An Eco-Inspector

Stupid Fan Tricks

2012-02-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

Conventional Wisdom informs us that hot attics can be cooled with fans. A fan at the upper part of the roof will pull hot air out making it easier to cool the house. Seems logical.

Temperature controlled fan installed at gable vent

Building Science informs us that air is a fluid. As such it flows from areas of higher to lower pressure along the path of least resistance.

Fan and Vent don't match

A typical exhaust fan pulls 1000 cubic feet of air per minute. To work as designed there should be no openings in the immediate vicinity of the fan: otherwise air will be drawn from the closest source, the path of least resistance.

How much air gets out?

Assuming the fan is installed correctly (not pictured) the negative pressure produced by fan exhaust will adversely affect cooling and indoor air quality.

Air drawn from the fan will be replaced through the vents

Bottom line: mechanical attic exhaust fans are rarely installed correctly, and, even when they are, they are often detrimental to safety, efficiency and health.

Negative Pressure has no Positive Outcome

And don't forget the costs of installation and operation.
Sometimes saving money means not wasting it

A Brief History of Texas Toast: The Asian Connection

2012-01-23T06:33:00.001-08:00

My introduction to Texas Toast was in 1968 when we moved to Austin. Ever-thangs big in Texas and I quickly learned how to match Texas Toast with Chicken-Fried steak, pinto beans and fried okra.
Imagine my discovering it is common in Tokyo. Texas Toast is available in the ATL at Mozart Korean Bakery and in Chamblee's Chinatown.

A Small Luxury
During the war (WWII) when refined foods were increasingly scarce staples like flour were adulterated with unrefined wheat and other additives. Humans covet what they cannot have: a big piece of white bread became desirable-not just because refined flour was scarce but as a reminder of better times and as a status symbol. Think Caviar for the undernourished.

Morning Seto (Morning Set)
Baby Boomers in Japan took the food to it's next manifestation, the Morning Set. Busy salarymen now stopped for a quick breakfast of coffee, small salad and Texas Toast. The toast provides carbohydrate bulk and can be prepared with a variety of toppings.

Asian Starbucks
The menu photo is from a coffee shop in Chamblee's Chinatown. Comfort food with a Texas/Asian connection

Inspection Metrics: Size Matters But Not That Much

2012-01-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Everyone's looking for a deal these days and that includes inspection fees. Potential clients looking for a reduction in fee often point out how small the home is in order to elicit lower inspection fees. It's true that size matters; especially when I've logged 3 miles walking up, down and through a super mega-mansion. Other measurements matter as much or more than size.

These include Where the Wild Things Are, They don't build 'em like they used to, Time is money and Unexpected Surprises

Crawl Space: there are crawls and then there are nasty, low, muddy, foul crawls. They can be dangerous, unhealthy and claustrophobic. I might find rats, black rat snakes or black widow spiders.

A bit of a moisture problem

Age: Sarah Susanka, of Not So Big House fame put it succinctly: "Newer homes don't age well". I put it this way: Teenage Homes are like Teenage Children: they require a lot of care AND money. Design flaws, materials defects and normal component and system aging all factor into more work for me.

Defective Siding common in metro Atlanta

Client expectations: Some clients like to play twenty questions during the inspection, some like to play two hundred. I'm sometimes asked to check a light fixture by changing the bulb, the fireplace by lighting a fire or the gas grill out back. Buy me a steak if you want that grill checked. My purpose as inspector is to discover major and immediate defects, not to satisfy a fastidious client. That said I would rather spend inspection time discussing pertinent observations with my clients.

Not easy to inspect the electric panel and water heater

Home Condition: Access can be a big issue-I sometimes have to wait for keys and lockbox codes. Most Americans are Hoarders to one degree or another. The places I need to see: attics, basements, and equipment are often blocked by possessions. Professional standards require I leave the home pretty much as I found it: moving items in closet to gain access to the Jacuzzi pump and then replacing them takes time. Some homes are, to put it bluntly, a mess. Wading through them while respecting the owners property can be time consuming. Depending on the neighborhood and the wholesale price of copper I might have to spend more (or less) time disclosing missing water pipes, A/C coils and wiring ripped from walls.

Enthusiastic copper thieves

Bottom Line: It takes me about three hours to inspect a "standard" single family home. Less time for condos and townhomes, more time for super-big or especially difficult to inspect houses. I've set my fees accordingly.

Costs and Conservation: Electric Gas Water

2012-01-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

Kai tracked our utility costs at Villa Curl the past four years. Here are my thoughts (unsupported opinion not based on science or statistics) on the subject:

2010-2011
Electric down 373 Gas down 156 Water up 252
We've been doing that Eco-Thing: paying more attention to thermostat settings, turning lights off, and water use.

Gas Cost should be lower but isn't
Gas prices are at historic lows. The sweetheart privatization of Atlanta Gas/Light marketing has actually worked against the consumer. Great for stockholders and Atlanta Gas/Light, bad for consumers. Can anybody say "pass through charges"?

Water Cost way up
Water Authorities go decades without upgrading their systems. Politicians tout their leadership abilities by keeping costs down while allowing systems to fall into disrepair. Atlanta has been going through this for years-now it's DeKalb's turn. Up next: Balancing accounts by claiming leaks on the user side of the meter. Tell the customer to pay an enormous bill or have their service cut off. This happened in the Atlanta system and is likely to occur should DeKalb run short of cash. Think this won't happen? I just got a solicitation for the "Water Line Protection Program". Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse. Sewer charges are based on meter charges so watering your garden (or any type irrigation, pool filling, etc) comes at a premium.

Electric Futures
Many power companies are run like water utilities: companies promise lower rates at the expense of infrastructure maintenance. Use is going up along with increased IT technology. Nuclear plant and dirty coal cleanup costs are coming, so is the cost of renewing the physical and personnel structure sacrificed to quarterly profit statements. The Piper must be paid.

Consumer Bottom Line
Like Alice in Through the Looking Glass we will have to run faster just to stay in place. Relying on Politicians, Utilities and Corporations to act in the consumer's interest is, at best, a questionable proposition. Better to be a true conservative: act smart and in your own interest. I'm here to show you the way....

Your friendly, neighborhood Eco-Inspector

Basic BS: Physics eventually defeats Chemistry

2011-12-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

Icyclene Foam Insulation and Plastic-lined Ducting

A recent story on national TV news pointed out that fires spread much more rapidly in newer than in older homes. Building materials like OSB (Oriented Strand Board) roof, wall and floor panels burn more quickly than solid wood. Hydrocarbon based products, in general, degrade more quickly than inert materials. They burn faster and create more toxic gas.

Newer materials degrade faster when exposed to heat, ultraviolet light and moisture. A friend who trained and worked with me inspecting homes commented that new homes started degrading before the sale had closed.

Certainly there are many benefits to using newer materials. The photo shows icycylene foam applied to the underside of rafters. The foam forms an airtight, insulated boundary between the attic and roof. Ducting no longer subject to energy loss due to a hot or cold attic.

Phelan Building Destroyed by 1906 San Francisco fire

I've learned through experience and study that "Physics Eventually Defeats Chemistry". Forces of nature: heat, moisture, ultraviolet light, and pressure, overcome the chemically produced materials. The hotter something is the faster it's molecules move leading to disruption of the molecular bonds. The more a material is subject to physical forces the greater the potential for damage.

We're not likely to return to building with inert materials. Stone houses last longer but present a different set of cost and comfort issues. Sometimes chemical reactions (fire) destroy buildings. What we can do is build smarter, better and with a greater understanding of how buildings work.

Get educated: Learn some good BS (Building Science)

A Semblance of Urban Life

2011-12-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

The closest shopping center, the one with stores we all use, is the Edgewood Retail District. It does its' best to work as an "intown" shopping center: there's a main street, underground and deck parking, a mix of shops and big box stores. But is just doesn't work as well as it should.

Sembler Construction tried to split the
difference between a suburban strip mall
and an urban street. The result is more
strip mall than street.

Edgewood Retail works mainly because the people who use it make it work.
What's sad is that it could have been so much better.

Urban features I enjoy are:
Proximity: a little over a mile from home
Partially Permeable: there are back door (neighborhood street) entrances east and south
Mix of stores, restaurants, services, housing

Suburban Features I enjoy are:
Parking and lots of it
A modestly upscale Kroger
Lowes: retail for real men

What doesn't work:
Inconvenience Stores
Store entrances are placed far apart instead of clustered together. Sembler has created a semblance of a pedestrian/urban space. Recently my wife wanted to go to the electronics, book and grocery stores. She got lucky and found a space in front of the electronics store. Since moving the car in busy surface lot was such a bother she decided to walk to the bookstore; not too far away. There were no pedestrian pathways to get from store to store. She had a long walk through the auto landscape to the bookstore, further to reach the grocery and, when she anticipated the 1/4mile return trip to her car, bought only as many groceries as she could reasonably carry that far.

Fake Frontage
Outparcels along Moreland Avenue are visual, not functional enclosures of space. The same is true for the sides of the big box stores: the architectural details infer windows and doors where none exist

Empty Spaces
The parking decks and garage (I had not realized until this week how much space was underground) were mostly empty. Contrast them with the jammed surface lots. Most of us will choose surface parking if it is available, even on a day when it was pouring outside. Lighting and signage do not direct you and the underground spaces are spooky. If I were a woman I wouldn't want to go there.

Cars 28 Pedestrians 13
"Main Street" has the architectural elements of
pedestrian space but is so busy with traffic that it doesn't work: unless you like watching and endless stream of vehicles passing by. The store awnings are too small and there's no life on the wide sidewalks. It's a picture but not a reality, a cartoon of city life. Bottom line: Sembler tried to work with the urban model and this is how it turned out. Maybe we're not ready to give up our cars and maybe the design could have been done better. I think they should have studied mall design more carefully: an avenue dedicated to walkable, convenient stores without big surface lots. Maybe we're just not ready to return to a pedestrian environment-unless it has a roof over it.

2011-12-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

A Long Time Coming: A Perfect Storm Creates a great house

The pre-drywall inspection was nearly perfect. Imagine a home inspector telling his client that there are NO problems. Here's why

Kudos to Mike Barcik and all the staff at Southface for their efforts formulating, training and promoting the 2011 Georgia Energy Code. This will be a healthy, efficient and low-maintenance home.

Costs are down: the production builder bought a foreclosed property at deep discount.

The production builders vertical organization assures careful adherence to construction standards and quality control. Staff and workers are committed to energy efficiency and good construction practice.

I've been waiting almost 20 years to experience a well-engineered and energy efficient home. At times I have just about given up hope that things will change.

This gives me hope

Sustainable Fundamentals: the Green Building Pyramid

2011-12-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Green Builder magazine recently re-issued their Homeowner's Handbook. The Green Building Pyramid lays out a logical path towards efficiency and health. We all remember the food pyramid:

What you find at the base of the Green Building Pyramid may surprise you.

Siting/Orientation
How the building is placed in relation to the sun and surrounding terrain

Location: The more driving required the less efficient the home. A super-efficient home with a long commute is less efficient than a closer-to-work less efficient one

Education: You have to understand what you're doing. Many homeowner improvements contradict sound building science or are of little or no value.

House Size: Doubling a house size triples its energy use. Living Large, like driving 80mph on freeway, costs a lot more. Better to have a well-designed and detailed home

Note that none of these fundamentals involves high tech, high cost, or significant lifestyle changes. They work in the city and the suburbs. They are universal.

2011-11-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

Friends of Candler Park Golf Course now has a website
http://focpgc.com/

More Atlanta Golf: Practice round at the PGA. Ryo Ishikawa is the Japanese 18 year old sensation. Skinny kid with a beautiful swing and signature orange outfit. He bombed at the tournament: last place before the cut

Candler Park Beaver cleaning up the pond. I hear he sells seconds for extra income

Curl Clan Golf Outing near Ocean Isle Beach NC

Don't Feed the Gators!

Winter Scene at CPGC: Sledding, Snowboarding and Jackassing down the #1 fairway.

They say the CPGC is losing money. That may be true. But it makes us all the wealthier: ourselves, our neighbors and our city

2011-11-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Word has it that they want to change the Candler Park Golf Course. No Way, Jose! CPGC is the quintessential neighborhood course: 9 holes, great for practicing your short game, a place to teach kids and newbies the game, 10 bucks weekday for city residents, center for snow day sledding, nighttime after-party rounds, small greens, hills, valleys and a distinct intown vibe.

A gift from the Candlers the course also boasts a naturalized stream (formerly a concrete V) now taken over by beavers and waterfowl. Every local knows the hawk's favorite perch on the pine tree on the 7th fairway

Atlanta needs places like this: public, accessible and cheap. A place to meet, play and enjoy nature. Methinks the gentrifizers want to get their grubbies on it: I say there's a great way to enjoy this space:
Tee it up and enjoy your own self

Understanding How Buildings Work: Speaking the Language of Architecture

2011-11-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

Edward Allen's book "How Buildings Work The Natural Order of Architecture" provided a basis for my course "How Homes Work". In this abridged excerpt from his conclusion he talks about windows:
"A standard residential window of the most common type allows for the simultaneous and independent control of:

Natural illumination
Natural ventilation
View out
View in
Passage of insects
Passage of water
Passage of heat-radiant, conducted, convected

Considering this multiplicity of functions, a window is a surprisingly simple mechanism. To a designer, the possibilities of a window are limitless. Consider some of the following choices in designing a single window for a building:

Orientation of window
Location of window in the wall
Size of window
Proportion of window
External shading devices
Mode of window operation (fixed, sliding, etc.)
Material and color of frame
Type of glass
Type of shade or shutter
Type of curtain, material, color
Type of insect screen

Speaking of other components in a home.....Each must serve a multiplicity of functions. Each must be made of a combination of materials of complementary capabilities. Each offers to a designer its unique set of aesthetic possibilities to be exploited....(or)...to be ignored. these components are the building blocks of architecture, the only stuff with which a designer can work the unique magic that results in a satisfying building.

The only solid basis for architectural creativity is an ordered and accessible knowledge of how buildings work. There is a natural order to architecture, and true design freedom springs from an everyday, easy familiarity with this order.

Here the message is simply that the scientific fundamentals of buildings are always the same."

Roof Water Formula: The Wet Underwear Analogy

2011-11-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

I tell clients that ignoring moisture control is like wearing wet underwear to work: you're appearance is acceptable but you are destined to have difficulties in the future. Most moisture related problems are cumulative, not catastrophic and that is why so little attention is paid them. Moisture and its' effects remain, like underwear, unseen (most of the time).

Roof Water Formula: for every 1000 square feet of roof (a typical roof has about 2000 square feet) 620 gallons are generated for every inch of rainfall. With an average of 50 inches of rain per year that 1000 square foot roof generates 31,000 gallons of water per year.

Where does it go? Much of it accumulates outside the foundation walls. During rainy periods it may enter the underfloor space. Best Practice? Pipe it WELL AWAY from the house. The photo shows downpouts piped along a narrow space in order to avoid draining onto the neighbors yard. This is cheap and easy: it's best to pipe using buried smooth wall PVC drainpipe with cleanouts to allow for maintenance and fewer leaf clogs.

Rest Stop Recycling Center

2011-10-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Countries with fewer resources recycle more. In some recycling is a cultural norm-it is part of the national character. Japan is one such country. This photo was taken at a freeway rest stop: note how consumers are required to sort recyclables. We in the US don't recycle at this level because it is not cost-effective to do so: YET

Filter Defects Redux: Dryer Sheet Defect

2011-08-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/dryer-sheets.htm

The thermal fuse on the dryer at the Clifton house failed. The probable cause: Our tenants used Dryer sheets to prevent static cling, soften clothes, improve wrinkle resistance and make their clothes smell good. Wax on the dryer sheets fouled the lint filter with a clear coating. The repairman demonstrated how water would not pass through the filter. If water can't get through very little air does. Lint bypassed the filter and heat buildup from the restricted airflow caused the thermal fuse to heat up repeatedly and fail. UNBALANCED heat and pressure were the primary cause of the fuse failure. Thankfully the fuse did its' job of preventing a fire. The same basic principles hold true for your heating and cooling system: fouled filters cost money and are a safety concern.
How to correct the problem? Regularly scrub your lint filter vigorously with hot, soapy water, stop using dryer sheets or hang your laundry outside. And don't forget to check your furnace filter while you're at it.

Womens World Cup: The Japanese Connection

2011-07-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

Homare Sawa, from Fuchu (in metroTokyo on the Keio Line past Chofu), played for the Atlanta Beat in 2002.

My daughter Hana (playing out of the Decatur Y for Arsenal, Luma Mufleh, coach) shouted to her after a game that her Japanese mom would cook her a real Japanese dinner. A few days later Sawa came over. We got to know her as a kid who ate a lot and had the normal problems of dating and getting along in a foreign country. Plus she shared our love of Golden Labradors. One noticed her talent on the field immediately. She's the center of the Japanese World Cup team this year as in years past. The kitchen is still open Sawa-san, so the next time you're in the ATL stop by for some real home cookin'!

Eco-Inspector Duct Madness: A law of Physics trumped by law of Commerce

2011-07-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

The builder of this new home explained to me that he KNEW the county building inspector and that the ducting was OK with him (the county inspector). The photos connect: the second photo is the same duct run that exits the left side of the first one. Such an egregious violation of a basic principal of physics-that ducting should decrease in size as more ducts are tapped from the same supply (to maintain pressure within the system)-was subservient to the law of commerce. The Rule here: What Home Depot has in stock is what gets used. Oh well, at least the air gets into the home and not the back yard.

Toilet Training Day and Holmes on Homes

2011-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Inspectors get to be nosy and complain. We also crawl in narrow wet spaces and in cramped, overheated attics. Minor absurdities abound. Not very hard to find them if you know where to look. TV personalities with image and attitude make a living scaring the daylights out of homebuyers: professional inspectors have to work within the constraints of the profession. We have to stay on task and keep it "fair and balanced". At least that is what we SHOULD do.

That said there are times when you just shake your head and pray you can keep your mouth shut.
I grew with 5 brothers and no sisters. Our Aunt Carol referred to our home as the one where the toilet seat was always up.

A home where no one ever dreamed of putting carpet at the toilet.

Beautiful, Functional, Durable

2011-07-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Vitruvius the Roman said it, Palladio the Florentine said it, Frank Lloyd Wright the American Architect said it yet still the timeless way of building (Christopher Alexander said it too) eludes most of our buildings. Beauty is needed because no one will love and care for an ugly building, functional buildings are needed so that energy and resources aren't wasted and durable structures are required to resist the forces of nature. It's easy to wander away from these principles, especially if you are thinking short-term. Newer homes don't age well; after 20 years they need lots of work. Better perhaps to build the timeless way....

This temple in the Nezu neighborhood of Tokyo demonstrates how something as mundane as roof drainage can become a thing of beauty, function, and durability

A Good Inspection

2010-07-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a "good" inspection. I highlight the potential for moisture problems at the front of the home: notice how roof water intersects or runs over exterior walls. The A/C condensate drain deposits water at the foundation. A roof truss is not fully connected or supported.

Villa International Last of the Summer Wine Party

2010-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Villa Intl is Atlanta's welcome to the world. Villa provides guests a safe and comfortable home while they live and work in Atlanta; many at CDC and Emory.
Villa's Last of the Summer Wine party combines several elements: Villa's mission of scientific and humanitarian fellowship, sustainable, efficient building and good food and wine. Purchase your tickets now and plan to enjoy Atlanta's unique blend of Southern hospitality with an international flavor.

A World Cup Event

2010-07-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Villa International is Atlanta's welcome to the world. Villa has provided thousands of guests a safe and comfortable home while they live and work in Atlanta; many at CDC and Emory University. Villa's Last of the SummerWine party is the perfect event for the Eco-Inspector: Villa's mission of scientific and humanitarian fellowship, sustainable, energy-efficient building and a party designed to celebrate good taste and Summer's end. A win, win win anyway you look at it. Purchase your tickets now and enjoy what makes Atlanta unique: Southern Hospitality with an international flavor.

Villa Mystery

2010-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

How can Dan Curl, your Eco-Inspector, solve the mystery of the cold laundry in the basement of Villa International?

Villa International is a place where scientists, physicians and many others from around the world stay when they are in Atlanta. Located across from CDC Villa provides a safe haven for them; a place to call their own while they work and visit in Atlanta.

The basement laundry is freezing, freezing cold in the winter.

Here are the facts in the case:
A commercial type laundry (two large gas dryers) vents outside
The walls are 8" concrete, the room is well sealed and it is separated from the stairwell
There is an elevator opening into the room
A capped trash chute now used for laundry has a fire damper that is rarely closed
Gas and electric space heaters do not help warm the room

I might ask the cats......or try a bit of Building Science

Ducting Costs but Doesn't Pay

2010-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ducting is a the neglected stepchild of the residential mechanical world. Contractors are trained to sell, install and maintain equipment, ducting is left to care for itself. My HVAC guru George Gary tells me there is little or no profit for HVAC contractors in duct design, sealing, repair or maintenance.

I find lots of disconnected, dirty, unsealed, poorly insulated and poorly designed duct systems. Energy loss in the systems I inspect averages around 25%. Ducts often draw ("entrain" is the industry term) dirt, odor and contaminants into conditioned air: the air you breathe.

The costs of poor ducting are higher energy costs, reduced comfort and potential health problems.
Too bad most homeowners won't pay to have their ducting fixed. The return (pun intended) is a lot better than most investments

Water Under the Skin

2010-07-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Buildings are "clad" with various types of materials, just like people clothe themselves with different fabrics or skin covers the body

If you're not careful water gets behind the cladding. That's bad because moisture is one of the three forces that destroy buildings

If enough water gets behind the cladding it will overcome the buildings' ability to store and release moisture.

When that happens the integrity of the building and the health of its' occupants are at risk. This home inspector finds lots of moisture related defects in Atlanta.

Water entered this home at the roofline, twenty feet above where this photo was taken. This hardcoat stucco cladding was applied over wood panel sheathing

Keep the water out and your pants dry

Dan Curl, Your Eco-Inspector

Building Maintenance Basics

2010-07-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each inspection I explain to my clients that there are three physical forces that destroy buildings; Ultraviolet Light (UV), Heat and Moisture. Manage these forces and you will reduce maintenance and energy costs

Air is a transport mechanism for heat and moisture.

So, If you can control the movement of air, heat and moisture that's a good thing.

Here's an example: One of the forced air Heating and Cooling (HVAC) systems at Villa International Atlanta did not have balanced airflow.

Watch the video to see how your Eco-Inspector solved the problem. A note: after we shot the video I discovered some additional defects and corrected them. We now have a healthy, dry and comfortable office wing at Villa.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ecoinspector#p/a/u/1/0WDYAavZ9ro

Just Enough for the City (Tokyo)

2010-05-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Roberto posted the Amazon link to Just Enough because he knows I am a student of Japanese culture. The book is subtitled "lessons in living green from traditional japan". It explains how the Japanese learned to live within the limits of their ecosystem. That they did it functionally and gracefully is what impresses this infrequent blogger. Am looking forward to walking the Nihombashi and Kanda neighborhoods when I visit Tokyo next year. On a scale of 1-10 I give this book a 7

Comedian Jeff Garlin's "my footprint" is stand-up posing as a book. I had seen Garlin on The Daily Show and, as bad luck may have it, read that he was doing a signing in L5 the next night. It was raining buckets as Kai and I struggled into A Cappella but that was nothing compared to downpour of Asshole Garlin was dispensing inside. My Footprint is rambling, poorly written ego-trip about Garlin and his Hollywood friends. Hey Jeff, I'm a Big Fan and don't care that you produce Curb Your Enthusiasm. On a scale of 1-10 I give this production a 2

Your Eco-Inspector
Dan Curl

Posh Houses

2009-06-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wallace Stegner's comments about the West, and by extension the Sunbelt including my home Atlanta open this blog:

"...the West at large is hope's native home, the youngest and freshest of America's regions, magnificently endowed and with the chance to be become something unprecedented and unmatched in the world."

A caution:

"But exaggerated, uninformed, unrealistic, greedy expectation has been a prescription for disappointment that the West has carried to the the corner drugstore too many times."

An Observation:

"Western cities are likely to have an artificial look, and why not, since so many of the are planted in an artificial environment maintained by increasingly elaborate engineering."

And a hope:

"I believe that eventually, perhaps within a generation or two, they will work out some sort of compromise between what must be done to earn a living and what must be done to restore health to the earth, air, and water. I think they will learn to control corporate power and to dampen the excess that has always marked their region, and will arrive at a degree of stability and a reasonably sustainable economy based on resources that they will know how to cherish and renew."

Stegner did not get his wish to see that compromise brought to life; he died in 1993.

I'm an American Studies graduate of the University of Texas, Austin and find Stegner's analysis Western US culture applicable to our current economic mess. Housing and mortgage excesses got us to this point. In the boom years it seemed like everyone was building or renovating their home.

Many of these projects had less to do with our needs than with our wants:

We tossed out the old rules about how to build homes, neighborhoods and cities after WWII and replaced them with increasingly wasteful and opulent buildings.

We ignored science, specifically the 2nd law of Thermodynamics, when designing and constructing buildings

We failed to follow the universal prescription for building first recorded by Vitruvius and later reformulated by Palladio that:

Buildings should be Beautiful, Functional and Durable

My job focus is on Function and Durability. It's a wonder to me how few people care about anything other than appearance. Reality TV is all about "Painting the Pig": cheap, quick makeovers that do little to make homes truly worth caring about.

Our national obsession with the size and features of our homes has, from my perspective, long since divorced itself from reality.

The home pictured above is well built but thumbs it's nose at building science and requires, in Stegner's words, requires increasing elaborate engineering.

I often inspect big "executive" homes in the suburbs or oversized intown bungalows that look impressive from the street.

Homes that are POSH

Because they often end up requiring more money to maintain and really don't fulfill the function of a home there's usually a FOR SALE sign out front of them every couple of years

What some inspectors call a Piece of S*** House

Your Eco-Inspector

Link to Comprehensive Home Inspections: www.inspectatlantahome.com

Dan Curl

Nature Strikes Back

2009-06-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Eco-Inspector's brother Matt was bitten by a Copperhead on his pinky toe. If you think he was grubbing around in the woods you are mistaken: he was taking a stroll down the sidewalk of his upscale subdivision near Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Matt's encounter with the snake is one unfortunate result of the end of our regions' four-year drought. The rains have rejuvenated dormant animal populations and the predators that feed on them.

Another unforseen result is more power outages. The crowns of drought-weakened trees are full of new leaves making them perfect sails. Even modest winds topple trees and power lines

So here is our lesson for the day: every event has a consequence.
That includes wearing flip flops while taking a stroll

Matt spent five days in the hospital. Snake venom is nasty stuff: in addition to attacking the nervous system it "tenderizes" the flesh of its' victims. This can lead to a number of complications.

We should be happy our long, dry spell is over and prepare for more snakes, downed trees and mosquitos.

One final comment: I am REALLY keeping my eyes open during inspections these days. You never know when a snake might bite or a tree might fall.

Dan

Hail Chasing: Pogo was right!

2009-06-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

The following is a blog post and an email response from a neighborhood friend who had landed a job with a roofing contractor. In a later email he disclosed that he had decided not to work for that company because of ethical considerations. My main point continues to be that roof shingle replacements were not based upon scientific fact and observation. I recently changed Home Insurance and found that I am now required to provide the age of the roof shingles AND that my rates are substantially higher because I have older shingles.

Hail Chasers
Friday, January 11, 2008

Who chases hail? Roofers, of course.

Some roofers will tell you that your roof has hail damage and that your homeowners insurance will pay for replacement.

Recent changes in the International Residential Code prohibit re-roofing in an area subject to moderate hail damage; Atlanta and north Georgia included.

Two words were added to the existing section:

In the old code re-covering of roof shingles was prohibited in areas subject to severe hail damage
The national hail exposure map identifies north-central Texas and portions of eastern Oklahoma as areas subject to severe damage

The new code prohibits re-covering in areas subject to moderate or severe hail damage.

This change increased the area covered by a factor of 17 to include western portions of the Midwest from near the Canadian border almost to the Gulf of Mexico and a 200 mile wide swath from the northern Georgia/Alabama border through northwestern South Carolina and all of North Carolina except for the tidewater and coastal counties.

I received an inquiry from an inspection client regarding marketing by a roofing company. The company had told them a recent storm had caused hail damage. The contractor told them they could get their homeowners insurance to pay the bulk of the replacement cost. They were asked to sign a blank contract.

Insurance adjusters disburse payments for shingle replacement but cannot risk walking on roofs. They rely on roofing contractors for a reliable assessment of shingle damage.

I inspected the roof and found no shingle damage other than normal wear and tear.

The contractor returned and reminded my clients that their neighbors were using his company. He also left literature remarkably similar to a well-known and reputable roofing company.

I called that company and found that this sort of ploy is very common. All it takes is a dishonest roofing contractor and a compliant insurance adjustor.

Homeowners who buy into this scheme receive an overpriced shingle job of questionable quality and, because they sign incomplete contracts, have no legal recourse should their roofs leak. In addition they are either knowingly or unwittingly participating in insurance fraud. The insurance company ends up paying 5000 of the 6000 dollar replacement cost.

Of course we all pay for this type of practice with higher insurance premiums.

There is little evidence that hail causes appreciable damage and substantial evidence that roofing contractors “create” damage. Read the following abstract

http://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_81091.htm

Shingles deteriorate when their surface granules wear away exposing the asphalt base to ultraviolet light. Hail can aggravate the loss of granules but is not a principle cause of granule loss.

I didn’t ask the International Code Council why they changed the wording.

Perhaps it’s because we are in a cycle of extreme weather and the potential for damage is greater.

Perhaps they don’t make shingles like they used to: newer shingles weigh less, have fewer granules for protection and therefore wear out quicker.

And no, I don’t think the Code officials are catering to the roofing industry.

But the result of this two word change in the code may have opened the door to possible fraud.

Just thought you might want to know, especially if you live in a 12-16 year old subdivision and there’s a roofer knocking on your door.

Caveat Emptor

Dan

Thomas,

I agree there is a legitimate aspect to what you do. Determining hail damage is the key to the whole process. You will never find ME on a 10:12 pitch 30ft off the ground.
Hail events are usually short and hailstones small. Other types of imperfections (like inspectors walking on roofs, shingle defects and weathering) are much, much, much more likely to be the cause of shingle failure. If you say hail reduces shingle life by a couple of years why doesn't the insurer pay ONLY for the life lost; not a new roof. Statistically hail damage is not a major cause of damage. That doesn't mean that there is no damage or a need for replacement, just that it does not figure that much in the general scheme of shingle failure. Dents on turtleback vents and HVAC endcaps is a minor concern. I have been climbing roofs for a long time and it strikes me as odd that the replacement business got started in earnest after the 2006 IRC code was adopted.

Dan

Subject: Home inspection from website

Hello Dan,

I read your article on "Hail Chasers". Informative, but to me your article seems a little one sided. It sounds as though you know people that were victims of roofing contractors who perpetrated insurance fraud leaving them with a substandard product in their wake.

You have to admit that there is a need for a legitimate service that correctly inspects hail damage on behalf of the insured. Many people never go onto their own roofs, much less be able to identify hail damage. As I am new to ????? Contracting I have been told that insurance adjusters actually do get onto the roofs with project managers like myself to inspect the hail damage. If I get up onto a home owners roof and find hail damage and the insurance adjuster agrees that the roof has hail damage, then why shouldn't that homeowner get a new roof? To me, it is no different than an insurance company totaling out a hail damaged car because it would cost too much to cover a 10 year old car with new body parts and a fresh paint job. Most people have no problems finding dents in a car they drive everyday.

All roofing material companies do not warrant their roofing product after it has been damage by hail.
Most insurance companies will not replace or re-roof a home that has "Old Hail" damage two years or older.
Most hail damage goes un-noticed for a couple years.

As you already know, hail damage may not propose a problem for several years. Eventually the aggregate wears off where the roof had been struck. This exposes the asphalt shorting the life of the roof. Then there is the unsightly look of all the spots that start to appear on the roof. Also, as a bi-product of hail damage is all the thin roofing metal that makes up the ventilation system. Sure, it probably still functions but is also unsightly and will affect the resale value of the home unless it is replaced. Most home inspectors I have worked with in the past report hail damage in their inspection reports even though such damage may not have compromised the roofs integrity at the time.

I agree, companies like the one I am starting to work for have the most to gain financially from such findings. In turn this drives companies like ?????? Contracting, Inc. to train and pay people like myself to get on roofs to find hail damage. I have found that this company is a reputable one that has been in business since 2005. It has a "Satisfactory" record with the BBB, which means, to date, no negative claims have been made on this company.

As a project manager for ????? Contracting working in a neighborhoods with reported hail damage, once I have acquired permission from the homeowners to inspect their roofs, it will take me an average of 10 roof inspections to find one with severe damage. Once I have confirmed hail damage with the insurance adjuster, I personally walk the homeowner in selecting their new roofing tiles, where I then prepare an estimate for the owner to file their insurance claim. Once accepted, I order the roofing materials. I inventory the materials when they arrive on the jobsite. I instruct the roofers on what it is they are to do or not to do. When the roof is completed, I personally inspect the roofers work and am also personally responsible for the job.

As in many services, (real estate sales included) the service is only as good as the individual offering the service. I am sure that there are companies like the one you are referring to in your article that take many advantages against unknowledgeable homeowners and insurance companies in a storm damage situation bordering on or committing outright fraud, I really don't believe ?????? Contracting, Inc. is one of those types of companies. It's like the old expression, leave it up to a couple of rotten apples to ruin the bushel.

When I first heard about this field of work, I thought, "What a great service. If I had unknown hail damage that was shortening the lifespan of my roof and possibly lowering the value of my home, I would want to know about it, in addition, I would want my homeowners insurance to fix it." That is, after all, what insurance is for, don't you agree? When you get a chance, check out this company's website and Google search ??????? Contracting, Inc., you won't find anything negative about this company. However, if by some chance you do, please let me know.

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Help!!!! I'm flooded

2009-06-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was asked to link to this New York Plumber website and found some very useful information. Give them a look, especially if you are experiencing a plumbing emergency

Plumber: NYC

When it's panic time this page will help you navigate a flooded house

How can I be right and wrong at the same time?

2009-06-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

How can I be right and wrong at the same time?

It’s easy: make an unqualified promise.

Here’s my story

Last summer I inspected a retirement-type attached home. It was 3 years old and had been vacant for about a year. This was an easy inspection in most ways-the general quality of workmanship and materials was above average and the dwelling was a single story on slab-no crawl spaces or 2nd floor to inspect.

Not THAT easy; it had a complex truss system in the 150F attic. I exited the attic sweaty and tired. I had trouble getting gas to flow from a distant meter. After getting the range and gas logs going I went back to the attic to check the furnace. After an additional 15 miserable hot and sweaty minutes waiting for the gas to get to the furnace I gave up and noted on my report that I did not verify the furnace was working but that it appeared to be in good condition.

My clients, an older couple, insisted that I return to the property and check the furnace.
I certainly did NOT want to return to the property: it was out of my way and I was having a particularly busy week. I pointed out that I was not required to verify operation: I had exercised due diligence in trying to operate the furnace using normal controls. Still they insisted. So I wrote them a letter stating that I would pay for any servicing required. Wrong!

The matter seemed settled until I received a demand letter in December. It was from the wife: her husband had passed away in late summer and the furnace was, according to her letter and documentation from a well-known HVAC company, defective. The HVAC company had repaired the furnace and stated that there was a strong indication further expensive repairs (replacing the heat exchanger) might be needed.

This was the first time in 23 years in the business that I had taken a chance like this; a seeming validation of Murphy’s Law.

I contacted my trusted HVAC contractor and set up a meeting at the house. He inspected the furnace and found no defects. His opinion on the previous repairs, charges and recommendations of the first HVAC contractor indicated that the work was:
1. Incredibly overpriced
2. The possibility that the “defective” part had failed were about 10,000 to 1
3. There was nothing wrong with the heat exchanger

What he did not say (he is a gentleman) and what was readily apparent to both of us was that the homeowner was wrong AND that she was not thinking clearly. This poor woman had lost her husband, was in a new environment and had a furnace she was not familiar with. When the induced draft burners kick in there is a roaring sound as the flames are drawn into the heat exchanger. She assumed this meant she had a defective furnace. She was quite insistent on this point. My HVAC contractor tried to explain to her that this sound was normal, to no avail.

What upset me the most (pissed-off is a more apt characterization) about this affair was the willingness of the original HVAC contractor to profit at the expense of his client, with MY money. My promise to pay for repairs only made it easier for him to justify his greed.

Sure, I could have refused to pay. After all I was not notified of the original problem and my visit indicated no defects, especially with the heat exchanger. In hindsight I should have qualified my letter by saying they had to call me first. But the owner had just lost her husband and was “confused”. She was an easy mark for what I considered to be an ethically-challenged repairman. Besides, a promise is a promise and refusing to pay would probably have cost me more over the long term.

Was I right about the furnace being in good condition?

Was I wrong making and unqualified promise?

Yes, and yes.

The name of the first HVAC company? I’m not telling

The second? George Gary Mechanical Design

Caveat Emptor,

Dan

It's the Environment, stupid

2009-01-29T06:46:00.000-08:00

You know how you do things the same way for years and years and then, one day, someone, something or some event blows it all away like 9/11?

Or, slowly, gradually, facts start to accumulate, empiricism takes hold and you begin to understand that what you've been doing is not just a little wrong but is the polar opposite of what and who you think you are?

Epiphany! There is a whole other way of experiencing and acting in the world, you look around and think: What a bunch of stupid idiots the rest of the world is for not understanding like I do?

And then you realize that there's lots of other people like you who DO understand and have reached the conclusion that the best way to deal with the situation is to show others the way of change and to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Changing attitudes and behaviors is simple and ("Cliche!, Cliche!") not easy

We are building stupid buildings: wasteful, ugly, dis-functional homes.

We ignore the lessons of history, the science of building and the potential benefits of technology for what? Granite countertops, three-car garages, jetted tubs and more bathrooms than even the most incontinent human would ever need.

Buildings that leak, reek and speak volumes about who we are.

Answers are everywhere if you happen to be looking for them.

Link and think: www.inspectatlantahome.com

Your Eco-Inspector

Dan Curl