ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2010
25
Comments
You know the summer is half over when pro football goes to training camp and the Redskins open their practices to the fans. This year our new coach, Mike Shanahan, has opened 20 practices for fan viewing! That is many, many more than in past years. The usual occurred. My daug...
07/30/2010
26
Comments
Some accidents aren't accidents at all. That's because some things don't happen accidentally. They lie in wait. This is a homeowner-installed retaining wall, 4' high, behind a townhouse. The wall itself is poorly constructed, bulging, coming loose and generally unsafe. So why not put a rickety ...
07/27/2010
20
Comments
They say to never say never, and never say always. Well, when I do inspections on old homes, I almost ALWAYS have a mish mash of wiring! And why not? Things changed over the decades and certainly the first, and really old product, cannot survive forever. This particular house is just over 100...
07/27/2010
17
Comments
"If everyone enjoyed the unrestricted use of his faculties and the free disposition of the fruits of his labor, social progress would be ceaseless, uninterrupted, and unfailing." Frederic Bastiat If you have never heard of Bastiat you should! He was a terrific classical li...
07/26/2010
49
Comments
My clients were on vacation when their new construction was ready for a final inspection. They told me that I was scheduled for anytime I wanted on that day. So I showed up real early. The inspection revealed the usual stuff - loose dishwasher leaking onto the kitchen floor, leaky faucet in a b...
07/25/2010
10
Comments
This is an 1861 road map of Northern Virginia, including some of Maryland. It gives a good view of where the roads were in those days. The roads have changed substantially since then! Centerville, now spelled Centreville, was a popular spot. The busy Manassas Gap Junction was an important railroa...
07/25/2010
12
Comments
If you're like me, your roof flashing can be a real pain! You look up and there it is, sometimes with and sometimes without that pesky counter flashing! It seems that counter flashing is always loose! And it leaks! I got fed so up myself that I came up with Counter Yer Counter Flashing! Hi, B...
07/25/2010
22
Comments
The smell was there as soon as we opened the door to the unfinished furnace room. The staining on the floor was evident. Further inspection found some evidence of molds on the sub floor and floor joists above. Looking to the left I saw the mother of all traps! This is to capture and eliminate ...
07/23/2010
42
Comments
Prevalent in Northern Virginia, and to the south, is a roof staining problem called "black algae." It looks like a dripping, running black stain, usually on a shaded roof, or on the side facing away from direct sunlight. Incorrectly called mildew and fungus, the staining is an algae, typically ...
07/21/2010
29
Comments
Even before going around back to see what the roof had to show, I was able to confidently say to my client that I suspected a second layer of shingles over the first. The roof looked newer, but the plumbing penetration sleeve was covered with black goop. "How do you know that?" was her question....
07/20/2010
Rainmaker
2,049,643
2,049,643
Jay Markanich
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
Service Areas
Real Estate Resources
An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.