Ceramic Tile and Stone
I have been doing Inspections in Florida before we needed a license and I never seen any information on Floor Tile Inspections. Yes, we all can look at tile and put in a report missing grout, chipped tile, cracked tile. But have you ever got on your Knees and checked the tile for bonding?? In Florida construction have installers that all they think about is hurry up and get er done at the lower cost possible. I check all tile floors on every Inspection and the Real Estate professionals tell me they never seen that before. The only thing holding the tile in place is the grout in new construction and old. I had new houses on the market three (3) floors and 60% to 75% of tile was not bonded to the floor. The Real Estate Agent got very upset and never called me again, oh too bad. I work for my paying customer. The buyer still bought the home after the contractor removed all of the tile and had it reinstall with a quality thin set, that’s all it was. By now you are thinking how do you check floor tile? It’s with a sounding tool. Where can I get one? At any hardware, it’s a hammer. Take a light hammer and carefully lay it on its side with hammer and claw on floor, using your hand and arm to push and pull the sounding tool. Listen for a hollow sound. RS
Metal connector into the roof to wall attachment. This is a concrete block house. The metal connector is embedded. It wraps around the truss but do not have a nail in that side. It have three nails in the front side so will be classified as a CLIP. “Metal connectors with a minimum of one strap that wraps over the top of the truss/rafter and does not meet the nail position requirements for C or D , but is secure with a minimum of 3 nails”
Almost done with course for license renewal in FL
Was looking at the infrared pictures in the gallery. Bee thinking about buying a camera for awhile. It is worth it. How useful is in a standard inspection? Can it increase liability by mistakes?
The doors and windows on this older home were not impact rated. However, there was evidence of Miami-Dade County Product Approval hurricane coverings in the garage and windows and doors had evidence of their installation (i.e. white pegs around openings). The owner of this home would get a covering credit.
Here is a photo of an older wooden door which is non-impact rated and had no Miami-Dade County Product Approval covering. All of the windows on this home were impact rated for HVHZ except for the side lite at front door. This home consisted of a sliding glass door at the back which was also impact rated for HVHZ.
We left the house without charge after explaining to the homeowner that they could either get a new HVHZ impact rated front door and side lite or they could buy Miami-Dade Product Approved panels for the front door and sixed side window which would also give them full covering credit.
I understand.
The roof construction shape is a hip roof, there is no window protection for this house as well as the doors. The garage door is o early model and dose not meet any hurricane standards.
Garage doors are spring operated and is usually operated by a wall switch or a wireless device. Newer garage door have electronic eyes to stop the door from hitting vehicles in the entry way, they are also suppost to reverse when met with resistance.
The roof geometry of this house is a hip roof. In the picture above you can see there are no flat vertical walls connecting to the roof system. The pitch, or slope, of the roof angles down towards each corner of the structure. Flat vertical walls that connect to the roof system are known as gable end walls. Sufficient bracing of gable end walls to the roof system would increase the structural envelope of the building. Hip roofs enable the wind to flow over the building with 40% lower pressure than gable roofs. Gable end roofs can obtain 100 psf where hip roofs can be as high as 60 psf. There for hip roofs offer less resistance which means less possible damage.
This photograph depicts an example of a roof to wall attachment. The metal connector in this configuration is referred to as a “single wrap”. The connector in this photo meets the minimum
conditions to “qualify” for the purpose of the “Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form”
OIR-B1–1802. The strap wraps over the top of the truss and is secured to the truss with a minium of two nails on the front side and a minimum of 1 nail on the opposing side, with less than ½" gap from the truss, and is free of visible severe rust / corrosion.
Very good information on residential electrical panels. Most homeowners, as well as some professionals, never consider the potential danger always present with electrical equipment. The library here is a valuable resource. Good reading for anyone.
The attached picture is of a single wrap strap installed on a concrete block wall. This strap is correctly installed as it wraps fully around the truss, has more than two nails on front and at least one nail on the back. Though this strap was installed correctly the roof to wall connection was marked as clips on the report as there were several straps installed that did not fully wrap over the truss and had no nails on the backside of the truss. 
Legal and Risk Management (Avoiding Lawsuits)
Today I learned to never call myself or my company and “expert” as his is help to a different and higher standard in court. I also learned how using a client satisfaction survey after every inspection can help keep me out of court.
The garage door pictured below is in a house that was built in 1997. The door has both vertical and horizontal bracing. It has only four mounting brackets for the track, attached to the 2x6 that has four ½” diameter expansion anchors. The sticker that was found on the door expresses it as a wind load resistant door only, rated at 100 MPH. There is not documentation to classify this door as impact rated.
Essay with attached photos.
Attached is an example of Miami Dade county approved shutters with a photo of the label/sticker. These accordion shutters are acceptable for Miami Dade and Broward county, as well as the remainder of the state. Miami Dade and Broward counties are the High-velocity hurricane zone, abbreviated at HVHZ.
How to Sign a Contract on Behalf of a Corporation or LLC
Today I learned how to conduct business transactions while preserving the protection afforded by the corporate or LLC business structure. Creating a signature line that incorporates your acting title in the business structure, indicates that you are acting on behalf of the company in that capacity and not in a personal way. Keeping business activities and responsibilities separated from personal transactions is crucial in shielding personal assets from legal actions associated with the business.
Aluminum Wiring:
In South Florida aluminum wiring is prevalent in some communities due to the age of the homes and/or the builders. The city of Tamarac is “famous” for aluminum wiring being present, and I have seen evidence of previous fires, or wires overheating, at outlets in many of the homes I have inspected. A good “rule of thumb” is homes built or expanded between 1965 and 1973 are more likely to have aluminum wiring than houses built before or after those years. So always pay attention to the year the home was built, and always in Tamarac, Fl. 
I have chosen a picture of the front of my house. The picture shows a hip roof configuration from the front. If I were to attach photos of the sides and back of the house I would be able to prove a completely “hip” configuration for the maximum discount on the 1802 form. I can also use this photo to note the roof covering as architectural shingle.
Michael Blumin
5 Star Inspection Services, LLC
I chose to read the essay on adjustable steel columns. For each of the essays requiring reading I choose a topic that I may not know all of the details about. In This case I knew most of the requirement for steel “lally” columns. However, I did not know that there can not be more than 3" of the adjustable screw jack exposed. I also learned that the vertical plumb tolerance is 1" or less.
Michael Blumin
5 Star Inspection Services LLC