RussellMelville's blog

Here is my camp, built by hand, no electricity, all chainsaw carpentry, blood and sweat equity. 

Here is a picture of asbestos on the boiling pipes. We all know that this can be very dangerous and should be removed/encapsulated to protect the health of the building occupants. This is a high dollar item  as specially trained people that are licensed are required to undertake great precautions to protect themselves and the building occupants. This particulat case is what is called friable, meaning it is breaking apart, and becoming airborn where it is most dangerous, as it is deadly if it is inhaled. 

This does not look like much to the untrained eye, but, the staining on the white soffit is indication that the roof is poorly ventilated, which causes ice damming. This results in water penetration into the ceiling and wall of the home, a very expensive fix. 

This fuse panel was over fused and dangerous. Fuse panels are easily tampered with by homeowners and are a major cause of fires. This fuse panel had 3 30 amp fuses in place, when they should not have exceeded 20 amps. Insurance providers will typically deny insurance when a fuse panel is in place and require a circuit breaker panel be installed.

The sag in the ceiling in this front porch was nicely hidden by a new paint job to hide the water staining. But, the moisture meter tells the story as it proved to be saturated, as was the wall and the areas around the windows. I suspected there could be a problem as the shingled roof over the porch had a low pitch, and my hunch was right!

While inspecting a home in Johnstown yesterday it was noted that the soffit and fascia were loose in areas of the homes exterior leaving openings for birds, bats and critters to gain access. When I got into the attic I was rather surprised at the amount of bird droppings. It was quite extensive, and should be cleaned up as bird and rodent droppings can be a health hazard. I took pictures and detailed the information for my client in the report.