Bruce's Blog

I'm not real happy with the quality of this photo but I didn't have the time to adjust the camera in the dark. This was taken from my driveway yesterday morning.  Some of my favorite photos are sunrises and sun sets.  If you have ant that you like, post them here.  One of my favorite form of stre...

It's certainly great to build a new green home from the ground up.  Several thing are necessary, Land, Money and a burning desire to do so. What about the rest of us who live in a used home.  Here are several tips that I use for my clients during and after a home inspection.  My focus is on savin...

Just thought I would put up some crazy stuff that I have seen. Yes that is a gas line just to the rear of the single wall flue.  The heater was back drafting badly, filling the basement with flue gas.  That is dangerous alone but it could also find it's way upstairs. I know that every one has the...

If find that when I'm stressed I like to first recognize it.  Then stop, take a deep breath and smell the flowers.  Smelling the flowers can be anything from just thinking about the great blessings that I have to actually smelling the flowers.  In the north east that's a bit difficult this time o...

Ok so I'll admit it. I like flowers and small animals. My wife is a great gardener. (I dig for her) Bull dogs are cool. Just look at that face! Yep! Real wolf.  A lady was keeping them beside a house I was inspecting. There were 7 or 8 of them including several hybrids.  Several week later I hear...

I was scanning a home during a normal inspection and the bright spot on the right caught my eye.  I took a closer look with a zoom camera lens and found the nonpaying tenants to the left. They were up high enough that I may have missed them without the IR They had not caused any damage that I cou...

Pipes in the floor.  It can be very useful if you need to drill or cut the floor for renovation.   Ceiling looks normal But there was a broken pipe in the ceiling of this foreclosed home.  A few minutes later it started to rain in the living room.  ;-)  If you have a leak and are unsure of the so...

Pets that is. The one under all of that is my favorite.  Dana Jo.  Sadie then Jed, Rascal and Mittens at the top. All are foundlings, except for Dana Jo. If you need stress releif, get a pet.  We went a bit over board.   In the evening after a stressful day, all I have to do is say "lets go outsi...

I'm always looking for complimentary companies and people to build relationships with. For example I have an electrician that I can call when I'm looking at something electrical related and he usually has an answer for me. Over the years I have built relationships with a radon mitigator, a pest c...

I am and here is why.  People still have to live even in a recession.  They have to buy things.  They will have babies.  They will still drive cars.  in other words every thing they did in the "good times". The tenacious, hard driving, do what ever it takes types will survive and prosper.  They d...