ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2013
35
Comments
So, when is a fire wall not a fire wall? When it has a hole in it, silly. You were waiting for, "When it gets to the other side..." or "To meet the chicken on the other side..." ? One of the nice things about the old, masonry fire walls between townhouses was that they were true fire walls! The i...
02/27/2013
It started small, but with a little crack here, separation there, or small hole, it ended up with the battle of the bulge - due to deferred maintenance. HOME MAINTENANCE PROBABLY COSTS ABOUT 1% OF THE VALUE OF THE HOME EVERY YEAR. I have heard that, but don't know if it's accurate. Home maintena...
02/26/2013
"It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence." Charles A. Beard (1874-1948) If you are a fan of history you know about ...
02/25/2013
I'm not sure why I continue to see this kind of work, the new construction front porch roof - shimmed and glued. And the beat goes on. Certainly I am at the point of wondering if this is not considered the "way to do it now," and it's how an architect or builder would spec and build their own ho...
02/24/2013
What if you arrived at a new construction to do a final inspection and saw a sign on the door. What if the sign at the door said, New Construction - "Please leave your coconuts at the door."? Usually the sign I see asks that your shoes be left at the door. Some builders even have a little bin of ...
02/23/2013
Can you guess from the title that after all the inspections and County approvals, the shower won't drain. Something plumbing happens on new construction inspections more often than I can mention. Certainly one of the things during a new construction inspection is to see if all the plumbing works ...
02/22/2013
It is always pleasing to run across a new construction best practice - and here, disposal cable protection. A disposal cable is supposed to be attached to some structure, typically the drain line, within inches of the disposal. The cable also needs to be clamped into the unit, with a connector c...
02/21/2013
So answer the question - what do we do on new construction when doors aren't level or plumb? One basic rule of carpentry is that doors and windows be level and plumb. Level noun 1 a horizontal plane with respect to the distance above or below a given pointPlumb verb 3 testing an upright surface t...
02/20/2013
"The genius of our institutions is democratic - Base Ball is a democratic game." Albert Goodwill Spalding (1850-1915) Without knowing his full name, everyone knows of Al Spalding. When I was 11 years old I desperately wanted to play on a little league baseball team. But that required that I have...
02/19/2013
27
Comments
The fireplace was cracking here and there. The work didn't look that old. I think someone wanted a traditional stone fireplace. There was gapping here and there. And movement at the wall and ceiling. Cracking was happening left, right and center. What to do? When all else fails, glue it! That a...
02/17/2013
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Jay Markanich
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