Barry Stone
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Seller adamant about firewall requirementsSep 01, 2019 6:00 am - Q. My house was built in 1955, before firewalls were required in garages. The people who are buying it have asked me to upgrade the garage to comply with current fire sa...
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Home inspector and electrician disagreeAug 25, 2019 6:00 am - Q. The lady who bought our home hired a home inspector and then nearly drove us nuts with repair demands. The main problem was a faulty finding in the inspection report....
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Deadlocked over deadboltsAug 18, 2019 6:00 am - Q. The people who are buying my house hired a home inspector, and one of his recommendations strikes me as unreasonable. I have double-cylinder deadbolts on my front and...
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Inspections when buying commercial propertyAug 11, 2019 6:00 am - Q. Before moving to a small city, I lived in a large metropolitan area where I routinely bought, sold and developed commercial property. For many years, it had been my p...
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Linoleum, vinyl flooring is not the sameAug 04, 2019 6:00 am - Q. I read somewhere that vinyl floor coverings develop dark stains when there is moisture under the surface. A termite inspector recently found dry rot in my bathroom fl...
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Forced air furnace without safety shutoff switchJul 29, 2019 9:00 am - Q. I read about a man who changed the filter in his furnace and didn't fasten the cover on the filter compartment. As a result, he reportedly died of carbon monoxide poi...
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Work platform needed by furnace in atticJul 21, 2019 6:00 am - Q. Now that I'm selling my home, the buyer's home inspector cited my furnace because it has no work platform. This heater has been in place for nearly 20 years and has p...
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Fireplace screens, doors have different functionsJul 14, 2019 6:00 am - Q. Last year I removed the screens from my factory-built fireplace and replaced them with glass doors. Now that I'm selling the property, the buyers' home inspector says...
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Builder says window leaks are normalJul 07, 2019 6:00 am - Q. My townhouse is only two years old. During the last rains, the windows began leaking, and the windowsills cracked. Since then, I've learned that 125 other units in ou...
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Gaining experience is part of the job of a home inspectorJun 30, 2019 6:00 am - Q. I am starting a new home inspection business and would appreciate your advice. After completing a training course and ten practice inspections, I read your column sug...