Everyone should feel quite-right at home

     Everybody must get stoned  

     Sometimes, the only thing that makes any sense, in terms of what I find on inspections, is that homeowners are deliberately trying to "entertain" this Seattle Home Inspector----and it really is not that hard----and they really don’t need to work at it as hard as they do----I entertain easily.

    They’ll stone you went you’re walking on the roof

     They’ll stone you when the fire place goes poof

     They’ll stone you when you pause to have a meal

     They’ll stone you when you crucify the deal

     But everyone should feel quite-right at home

     Everybody must get stoned

     Now while the following picture shows a curious use of a stone as a shim, the stone is a bit of a distraction that almost made me miss that this drain pipe goes up on both ends.

    They’ll stone you if you miss a G  F  I

     They’ll stone you and you’re sit’n wond’rn why

     They’ll stone you when you gotta-call a plumber

     They’ll stone you and you’ll feel a little dumber

     But everyone should feel quite-right at home

     Everybody must get stoned

     I can’t figure out how the drain is supposed to work.  If it is a vent it will sooner or later fill up with water.  If it is a drain----it creates one mighty strange trap.

     Perhaps I am just too stoned to figure it out, and I must rely on the good will of others to enlighten me----so much for smoky paths to enlightenment----perhaps a plumber will know what is going on.

     I am open to suggestions.

    Everyone should feel quite-right at home

     Everybody must get stoned

 Charles Buell

     As a Seattle Home Inspector, a very common issue I report on has to do with exhaust fan vent caps.  For such a simple thing, there can be lots of things wrong with them.  Fortunately, no matter what the problem is, the repair is not likely to be a deal breaker.

     They can be missing, wrong size, wrong type, damaged, screens clogged, screens present, screens missing (although I would argue this is rarely a “defect”), missing back draft dampers, dampers damaged, dampers stuck open, dampers stuck closed, louvers missing, louvers damaged, louvers warped, too close to the ground, not accessible----I think you get the idea.

     Today I am going to discuss metal, round, louver type vent caps that have absolutely no business being used on mechanical exhaust fans.  The following picture is an excellent example of what happens when one of these caps is used on an exhaust fan.  In a relatively short period of time the louvers (and sometimes they have screens behind the louvers too) become clogged with lint or they get painted over on the outside.

     How is this cap going to get cleaned?  Well it is not, and thus the exhaust fan is not going to do its job----and thus we have another possible “conducive condition.”  A conducive condition is defined as just about anything that when not functioning properly can contribute to moisture issues in the home.

Charles Buell

     I am old enough to remember boiling water on the stove to make hot water.    

     Now that we have all the hot water we could ever want----whenever we want----we must still be careful to not let it get TOO hot.

     I am impressed with the narrow range of temperatures that the human skin can deal with without being damaged.  Normal skin temperature is approximately 91 degrees.  According to the CPSC there are more than 3800 scalding injuries and 34 deaths per year from tap water that is set too high.  Most of these accidents involve children under five and the elderly.

     Make sure your water temperature is not set higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you don’t have enough hot water at that temperature, you either need more supply (bigger tank) or some sort of temperature regulator (tempering valve) on the system so that the tank temperature can be set higher while delivering 120 degree water where you need it.

Charles Buell

     Considering that photography is such a “mechanical” operation, it is amazing that the process of producing "good" photographs is so difficult.
     I do not consider myself to be a real photographer like Debi Boucher,  however I do on occasion come up with an “interesting” photograph, and I frequently get lots of comments on my Wordless Wednesday posts----and, like Debi's friends, I have been known to make a funny face or two. 

     It seems that for every good photograph I have taken, the following factors have been involved on one level or another (and not necessarily in any particular order).

     #1, Luck

     #2, Being in the right place at the right time (another version of luck)

     #3, The camera being “present” when I am lucky and in the right place at the right time (this element includes having fully charged batteries, camera settings correct (although sometimes having the settings messed up results in #1), lipstick and jelly off the lens, lens cap off etc).

     #4, Patience

     #5, Cropping

     #6, Paying attention

     #7, Placing oneself in a position to get a different “view” (this is important in life as well)

     #8, Lastly, and arguably the most important-----pushing the button down-----NOTHING comes of not doing that part.  This last component translates to:  “willingness.”

Charles Buell

     Traveling salesmen and saleswomen have always been around----whether roaming around the country in horse drawn wagons,  in “Pink Cadillac’s,” or going door-to-door as, “Avon Calling.”  Their stocks of toilet waters, potions, and lotions were considered snake-oil by some and worth more than gold by others.  I am sure the horse and buggy guys, hawking their wares, would have loved to have had the option of today’s Lingerie Parties in their bag of tricks. (Sorry guys----I know you were hoping for a “live” link.  And, how come I have never been invited to one of these parties yet?)

     These potions and lotions were “guaranteed” to:  enliven, enlighten, whiten, brighten, straighten, deaden, and even frighten. 

    Of course they would take the kinks out of anything that needed the kinks taken out of them. 

     Especially hair.

     So it was with delight that I also came to learn that Breck Shampoo could also be used to take the kinks out of plumbing pipes----who would have ever guessed?

     Certainly not this Seattle Home Inspector.

Charles Buell

     On a recent inspection my buyer asked me what this pipe sticking out of the side of the garage was. 

     Based on the washed away area (impact mark) on the ground under the pipe, I said that it was likely a drain for the flat roof.  Because the roof had sagged a bit, and was holding water, a drain had been installed in the low spot to aid in draining the roof. 

     One of the interesting things about ponding water on a flat roof is that water is heavy. 

     The weight of the water causes the roof the sag, which over time stays sagged, which means the roof can hold even more water, leading to even more ponding/sagging-----and on and on.  Now the roof might not “break,” but it does affect the resilience of the roofing materials and eventually the roof will start to leak.

     The other day I did a post about a flooded flat roof ----or one with a lot of standing water anyway.  I waded out into the middle of one of the puddles to unblock the drain.  The drain location is right where the arrow is pointing.

     The result?

     When you gotta go----you gotta go!

     Is this what they mean when the listing says, “Water feature?”

Charles Buell

     REKYJAVIK―Recently it was announced that Iceland would be on the hook for all the chaos it inflicted on the planet by letting one of its volcanoes get out of control.

     Now I don’t know if you have ever tried to control a volcano but it ain’t that easy.  For one thing they are relatively unpredictable, non-communicative, un-cooperative, and down-right cantankerous----not to mention volcanic!

     So why shouldn’t those damn greedy Icelanders pay for the extended “holidays” of stranded travelers and pay for the spoiled sushi that couldn’t get off the ground in route to Tajikistan?  And what about all those insulated lunch boxes full of human organs that couldn’t get where they were going?  The economic impact, of the criminal spewing of volcanic ash all over Europe----especially the impact on the airline industry----is expected to be in the billions of dollars----or is that Euros?  Perhaps the worst “fallout” from this crisis is the disruption of European Futball schedules (That’s soccer to all us on this side of the pond)----now that is a real pain in the ASH!

And now on a different volcano----here in the States.

WASHINGTON―According to government statistics somewhere around 293,000,000 sq ft of Chinese drywall came into this country  during a period of peak demand after Hurricane Katrina.  Let’s “assume” (and you know what they say about ass-u-me) that all of this drywall went into residential construction----which it likely did not; and, that all of it was defective----which it likely was not.  At an average of 5000 sq ft of drywall per house, that amounts to about 58,600 houses with Chinese drywall.  Now of course there will be houses that were remodeled that ate up some of the stuff as well----but still----more or less----we are talking about .00045% of the total housing stock of somewhere around 129,000,000 units (2008).

     So let’s say that we have to throw $90,009.00 at each of these houses for repairs----that amount would be about $5,200,000,000  (that’s 5.2 billion dollars, for those of you that don’t want to count zeros)----a very large number in my mind----and equal to a very large number of college educations and/or “double-short-extra-tall-soy-chai-lattes.”  But, to put it in perspective we could pay to have all these homes fixed for the cost of running the Iraq war for one month. It is always about priorities after all.

     The “average” CEO of the top 500 companies in this country makes over $8,000,000 in pornographic bonuses----over and above their salaries----close to the amount that will supposedly be necessary to put a cork in the drywall volcano. 

     Repairs will be created for a jobs-starved economy.  Will it create hardship for some?  Of course----and that does not get past the fact that the drywall is here---it has been “screwed” in place----and consumers have been screwed----and it is not going to go away by itself.

     Some would argue that unlike problems created in the housing market by US companies, there is no recourse when it is a foreign country that creates the problem. 

     I think there is always recourse between any two countries that want to continue doing business with each other----whether they choose to act on that recourse is a “whole nuther” issue----not unlike whether an American company chooses to do the right thing----and how much of the right thing.

     So when the Chinese Volcano stops spewing its sulphuric gases----some new “opportunity” will rear its ugly head and attempt to ruin the US housing industry-----and someone will again lose their ash----while others make a fortune. 

     This is as American as Apple Pie.

Charles Buell

     In 1972 I had not yet built my first “real” house.  I had up to that point fooled around with various tree houses, underground forts and Ferro-cement domes.  It was not until 1976 that I designed and built one of the first passive solar houses in Upstate New York.  I get thinking about these roots whenever I encounter a house built around those early years.  Of course the tree houses and underground forts go back to the 50’s while the Ferro-cement domes entered the picture around 1971.

     The other day I inspected a house built around 1972 with perhaps the most unusual roof-window installations I have ever seen or imagined.  I am completely baffled that these structures have not created massive problems for the roof structure over the years. 

     One can see that the excessive tar built-up over the single pane glass and old style jalousie windows in an attempt to create a dam against flooding of the roof.  And trust me----this roof floods.  At the time of inspection there were large amounts of water on the roof due to plugged roof drains and sagging roof structure.

     My buyer asked me why anyone would build with flat roofs.

     Good question----with no good answer, except to say that it is a matter of “architectural design.”  Of course one could always talk about saving materials and cheaper roof structure----but this does not take into account the costs of additional roof coverings necessary over the same period of time as a better type of roof, additional maintenance costs, higher heating and cooling costs, and probably other negative aspects.

     Of course some people insist on having a “lake view.”

     That said, modern flat roofs can be done better than they were in 1972-----with proper insulation, proper slopes and good drainage----they still require more maintenance and have shorter life spans----but some of the coverings are getting quite good.  Some of the newer PVC roof coverings will last longer than cheapo 3-tab shingles----so I guess that is a good thing.  In my opinion any roof surface not designed to last a hundred years is a poor choice---but what do I know.

Charles Buell

Glenn, makes some really good points with his post and I thought it deserved to have another look.  I hope all my readers will venture on over to Glenn's blog and leave some comments there.  The reality is that as big as the drywall problem is----it is still a small percentage of the total housing stock.  I realize that doesn't make it any easy for those that have to deal with it----we will survive it though.