Posted at Nick’s request:
Tonight’s episode of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition (Addition?), which (so I was told by the show’s producer) deals with a house on the west side of Chicago. A friend of mine, Joel Fox, who is a framing and joining foreman and will soon be a Master Carpenter (and will also soon be a speaker at a meeting of our Chapter). Two interesting points:
· Ever wonder how that can pour a concrete foundation and build a house in a week (normally, the time it takes to just cure the foundation)? They brought in a ‘special mixture’ of concrete. It was steaming as they poured it and the City of Chicago Police Dept. escorted the cement trucks. You should have seen those guys scramble to level and screen the slab! Multiple ad mixtures. The pulled off the forms in 5 hours and it was just perfect.
· They built a ‘green roof’ on the house. This is a really silly invention where they put soil and other stuff (fired and disinfected sludge) on the roof and grow plants. It is hoped that the soil will soak up the rain and that the plants will use it and ‘evaporate’ it into the air, thus avoiding having all that water drain into the storm sewers. I will tell you, from what I saw, the ‘engineering’ of the roof joists was a joke. I fully expect the whole roof to collapse within a year of two. There was tons of soil added and, as far as Joel and I could determine from looking at the plans, no consideration for all that excess weight.
Check it out. Sorry for the short notice (the show airs in about 1/2 hour).
They interviewed me, and I spoke about home inspection (especially in new construction!) (especially in Chicago (where ‘code’ is seen as the Hold Writ of G-d)), but I don’t know if that footage is lying on the cutting room floor. Look for a 6’ 8" dork in an orange shirt.
Also, working on having the Chapter be phone answerers and pledge takers for the local PBS station, (Channel 11) during the next pledge drive. Trying to get an ‘Ask This Old House’ marathon as the show we work on.
Just trying to get exposure for us and NACHI.
Hope this helps;