuKTvVithg) Justice News Flash, FL - 1 hour ago *Drowning*, diving into shallow water, slipping and falling worry parents as their kids enjoy the pool, but one such incident is not so common. *...* More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2008/09/05/pool-drain-legal-news/&cid=0&ei=53DBSKmnNaGuyQS03J3ODQ&usg=AFQjCNHSU9-NRpaGY-ov4EdWPuKTvVithg)

Wanted to say Hi
posted on September 05, 2008 09:35:17 am
I'm new to the forum, but not to Home Inspections. But wanted to say hello. I am looking forward to viewing and posting to the forum .. and especially learning.

creative use of lint catcher
posted on September 05, 2008 07:52:09 am
Looks like someone came up with a new use for one of those useless dryer lint catchers. Nice flashing, too.

What is this called?
posted on September 05, 2008 07:46:16 am
Any help appreciated... What is this called and how can it generally be repaired? I had this pop off the chain when pulling it out and would like to have it repaired for the homeowner. Who would handle the repair, a fireplace contractor or chimney sweep? Thanks, Sean

Hub n PVC in crawlspace
posted on September 05, 2008 12:01:09 am
Just wondering if there is any issue of galvanized to PVC with coupling in unfinished crawl?