Darren Miller's (darrenm) Blog

  Metal studs are commonly being used to finish off basements; this is (mostly) a good thing. Metal studs won’t absorb water and rot, or worse, form mold. If you (or your contractor) hold the drywall up about 1 ½ inches off the floor, that will also help prevent water/moisture from being sucked u...

How difficult is it be be a home inspector? Maybe the question should be how difficult is it to be GOOD home inspector... Here's ten test questions every home inspector should know the answers to:   1)      A gas fired furnace is located in an unheated crawlspace. What can the maximum horizontal ...

Another blog pointed out the importance of flashing; this blog will be concentrated on one particular type of flashing, commonly known as 'Kick-out' flashing. Most buyers (and realtors) give me a 'deer in the headlights' look when I inform them that the kick-out flashing is missing. Kick-out flas...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 started out like every other day; I woke up at about 5:30 AM, went outside to grab the newspaper, sat down and started to drink my morning coffee. Being this was a Wednesday, the Mega Millions drawing was last night. I am what I believe to be a normal American, I spend...

On another forum, an inspector was questioning whether he could be held responsible for missing under slab asbestos ducts when on the same inspection he called out the 9x9 asbestos floor tiles.My questions are these:1) How many inspectors LOOK for and Report on asbestos, ie ducts insualtion, pipe...

Deck safety...At a recent seminar titled "Decks-Plan review and problems" I was amazed at how much requirements have changed and are still changing when fastening a deck to a house and to it-self.First and foremost, let me say that deck failure is a pretty common occurrence in the United States. ...

I'm sure there have been times when questions were asked about why drywall can be used as a fire-wall seperation but cannot be used as a non-combustible seperation at a 'C' or 'B' vent. Hopefully, the attached bulletin (released by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs) will elucidate the situation...

As seen in many posts, NACHI has a "Certified Move-in" program. This is basically a pre-listing inspection that should identify any potential problems that the buyer's inspector will call-out. Also as previously stated, the term "Certified" is misleading to both the seller and any potential buyer...

Most important safety issue a home inspection uncovers.Most accidents in a home occur around the stairwells. I have found that many stairs (including exterior stairs) are potential trip hazards. A home inspector needs to carefully review all the stair systems in and outside of a house.The most co...

The perils of being a Home Inspector….   Being a home inspector has many challenges and obstacles, but at the same time can be so rewarding when you can save your client heartaches of major problems.   Telling a young couple their house is nearly perfect and they should be able to enjoy it for m...