GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.....
It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! For those of you who have tried contacting me in the last week or two it has been a near impossibility. The summer inspecting season got the best of me. I have 35 messages waiting for me on my business phone as well as my cell phone. The e-mail system is backed up and all I can do is cough and hack. A few days back there was no sound from my vocal cords and not even the best Thera-flue dose would get me on my feet. I am thankful that September has arrived. While still under the weather, all that I can hope is that this too will pass.
I would like to congratulate Richard Grisham for his participation in this week's Monday Morning Messenger. He did just what I have asked from each of you. He read the MMM and took a few moments to respond to each question. Even when he didn't have any deep information, his responses helped to trigger my thought process. For this, Richard is our Shining Star of the week.
Now that the kids are back to school, I am going to ask each of you to go back to school. It is my request and challenge that each of you will take the topics discussed in the MMM and spend a few minutes doing internet research on the topics. Pretend that you have homework and see if completing it increases your knowledge base. In today's issue I urge you to search out the topic of straw bale houses. I am sure that some of you do not know how to use the internet for research, so I will share a few tips with you.
1. Get online and go to http://www.askjeeves.com
2. Then type in the question "How are straw bale homes built?"
From that simple process you will receive back a result like this.......
Each of these links holds with it a valuable resource of information. Now dream with me for a moment........ What would happen if a few inspectors each week took the time to do a simple search and then wrote up a summary of what they learned and shared it with us here in the MMM. Imagine how each of us would be blessed. Instead of just Michael Leavitt sharing what he stumbles across, this could truly become a forum that all of us would be edified from each other. I know that as I look at that topic list that Mr. Jeeves returned on straw bales that I really want to know what information lies behind number 9 titled "Moisture and Straw Bale Walls." Numbers 4 and 5 also look like fun topics. Numbers 21 and 22 also look great.... 21. Re: Pictures of straw bale houses 22. Re: load bearing straw bale houses
So how about it, will you take the challenge? If a topic comes up and you find that your response gun has no bullets, will you accept the challenge to research the topic and respond? I certainly hope so because each of us is never too old to learn. I also know that each of us is busy, but most of us are enterring the slower season and we need to foster new educational habits. Please accept the challenge and send your responses to the topics to me directly at Peaceofmind@TheHomeInspector.com
Here are 3 different phrases from Richard in Las Vegas....
The inspector known as "A Nobody" responded...
In an offhand manner, with the Realtor close by, I mumble to myself (but loud enough for the Realtor to hear "Most of my time is spent explaining things away that the seller thinks are more important than they are." A Nobody
Now I am certain that all of you were just too busy to take the time to write down your favorite repetitive phrases. So I am going to give you another chance. A favorite phrase that Walter Jowers shared that I occasionally use in my inspection comes after the client looks at me and says, "How much longer is that water heater going to last?" To which I respond, "Ohhh, about the life of a dog!" With puzzled looks on the client's face I pause for a moment and then add "It could live twenty more years or it could run out in the street tomorrow and get hit by a car...... Point is, nobody knows and what you need to know is that the typical lifespan of a water heater is 8 to 12 years and this unit was manufactured in 1992, so you are ten years into the life of this unit. "
We need for Ron Cloyd to check in on this topic because I am sure that with his hinting and fishing lifestyle that he has a few great hunting dog type responses for on site customer questions. I spoke with him on the phone the other day and he said that he shot an elk (presumably with a bow) a week ago. Maybe he can send a picture of the prize to share with us busy inspectors reading the MMM. We got to talking about the Housemaster lawsuit and how it affects the way we advertise our services and report the conditions of the house. Somehow we got to talking about older components and what we should report when the component is old but working. My favorite report phrase for this condition is "= Budget for the inevitable upgrade." This little quip comes after I tell them all about it and removes all doubt as to the fact that the unit will eventually fail. It is inevitable. Does it mean that it needs to be replaced now? Absolutely not! But is does eliminate the phone call from the client 6 months later when the water heater fails that goes like this...... "My water heater failed and you gave it a Fair rating. You didn't tell me that it was going to fail only 6 months after I moved in and I want to know what you are going to do about it?" These are the types of calls that we should not have to deal with if we are reporting accurately.
Accurate reporting is a must. Using the AII philosophy we report the conditions of the components of the home based upon the simple criteria of durability and serviceability. This means, will it last and is it working. We have been advised for years by legal counsel that the biggest cause for lawsuits is the result of the inspector not finishing his sentences. Bob Pearson, From Allen Insurance stood in front of the membership a few years back and pleaded with us to finish our sentences. What did he mean?
Finishing our sentences means that we give our customer a firm course of action. This reporting method initially rubbed against the grain of several seasoned AII inspectors, including our Founder. AII members always felt that just reporting what we saw was sufficient. Reporting comments such as "The sink drain is leaking," or "The toilet base is loosely mounted," or the ever popular "A large portion of the roof has blown away," was thought to be sufficient. Bob Pearson stressed that many of the lawsuits he dealt with stemmed from this type of reporting comment. It didn't tell the client what they should do. In many cases it left the client with the argument that "The inspector did not make it seem that I needed to do anything, so I didn't. But what I later learned was that I really needed a new roof and 3 roofing contractors have given me these replacement bids." Bob pleaded that we need to remove this legal stance from the client's quiver.
In defense of those inspectors who reported this way, I believe that it stemmed from the old school method of reporting that included a clipboard, 14 page report checklist, and a pencil with an oversized eraser. I know, many of you still report this way. The drawback with this reporting method is that every added comment requires writing more words. It is a pain to elaborate. It is a pain to go into detail. It is a pain to give the client advise.
WHOAA...... Bob Pearson was not telling the inspectors that they must tell the client how to fix something. Instead, he said to give them a course of action. Should they have it further investigated by a professional? Should they monitor it and if the condition continues they should have it repaired? Should they budget for replacement? Should they jump up and down and be thankful that it is working as designed?
I was reviewing Bill Ball's Home Inspector Code Book and he stresses that our duty includes reporting the conditions and placing them into one of the following 4 categories:
This is a very simple and direct way to report items in the home. With the industry shift towards computerized reports it has become easy to add course of action comments in our reports. No longer do you have to write each letter into a 3 lined box on a check sheet. Now words and phrases can easily be added by a few mouse clicks. So why not finish off those phrases without crossing the line of telling the client how to make the repair? This would virtually eliminate the irate calls. This would please the insurance carriers who are going to have to be the ones to defend you in a dispute. This will increase your value to the marketplace by being considered a more thorough inspector. All in all it is a win/win situation.
Have any of you had any experience with a high efficiency boiler called a HydroPulse by a company called HydroTherm? The tall cylindrical unit has an internal combustion chamber and very few viewable parts. The boiler connects to a radiant heat system using room radiators with all of the normal gauges, safety valves and zone pumps. The rest of the system is easy to evaluate, but I always question technology that was cutting edge when it was originally installed. It has the typical high efficiency PVC intake and exhaust lines and the unit dates back to 1987. Knowing the issues that Lennox had with their high efficiency forced air Pulse units from the same era, it got me to thinking that the industry was still experimenting with high efficiency units (Forced air, water heaters etc.) in general. Have any of you seen this unit or heard any incriminating stories about the HydroPulse?
The second question is about the sizing of a boiler. Do any of you know how to size a boiler to a home in snow country? This boiler was added to an all electric home and they only put in about half of the needed radiators leaving the owner still having to use both the electric and the gas fired boiler. In our part of the country using electric heat is very expensive. The natural question is whether or not the boiler can handle twice the stations. I have never heard any inspector discussion of how a boiler is sized to a home? I naturally deferred to the boiler specialist, but it left me wondering if there are any general sizing guidelines. Any ideas?
SIDE NOTE: This was the first time that I have ever seen a high efficiency sealed boiler unit.
Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah
Only seen them on "This Old House." By the way, What's the difference between hay and straw? Hay is dried alfalfa. Straw is the cut ends of cereal grains. Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
I guess that Scott Merritt is the only one that has ever seen one of these homes. I saw the same "This Old House" that Richard referred and I was left dumbfounded as to what I would look at if ever called to inspect one. In southern Utah we have several homes that are constructed out of a hillside. They dig holes back into the mountain and then close it off with a front fascade. Once again, what would you look for? What professional would you recommend a straw house or tunnel house? The straw house might best be referred to the Big Bad Wolf Inspection Services, but the tunnel home would probably need a geologist of ancient Indian cave dweller.
"Water intrusion is a frequent indicator of unseen mold growth. Since different people have differing sensitivities to mold, we recommend an experienced Environmental Inspector to conduct a survey to identify and quantify the mold." Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
Last week I encouraged each of you to visit http://lawlibrary.rutgers.edu/courts/appellate/a6252-99.opn.html and I promised that "It will make you squirm in front of your monitor as you read the questions placed by the lawyer before Housemaster. If you did not take the time, then I re-encourage you to visit the webpage and read the full account.
WOW - This really makes me think on the possible changes to my service agreement I currently use. Fortunately the majority of my inspections do not come from the realtors, but repeat clients and word of mouth. It would be interesting to get Greg Pyfrom to comment on this case with our sample service agreement provided to AII inspectors who have taken the AII training. Steve Bradley - Medford, OR
Most of us do not have guarantees and are not as exposed as HouseMaster is. (In fact, guarantees are legally forbidden in Nevada). It is easy to say that we never miss significant items, but we do. It is very helpful to establish a rapport with your client and there are other helpful things, such as well worded contracts, brochures, flyers, etc. that should all avoid saying things like "our report is balanced." I for one, am going to change the wording of a few things in my literature as quickly as possible. Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
It seems we would all fare about the same for we are all working under a very uncomfortable system - one in which we must serve two masters, each with different goals. It's a real conflict of interest and a very troubling aspect of this business. There are no easy answers. Tim Pietsch - N.Mankato, MN
I don't know how I would fair in a court of law but I don't think I'll ever be in a similar situation. I tell my client, the purchaser, the "good, bad and the ugly" regardless of who referred me. Long after the ink is dry on the contract, I will be the one who gets the call if an issue arises, and it will not be because I was worried about the realtor or the seller sending me more business, it will be because I made an honest mistake. Jim Maass - Columbia, SC
Michael, I thought this might be a little change of pace for the Photo Challenge. See what you think. The idea is kind of like those close up pictures they had in kids magazines. See if you can guess what the picture is of. The first picture is the close up. The second one is the wide view. Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA
Great idea Jon. Here is the first offering. Tell me what you are seeing and what is the flaw or missing item. Please send along you pictures to me at Peaceofmind@TheHomeInspector.com. Next week I will post the bigger view of this photo.
For more information E-MAIL Us