Barry Stone
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Homeowner worried about depth of foundationDec 15, 2017 5:00 am - Q. I'm worried about my house. Last week, I learned that the foundation violates the building code because it does not extend deep enough into the ground. If the buildin...
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Forced air furnaces in closets can be problematicDec 08, 2017 5:00 am - Q. We recently read about a man who changed the filter in his furnace and did not replace the cover on the filter compartment. As a result, he reportedly died of carbon ...
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Contractor loses job over asbestos testingDec 01, 2017 5:00 am - Q. I hope you don't mind another asbestos question. As a general contractor, I was bidding on the remodel of an old home. The ceilings had acoustic texture, sometimes kn...
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Home inspection limited to what is visibleNov 24, 2017 5:00 am - Q. We bought our house five years ago and hired a home inspector to find all the defects. After all these years, we learned that an important defect was omitted from the...
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Homeowner worried about wall cracksNov 17, 2017 5:00 am - Q. Our home is less than a year old and cracks have already formed at the metal edges near the wall corners in some rooms. Our fear is that settlement problems are causi...
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Recipe for unsavory, but necessary, restaurant repairNov 03, 2017 7:00 am - Q. I am presently selling my restaurant and am puzzled by a demand that was made by the buyer. In the kitchen, there are three sinks used for food preparation. Under two...
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Improperly installed shake roof wears prematurelyOct 27, 2017 6:00 am - Q. When my home was 4 years old, I installed a wood shake roof over the original asphalt shingles. That was about 20 years ago. I was told the shakes would last about 30...
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Deadlocked over drainage problemOct 20, 2017 6:00 am - Q. We're trying to decide whether to cancel escrow on the home we are buying. Our home inspector found 6 inches of water under the building, and he recommends a drainage...
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Buyer unsure how to choose home inspectorOct 13, 2017 6:00 am - Q. My agent gave me a list of local home inspectors, but she expressed no preference for any particular one. When I asked her for a definite recommendation, she said her...
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Disclosure laws differ by stateOct 06, 2017 7:00 am - Q. We bought a house a couple months ago and there are railroad tracks running behind the back fence. The sellers and the Realtor said the tracks were used on weekends o...