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Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc.

MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER

Message prepared especially for Members of the American Institute of Inspectors® as well as Home Inspectors abroad

May 13, 2002

GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I..... 

It's a great day here in Orem, Utah. This weeks MMM practically wrote itself. I'm glad for that because of the extra time demands for the special day that we pay tribute to our Mothers and to our wives. I want to share with all of you some special news that the Leavitt household recently received regarding my wife Shelly's health. The doctors say that, barring some strange unforeseen event, Shelly should be around for quite a few more of these Mothers Day events. The results from all of the Mayo Clinic test show that Shelly's sarcoidosis has subsided. That's right, the sarcoid has supposedly burned itself out and the immense pain that she is still suffering 24/7 is from the damage done to the inside of her chest cavity and on her lungs. The doctors say that she will still feel the pain for another 3 to 6 months, but after that she should be on the road to recovery. The future challenges of getting her off the prednizone and morphine addictions seem like small challenges when compared with the last 14 months of struggle.

The good news from the Mayo Clinic has placed a light at the end of the dark tunnel that Shelly and our family have been traveling. Hope is a great gift. When you have hope, you can continue to endure the struggles and hurdles that are placed before us. When you lose hope, then life is a far greater struggle. Shelly has been re-energized with hope that this trial will pass. That is great news for us and I know that many of you are breathing a huge sigh of relief. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers over the last year or so. They have meant a lot to both of us. This band of fellowship that brings us together is a good thing. I hope and pray that similar good news will also come to fellow inspector Chuck Gable as the doctors continue to evaluate his condition.

ACROBAT 5.0 & 3D SOFTWARE

Hello all! I was going to send this question to Michael Leavitt but decided to post here as I am sure there is other advice as well as others interested in the info.

When in 3D version 4.0, in order to turn a report into a PDF file for e-mailing, do you need to use the included PDF preparer in 3D or can you use your own Acrobat Distiller? I tried using my Acrobat Distiller (version 5.0) and many words of my report were missing in the PDF file. I remember reading about this issue somewhere but don't remember if there has been a fix by 3D or Adobe. Is there an update to fix the issue or must we use the 3D preparer or the older Acrobat 4.0? Thanks in advance. Doug Barkee - Vancouver, WA

Doug and others:

I have shared this info several times on the Hotline, but nobody seems to think it is good information until they need it. Save this explanation so that when the MMM readers finally invest the $229 on Acrobat 5 they can refer back to these words.

You can use Acrobat 5.0 by performing the following modification. Open up the Distiller software. It can be found in the Adobe folder and it will be called Acrobat Distiller 5.0. Please note that this is different than the Adobe Acrobat 5.0, but when you install one you get the other too. Go to SETTINGS, then JOB OPTIONS and change the DPI setting from 1200 dpi to 600 dpi. You can also change the COMPRESSION for grayscale and color to LOW. Then do a SAVE AS and call is something like DOUG LOW. Once these settings are in place you can then print to the DISTILLER driver without a hitch. Print out a report to that driver and then view it carefully on the screen to make sure that no lines of text has dropped out. Following these steps will reduce your file size by a 2/3’s over the on board 3D PDF writer.

Option 2 – Some systems still have the glitch occur so I have another work around, remembering that this is the fault of Adobe and not 3D. You can print the report by checking off the print to pdf feature on the 3D print menu. A typical report with 10 pictures will be about 2 megs when set to the 150 dpi setting. You can lower that setting to 100 dpi without great quality loss. Going to 75 dpi produces a horrible looking report due to grainy photos.

Once the 3D version is created it can be opened with Acrobat 5.0 and then print that pdf version to the Acrobat Distiller driver. I know that it sounds odd to print the pdf to another pdf, but it will take that 2 meg file and drop it to 500-600k.

Let's keep in mind why Acrobat is worth the investment.

1) It has more compression option and can produce much smaller file sizes.

2) The pdf file can be opened and modified with Acrobat. I will take my report and add the radon report or invoice right to the end of the report file. This allows me to keep all of the documents associated with the inspection report in the SAME file. This is done by clicking DOCUMENT and INSERT PAGES while in Acrobat. Make sure that you save the combined file before attaching it to an e-mail.

NEWSFLASH...... More Acrobat Settings

Donna at 3D read this explanation and realized that I had forgotten another setting alteration that needs to be made. Donna says.......

Hi Michael, I'm delighted to hear the good news about Shelly! Send my regards and I wish her a quick recovery!

Regarding your item in the MMM about Acrobat 5, I note that you only included instructions for changing DPI settings for image resampling and downsampling directly from the Distiller program.

However, that's not the setting that we found seems to make a difference on the missing Text.

When the issue with missing text occurs, I recommend that you adjust the dpi for Graphics in the Distiller driver "Properties". These settings are not accessed from Distiller 5.0, but from your printer driver properties. To access, use Start...Settings...Printers. Right-click the Distiller driver and choose Properties. In the Properties options, click "Graphics" tab. Set the resolution to 600 (or lower) to avoid the missing text issue.

According to what I can decipher from Distiller Help documentation, the dpi settings accessed IN Distiller Job Options apparently only affect graphics and not text. However, it appears that the settings in the driver properties affect both, and that the settings available here are dependant on your OS and other drivers you have installed.

Donna Tarkowski - 3D Inspection Systems

This is one reason why I am glad that Donna checks in weekly to read the MMM. She is a wealth of technical information. So let's recap fo a moment. If it is simply the incompatibility fix for Adobe Acrobat 5 and 3D that you want to overcome, then do just as Donna says. Once her patch is fixed, then you may want to reduce the file size of the PDF file that is created. The settings that I described cover those settings and will greatly reduce your PDF file sizes.

PHASE INSPECTIONS

Last week Mark Daughtry asked.....

Is anyone out there doing any phase inspections? I recently got an offer to do some of these for new construction. Apparently, they are for lenders to make sure the work is getting done. It may be good filler work for in between my own inspections.

Basically it sounds like you visit the site, take a few pics and check off % of work completed on their form. Is anyone doing any of these? Any pitfalls? Any and all info is appreciated. Mark Daughtry - Redmond, WA

Mark: I have done several phase inspections. It is especially helpful if you can do your inspection prior to that of the AHJ inspector (you will outshine him/her, no sweat). Create a fee for each trip you make based upon your hourly rate then do the final overall inspection after the final and at least five days prior to the close of escrow. This final inspection should probably have a fee lower than that of a home that has been lived in. Be sure to go to an office supply store and pick up some orange or red stickum dots and put them on everything you record in your report. This helps the builder focus on the items in your report (of course, the buyer simply hands the builder your entire report and says "correct everything". BTW, this is the only inspection you do that contains cosmetic item, i.e., sill and trim holes filled but not sanded prior to painting or spots of finish paint missing. Hope this helps. Jim Lucas, Camino, CA

Hi Mark, I have done several construction draw inspections in the past year, and am currently involved with one. We don't look at quality of work or anything to do with "code". We are only their to verify the progress of construction. The lender doesn't want to be in a position where the home is 30% complete and they have funded 80% of the building funds. Then lenders we have worked with p[rovide their own report form to fill out, usually 1-2 pages. I have a work sheet I can fax you that has percentages broken down per my bank from when we built our home last year, i.e. rough framing: 10% or whatever it actually was. The company we are currently working with will pay $60 per trip locally, and it takes about 10 minutes on site (+b.s. time) and ten minutes in the office to complete the paperwork, fax it in, & e-mail the photos. Just make sure that in your contract with the lender that they know you are not inspecting quality of work, such as nail holes that arn't filled, you are only inspecting completion percentage. You are correct, it makes good filler work for between appointment, and are usually really flexible to schedule. Nathan Buckley Klamath Falls, OR

I've been doing inspections for the past 6 months and am always looking for new ways to market my business. Who approached you (realtor, lender, etc.) on doing Phase Inspections. I'd really like to use this as a filler as well and was just wondering. Matt Meisenburg - Salem, OR

Yes be accurate on % The contractor wont like it in most cases, but the bank will. The contractor will soon be on target. Hope this helps. Rolland Pruner - Livermore, CA

I did phase inspections as an appraiser. Very easy and with the advent of digital photos, it should be even easier. I was working for a Gov't agency at the time, so there was no fee involved. Make sure you know what the form looks like and that you are covered by insurance by the company hiring you as well as your own insurance. Ron Cloyd - K. Falls OR

Attached is a copy of the percentage breakdown that I talked about in my previous post. Please keep in mind that the percentages will be different for a $60,000 spec-house vs. a $250, 000 custom built home. This is pretty useful for a guide to keep things in perspective if you have a builder who thinks he is much further along than they actually are. Nathan Buckley - Klamath, OR

Robert F: Maybe you could talk Nathan into faxing me a copy of this "work sheet" also. There are a few different kinds of Construction Inspections, depending on who your client is, and I have shied away from them in the past because the scope of work has never been spelled out. Any information would be useful. Thank you in advance. Richard G. in Las Vegas

Here it is Richard. After the table I have links for the PDF and the Excel versions. Thanks for sharing this with us Nathan.

NATHAN BUCKLEY'S PHASE INSPECTION CHECKLIST
Estimate of Building Costs & Construction Inspection
Subject Property Address:
Loan #:
Date:
Borrower: Co-Borrower:
INSPECTION #
%
 Items
Cumulative %
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1
 Plans & Specifications
1
              
  Architect's Fees                
2
 Water/Sewer Hookup
3
              
2
 Permits, Fees,  Etc
5
              
1
 Clearing, Excavation, & Backfill
6
              
3
 Septic Tank
9
              
3
 Concrete Foundation
12
              
    Basement                
3
   Walks, Drive, Patio
15
              
10
 Lumber Framing
25
              
2.5
   Trusses
27.5
              
3
   Siding & Exterior Trim
30.5
              
6
 Labor Framing
36.5
              
1.5
   Finishing
38
              
2.5
 Insulation  
40.5
              
1.5
 Masonry Brick Veneer
42
              
2.5
   Chimneys & Fireplace
44.5
              
    Other                
4
 Roofing Type
48.5
              
    Gutters & Downspouts                
3
 Windows  
51.5
              
5
 Plumbing Rough In
56.5
              
2
   Fixtures
58.5
              
4
 Electrical Rough In
62.5
              
1
   Fixtures
63.5
              
5
 Heating Gas, Oil, Elc, Bsbh, Ceiling
68.5
              
6
 Interior Plaster, Plasterboard
74.5
              
1
 Finish Paneling
75.5
              
5
 Floors Carpet/Vinyl
80.5
              
    Composition                
2
 Countertops
82.5
              
  Tile Work Kitchen, Bath                
4
 Mill Work Doors
86.5
              
    Interior Trim                
5
   Cabinets
91.5
              
2
 Painting Exterior
93.5
              
1
   Interior
94.5
              
2.5
 Appliances  
97
              
0.5
 Hardware  
97.5
              
1.5
 Garage & Door
99
              
1
 Porches & Deck
100
              
  Sales Tax                  
100
 SUBTOTAL  
100
              

EXCEL FILE DOWNLOAD PDF FILE DOWNLOAD

What has been your experience with getting phase inspections, and more importantly getting paid for phase inspections? I have had really bad luck with the getting paid part of the deal.

Your Name: City, State: B2

Please provide your full name or else we will not know who the response is from.

PHOTO CHALLENGE FEEDBACK #103

What is the fried reptile?

Looks like a Bat to me. Rick Stewart - Corvallis , Or

Looks like a "use to be" gray squirrel without hair and in an elongated position. Possibly blew the eyes out. Michael, I would like to have this picture for training. How do I copy it. I used to be able to cut and past, but no longer works. What's up? Never mind, I figured it out and now know that this is/was a frog! Ron Cloyd - K. Falls OR

Looks like a frog I once knew!! Jim Maass - Columbia, SC

It looks like a frog mummy. I was also fascinated by the second wires tapped off the service drop before the weather head. One wonders where these wires were going. They do not look like splices our local utility provider would make. Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA

Froguis Insulationuis Tester- Made by Mother Nature's -Outdoor Products Division. Due to faulty insulation properties all unit's have been recalled See CPSC-N232543. John Rebenstorff - Orangevale, CA

Howzabout a second view?

CPSC ELECTRIC SHOWERHEAD RECALL

Now I realize that the following recall will never been seen by the majority of the MMM readership, but for me it is a special flashback from my past. Many of you are aware that back in the 80's I spent a couple of years as a proselyting missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of my first culture shocks was the lack of gas or electric water heaters like we have here in the United States. Some of the rich homes had them, but the common folk used a 220 volt electric shower head.

The principle of the electric showerhead was quite simple. Inside of the shower head is a heating element that heat the water when water flows over it. The speed of the flow combined with the initial water temperature determined how hot the water was that came down on your head. The two electric leads were always about twelve inches long and twisted with the knob and tube wiring up above the shower. Rarely were wire nuts or tape used and NEVER were the connections inside a junction box. At least not in the shower stalls that I ever used.

One day our showerhead dies and so off we went to the hardware store to buy a new one. I knew a little electrical at that time, but little to nothing when it came to wiring an entire house with 220 volts. Coming back to our flat I was standing in the shower stall with my companion just a foot or two away. As I went to make the final connection one lead was live. I remember the jolt and coming back to consciousness in my companions arms. He said that all of the sudden I went white and fell in his direction. I learned a great deal of respect for the power contained within third world residential electrical systems.

From that time on I always stopped to look at the showerhead installations. Being much taller than most of the population in Brasil, my head was always closer to those electrical splices than most other people. It was not uncommon for you to get little shock waves running through your body as water would splash off your head and in the direction of the splices. Knowing what I know now, these installations were insane. And then came this CPSC recall. Knowing of my experience with these things you too should get a smile out or the recall.

For Immediate Release May 7, 2002 Release # 02-155 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Scott Wolfson (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1189 Eugenio Serafin Recall Hotline: (800) 981-4029

CPSC, Eugenio Serafin Inc. Announce Recall of Electric Showerhead Hot Water Heaters Sold in Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, (CPSC), Eugenio Serafin Inc., of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, is voluntarily recalling about 32,500 electric showerhead hot water heaters. The showerhead hot water heaters are attached to the shower's water supply piping and connected to the household electrical supply source when central hot water is not available. The nozzle can be easily unscrewed, exposing the uninsulated heater coil. The heater coil's grounding screw does not sufficiently reduce the current through the water, posing an electrocution and shock hazard to the bather.

CPSC and Eugenio Serafin have not received any reports of injuries or incidents associated with these showerhead water heaters. This recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injury.

The recalled showerhead hot water heaters were sold under the Corona, Corona Maxi, and Fammy model names. They are packaged in a clear plastic bag with a card that reads in part, "ducha", "HECHO EN VENEZUELA POR: TECHNI" and "MIRANDA, VENEZUELA".

Hardware stores and home improvement centers sold the recalled hot water heater components in Puerto Rico from January 1999 to March 2002 for about $18.

Consumers should stop using these showerhead hot water heaters immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information, consumers can contact Eugenio Serafin toll-free at (800) 981-4029 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

What are your thoughts on 220 volt electric showerheads?

Your Name: City, State: B3

Please provide your full name or else we will not know who the response is from.

AII EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S ADDRESS

Hello Inspectors and Families,

It has been just over a month since our Spring Conference in Reno. We had 84 participants, (over 100 at our Hospitality on Saturday evening). I have just sent off a check for $12, 044.00 to pay our bill at Circus Circus. Of course this was not the entire expense for the conference (travel expense for non-inspector presenters, travel expense for non-inspector Board Members, raffle prizes, brochures, binders, etc.). I hope you were all as happy with Circus Circus as I was. I thought they did an excellent job on the facility and the food and would definitely be inclined to choose them again for another conference. They were so accommodating for me to work with. I only had a couple of questions on the final invoice which they explained or adjusted immediately. I have finished most of the follow-up work from the conference. Your continuing education certificates have been mailed out with the exception of a few special people - those will go out this week.

Plans are well underway for the Annual Meeting, November 8 -10th in Portland, Oregon. We will be at the Holiday Inn - Portland Airport again. Most of the conference agenda is in place. This will be the best conference ever, we have some real fun surprises planned for your learning enjoyment. Stay tuned, more will be revealed.......

I am very happy to tell you we have just contracted Brian Hannigan, Hann Tech Marketing to revamp our Web Site. Many of you had a chance to meet Brian at the Spring Conference. I am so grateful to the people who have volunteered countless hours to get the site to where it is now. But we are all in agreement that it is time for a professional to make it both beautiful and more functional. There will be more opportunities for your personal businesses in the upcoming changes. Brian will probably start next week. A lot of his work will take place behind the scene but over the next two months I am confident that you will become very proud to give out our Web Site address.

Annual dues payments will be coming due next month. Invoices will be sent out at the end of May and due by June 30th. The membership year runs from July 1st to June 30th. The dues amount has been increased to $275 with a $25 discount for those who pay on time. If you are in your first year of membership you will not receive an invoice until your first anniversary date. Along with invoices, forms will be sent to report your continuing education credits and to update your personal information. Accurate CEU reporting is imperative. This is where you receive recognition for achieving Senior and Master Inspector status. Awards will be given out at the Annual Meeting. Anyone who does not reflect enough CEU's in their reporting to meet minimum A.I.I. requirements will be referred to the Education Committee for review and appropriate action. Some members have been a little lacking in their reporting in the past and the result has been lack of recognition for achieving Senior or Master Inspector status. You are the ones who come up to me at the conferences and say,"How come I don't get a name tag with Senior or Master Inspector on it?" So, this is how to get the credit you deserve. Did I beat that one enough??? We'll see.

I will be in the office on Monday, Wednesday & Friday from now on. Our association has grown enough that I can't keep up with A.I.I. and full time inspecting any longer. With this change I am hoping to be able to stop apologizing for taking so long to meet your needs. Thanks for your patience if I have kept you waiting for something from the A.I.I. office. You have all been very understanding.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Executive Director. Best regards, Betty Buckley - 800-877-4770

GARAGE DOOR OPENER CHALLENGE

Last week I threw out the following challenge.......

I challenge the readership to scour the news archives and share with us any real life experience of an injury to any individual since the requirement for electric eye beams when the eye beam has been installed per the manufacturers installation specs and was in working order.

Only one response came back from the challenge and it contained no information to refute the challenge. Instead, it is a further clarification as to why the full garage door opener test should be performed. Jon Gudnason, as usual, goes above and beyond to provide us with good information. Thanks for sharing Jon.

I don't know about Michael's challenge, but I do know why I test garage doors. They are a component of the home that is operated by the homeowner on a daily basis. It is a simple test to push the button and watch the door go down. This is simpler than filling a spa. It is no more difficult than pushing the test button on a GFCI outlet. Placing a flashlight under the door is also simple and I find that near fifty percent of the doors tested do not reverse. One and one half inches is the ASTM standard that the manufacturers follow. That is why it is in their owners manual. When the reversing mechanism is tested this close to the floor there is little or no danger of damage. It is so simple I see no reason not to do it. I also test the light beam when it is present. These area the comments I use when these components fail to function:

[SC] The auto-reverse safety system(s) failed to function and the door did not reverse when it hit a one and one half inch object in its path while closing. We recommend correcting this condition for safety reasons.

[SC] The secondary safety system (electric eyes) failed to function. We recommend correcting this condition for safety reasons.

[SC] The secondary safety system (electric eyes) were mounted higher than the manufacturer's recommendation of 4" to 6" above the floor. We recommend correcting the condition(s) noted.

As for emotional arguments, I try and avoid them at all times when doing inspections. It is almost unheard of for me to hear an argument or challenge from anyone regarding my reports because I simply state the facts as they exist on the property. It is hard to argue with facts. Emotional arguments generally based on opinions and opinions can be argued with. Unless you want to receive phone calls challenging your report and spend time with angry homeowners, keep your opinions in your head and only place the facts in the report. Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA

What is your boilerplate for the auto-reversing systems?

Your Name: City, State: B1

Please provide your full name or else we will not know who the response is from.

PHOTO CHALLENGE #104

DETAILS:

What do you report after scratching your head and snapping a few pictures?"

Your Name: City, State: PC

Please provide your full name or else we will not know who the response is from.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting golden delicious." Bill Meyer

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc.

The Most Qualified Inspector in Northern Utah!

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