Smart Consumer Series
Peter Schkeeper is a friend and colleague of mine. We served together on the board for the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers. He has since retired from the board and has started a new project making informative videos, training, and providing some...
IBHS PROVIDING ROOFING RATINGS
IBHS Building Science IBHS has some pretty interesting building science going on. They do real world testing of building materials for the insurance industry and share their information to the public. https://youtu.be/NkuV_05C6-c From the National Academy of...
Relief Trenches? Who Needs Them?
Relief Trenches “What is a relief trench?” you ask. A relief trench is a ditch installed from the forming preparations to a drainage area as part of site preparation for construction of a slab on grade foundation to prevent accumulation of water in the forms in the...
Builders Providing 3rd Party Inspections?
Who Works For You? We have been getting feedback from our clients buying new construction in the last few months that their builder is telling them they don’t need a 3rd party inspection because the builder hires a 3rd party inspector for quality assurance. The...
December Phase Out of R-22 Refrigerant
Phase Out of Refrigerants As a result of concerns related to depletion of ozone and global warming there are significant changes coming to the cooling and refrigeration industry regarding the refrigerants that they use. At the end of December 2019 R-22 refrigerant is...
Quality of Workmanship Information Overload?
Quality of Workmanship Overload You have gotten an inspection report on your new construction, and for many the information can be overwhelming. Although we work hard to ensure your report is readable and understandable there is no avoiding the fact that the...
Why Splash Blocks?
Why Gutters Gutters are installed to collect and control water run off from a roofing system and to control the water until it can be carried far enough away from a building that it does not create a potential for water entry at the roof, walls, or foundation and so...
Texas Adopts ICC 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
The Texas legislature has passed HB 2858, which sets a model code for the construction of pools and spas in the state and allows municipalities to adopt and amend the the ICC Pool and Spa Code in the state to require model standards for building, remodeling and...
It’s Hot Out There and Your Foundation Knows It!
These 95 deg. plus days in the Houston area are hard on foundations. When the temperature goes up and the rainfall amounts go down the soil drys quickly, especially around our large trees common a the front of every home. We often find evidences of differential...
Falling Bullets Cause Roof Damage
The Fourth of July is upon us and many will be out celebrating. As I see everyone planning their 4th of July celebrations I often stop and think about the number of bullets and bullet holes I find in roof surfaces in the Houston area due to falling bullets. Finding...