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Did You Know...

IRC 2003
At least one receptacle outlet shall be installed at each island counter space with a long dimension of 24 inches or greater and a short dimension of 12 inches or greater. E3801.4.2

Archive for June, 2008

Does Your Foundation Really Require Repair?

If you had your foundation evaluated by a foundation repair contractor recommending repair, there is the potential that it doesn’t. Many of the salesmen who evaluate foundations are not well enough trained to fully evaluate a building’s foundation and often use indications of foundation movement as their only means to define the need for [...]

Olympus DS5000 Professional Recorder Product Review

In my office, we write many of our reports with significant amounts of custom information, and we use personal digital recorders with the dictation sent to a typing pool to get our reports typed accurately and quickly. Recently, I had to upgrade my professional quality digital recorder and wanted to share the quality of [...]

Getting It Right

Well, there is a builder paying attention to detail in Houston. I was doing an inspection on a Trendmaker home in the Woodlands this week and found they were following the flashing details for installation of brick window ledges that have been recommended for years and which are detailed in the IRC 2000. [...]

Corrsion of Fasteners in Treated Wood

Corrosion of steel structural connectors such as hangar straps or nails can be a significant issue when using treated wood for structural members. The use of treated lumber is common in crawlspaces, decks, and equipment supports in my area.
Recently I have seen significant corrosion at connectors and their nails in construction using treated lumber. [...]

Look at This Brick

You gotta wonder what the builder is thinking when the do stuff like this. Not only does this create a potential for termites to gain access to the building unobserved, but it will shear off the brick as differential settlement occurs between the foundation and the concrete flat work supporting the brick siding. [...]

The Last Days of Home Inspection as a “Profession”

The days of professional home inspectors in Texas appear limited if the proposed SOP passes, or should I say considering a home inspector a professional. I got an email from John Cahill the other day. He was lamenting the fact that there is little participation in the inspector industry or the trade associations [...]

Houston becomes the first TPREIA Chapter!

Thought this was interesting. Got this from Mike Cothran over the weekend. Thought it was of interest as it appears to be a growing organization. I have attended their meetings when they were TAREI affiliated and thought they do a good job.
TPREIA Proudly announces that at the membership meeting on May 17th [...]

Composition Shingle Prices Going Up

Fox news this morning had an interesting article here in Houston. The point of the article indicated that shingle prices could be expected to increase 40%-50%. The main reason seems to be a shortage of shingles due to heavy demand, lowered production, and increasing oil prices associated with manufacturing and transportation.
You may wish [...]

Is There a Conspiracy at TREC?

Based upon an email from Brad Phillips which accidentally copied people about a “private” meeting with a few inspector committee members and key TREC staff members (including Mr. Irvin the administrator) it appears that something may be going on behind the scenes at the TREC related to getting the proposed Standards of Practice past behind [...]

New SOP Proposed in Texas. Will It Cost You?

Introduction
In my daily work I often get to speak with Realtors about what is going on in the inspector community related to the TREC. I am often surprised that Realtors are not aware of the new laws and regulations being considered for imposition on inspectors or the potential effects such actions can have on [...]