Washington's Building Museum has a feature called LAWN. Built on scaffolding is a turf hill with hammocks and corn hole games. On a blazing Sunday afternoon families were having a wonderful time. Other exhibits include the progression of home building from mortise and tenon, to balloon framing, to platform framing, to high energy efficiency buildings. The display below shows how vinyl siding works. Go visit! #exterior #misc

OK, this is the best photo I've taken this year. Photosynthesis happening on pots in our fish pond. Enlarge it if you can on your desktop to see more details. This little pond gives us so much joy. Just have to clean the filter weekly and not add more than 1/5 of the volume of new water at a time. We put the fish in a trash can full of water with a bubbler that was running for at least a day when we clean out the pond every late spring. #misc

When my aunt would come visit she would open our closets looking for I don't know what. I remember how odd I thought that was...too personal. Now I do that everyday in someone else's house. I take the intimacy very seriously and be as respectful as I can. Some houses are just sadder than others...because people have not been able to take care of them or they are no longer on this earth. Such was the case in the house with the pictures above...a lifetime of collecting. A m

Well, as with any insurance, they're betting against you. They're trying to get you to make a monthly payment forever that maybe you'll forget about. Costs range from $400 to over $1000 a year. What is actually covered varies considerably. You always have to pay a service fee. This article from the Washington Post lists the pitfalls and recommends just having a savings account for repairs. They also suggest you ask for the cash value of warranties offered by sellers, in

How much will your utilities cost? This is like Zillow for home values: based on aggregate data (an estimate) It's called Utility Score. Click on image for link. Provides all publicly available records on a home's history regarding building permits and such. I recommend this particularly in homes that seem to have a lot of DYI work: you want proper permits for renovations or you may have to redo them when you sell. Click on image for link. HowLoud uses algorithmns to es

I used to describe myself as part bear because I just wanted to hibernate all winter. The video for this supplement was very convincing so I tried it. Gundry is a well-known cardiac physician who experimented on himself to find the right mixture. It has B vitamins for energy, several different probiotics for happy gut and ribose sugars to enhance ATP, which our mitochondria use to give us energy. After about 3 weeks of use I noted a distinct difference and just get tired

BUT MY EXCUSE IS THE SUN WAS IN MY EYES! Went with my son, Alex, to a favorite spot on the Potomac. Trying to take a selfie photo but my phone provided a new offering of a video, so there we were. Also brought home a lovely souvenir driftwood stump. This thing is 3 feet across! #misc

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A whole month of rain! Record high mold levels! General dreariness... Then a gorgeous fall day and lovely evening at the river. #misc

I've seen dog, cat, burrower bee, ant, termite, wood pecker, racoon, squirrel, mice and rat damage but no beaver dams yet! Be sure to peruse other, more serious, blog posts to help your clients make the most of their new home! #pests #misc

A roof in DC, century old building, welcoming another spring! #misc

A gleaming photo of the Obama's in a derelict room. The occupant must have just passed away. Belongings were everywhere, prescription bottles full on the kitchen counter. A window had been broken and the copper pipes cut out. At $7 a pound couldn't have been more than 10 pounds worth but the damage very expensive to fix. However the structure is in very good shape: hardly a crack in the well applied plaster. The new owner is going to bring the house back to life... foll

Well, a good day to think about sticking together...people and things! Happy Valentine's Day! This cross was made from an centuries old oak tree grown on the grounds of Geo Washington's church in Alexandria. It didn't have a stand so it fell on the floor and cracked at the middle. So I researched epoxies and found a Gorrilla Glue product. It can be used to add body and is clear so it matches the finish on the cross. Then I made the stand so it's integrity now stands a cha

This is extremely bright, can be dropped repeatedly (which I have done!), and can be focused to get just the right exposure when taking pictures, like close up in a basement corner or far away, lets say of a wet eave inside an attic. It's compact enough to fit in a pocket, albeit a big one. This twin pack is an especially good deal including Duracell batteries. Click on image for link. #electric #misc #maintenance

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Talk about squeaky wheel! How about dozens of them! This is a lot simpler than getting out the grease gun. Click on image for link. #misc #remodel #maintenance

This service was being marketed to Home Inspectors but it seems more appropriate for realtors to offer to their clients. Or for home buyers to check out before they call me. I feel comfortable assessing the current condition of the house. Past events may or may not be relevant to that. Also the information in these reports may be incomplete or inaccurate. It does seem like an easy way to check if permits have been obtained for renovations. Click on image for video. #remodel

It sure has been hot these days. There was not much clearance in this crawlspace. Crawling only. Did feel kinda free, like in a cocoon. Camera found me instead of a joist. #misc

I like my fireworks up close. This is House Party by Black Cat! #misc

I've gotten a number of inquiries from you all about what happens July 1 in Virginia. Up until then you could do a home inspection and not be certified by the State. On July 1 all home inspectors must be licensed by Virginia. We who were already certified will automatically become licensed. There is an additional requirement regarding inspection of new homes. We all need to take an 8 hour course in Fredericksburg to make sure we are up to date on current codes. More abou