One of the tests we preform for vinyl siding is to pull the larger pieces and see if we can slide it back and forth. Vinyl siding needs to be installed loose because the siding expands and contracts with the changes in temperature. This siding was tight and I was unable to slide any of …
Uncategorized
Hmmmm
Sometimes we see things that are about to be covered up by drywall. This wall was leaning quite a bit and you can see the horizontal crack. I personally think this is really unsafe. But what upsets me is that someone is trying to cover this up and sell this to somebody else who will …
Stairways – 2015 IRC Section 311.7
R311.7.1 Width. Stairways shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm) in clear width at all points above the permitted handrail height and below the required headroom height. Handrails shall not project more than 41/2 inches (114 mm) on either side of the stairway and the clear width of the stairway at and below …
Cross Connection
This photo below shows a plumbing pipe connected to an underground sprinkler system. The pipe is disconnected right now. Once water leaves the supply side it is considered waste water and we have to make absolutely positively sure there is no chance that water can re-enter the supply system. The use of anti-back-flow devices are …
Jumper Cables Over Water Meters
One of the items on our checklist is to make sure the jumper cable over the water meter is present and secured to the water pipes. In this photo you can see the water meter is removed. This is the purpose of this cable. When it comes time for the water to be installed, the …
Garage Door Safety Items
The photo shown here is a garage door opener with the electric eye sensor mounted up on the brackets. I see these little brackets mounted in areas that don’t protect people, animals, and objects in the path of the door closing too many times. The proper location is no higher than six inches from the …
Wall Units Have Filter Too.
Wall heating and cooling units are part of the Illinois (and most other) Standards of Practice. That means that these have to be inspected. Most of these units are fairly easy to inspect. Turn on the heat and see if warm air comes out. Do the same for the cooling (air conditioner). Since air is …
Chimney Flue Liners
Chimneys can be made of brick or wood. The flue keeps the gasses of the furnace, water heater, or fireplace from getting in contact with the chimney. The above video shows that the visible clay tile flue liners are only above the chimney. We do what we can to view inside the flue liner to …
Sewer Scopes
The sewer lines bring the waste water to the public sewer line or the septic pit. This pipe does belong to the homeowner until it meets with the city sewer system. In this photo we found a problem before we even put our scope into the pipe. If you focus on the middle of the …
Things We Find
From the outside it was a beautiful looking home. Underneath we found a bunch of termite damage along gravity defying construction practices.