Structure Talk

Today we will deconstruct the five recent blogs by Reuben as he shares his inspiration for writing his blogs. Reuben talks about gas safety, sediment traps, lighting a gas fireplace, and other gas-burning appliances. Bill asks about serious gas-related incidents that happened to them. They also talk about moisture testing vinyl siding. Reuben shares that newer stucco homes must be tested. He talks...

The three-legged stool talks about new ideas from podcast feedback and projects and opposing perspectives. They talk about a listener’s feedback about the science of EMF. Bill gives an analogy about accepting new ideas and how Nate Johnson is ahead of his time. Reuben opens the discussion with an e-mail he received about water problems and saturated soil that affects the foundation. Tessa discusse...

Today we reconnect with a client to talk about their first home inspection experience and their path to becoming a diligent homeowner. Alex bought his house 10 months ago and has learned so much since. Alex shares about having zero knowledge about home maintenance and discovering Structure Tech. He also talks about his experience from purchasing his house, the home inspection process, the defects...

The home inspection industry is subject to lawsuits. Attorney Steve Laitinen , a litigator and a trial lawyer from Larson King Law Firm, joins the show to discuss home inspection legal issues. Steve discusses the typical lawsuits against inspectors. He mentions that cases vary in different jurisdictions- some have specific statutes of limitation for the type of claim. Reuben highlights that some o...

Bill sits with Rob Thomas of Sussel Garages to talk about garage works. They discuss replacing and rebuilding garages, ideal sizes for multiple cars, trusses, heating, and cooling. They also discuss installing solar panels in garages and building accessory dwelling units. Rob mentions that they build around 150-200 garages in a year and discusses the timeline for completing one project. They also...

Today’s conversation with Bill Oelrich and Nate Johnson , consultant for electromagnetic frequency issues is part two of the EMF assessment process. Nate discusses the four categories and exposure concerns that Newlight EMF looks at in the assessment. He talks about electric fields, magnetic fields, radio frequency, and the sub-categories of energy. He also shares that the assessment may take 4 t...

Today, the owner of New Light EMF , Nate Johnson and Bill Oelrich talk about electromagnetic fields, where they come from, how it affects our bodies, and how to remediate and reduce exposures. Nate describes what EMFs are and where these high frequencies and energies mostly come from. He highlights that there has been an exponential increase in these energies in the last 20 years due to wireless t...

Today the team digs in on some highlights about home warranties. They break down some topics from a discussion with Shelley Johnson with Home Warranty of America. Reuben discusses the basic and specific coverage for a home warranty. They talk about coverable cases for PEACH: plumbing, electrical, appliances, cooling, and heating. Bill highlights that home inspections help the warranty situation; w...

Vickie Swenson , from Minnesota Mold Inspection joins the show to talk about smells and odors in houses. According to Vickie, the most common triggers for a mold inspection are molds found by inspectors, the homeowners seeing or smelling something, flooding, or getting sick. She mentions that they are mostly called for musty odors, mouse urine, cat urine, and sewer gas. Moreover, Vickie shares abo...

Jessie Green , former president of the North Star Chaper of American Association of Radon Scientist and Technologists (AARST), and present owner of American Radon Mitigation joins today's session to discuss radon systems. Jessie mentions that there is radon in every house, but the levels vary. Tessa highlights that high levels of radon can be present even in houses without basements. Jessie t...

Dr. Allison Bailes , author of the Energy Vanguard blog joins the show to talk about air return ducts. They talk about heating and air conditioning systems. Allison discusses that the most affected are the bedroom and it's important to have a return air pathway to help with better airflow. He then talks about having central return and dedicated return pathways and how to set these systems up....

Today’s show is about the top inspection defects that could make buyers think twice before sealing the deal. Reuben and Tessa discuss various foundation problems which can be caused by failed water management systems. This led them to talk about soil conditions in the Minneapolis area. They tackle their inspection experiences with hidden fire or smoke damage, electrical wiring, stucco siding, roof...

People want to maximize space in the house, the bedroom included. What are the allowed appliances in the bedroom? The trio talks about having a gas fireplace, natural gas furnaces, room and water heaters, decorative appliances, and others. Reuben establishes that gas appliances are not allowed in sleeping rooms and bathrooms unless specific requirements are met. He highlights the need for a direct...

A quality bedroom makes a house more marketable. This episode talks about qualifications, the technical and practical aspects of a bedroom. Reuben defines what a bedroom is. Tessa talks about the qualified dimensions, floor area, ceiling height, and headroom. They also talk about the practical and technical requirements such as the heat source, safety requirements such as emergency exits, alarms,...

Mike Twitty joins the show to talk about electrical questions that were accumulated from listener emails. Reuben asks about surge protection devices. He mentions that Structure Tech doesn't add information in reports about surge protectors. Mike explains the types of surge protection devices, what they do, where they are installed, and which appliance or equipment they're used with. He a...

Today, Reuben talks about simple air conditioning maintenance items for indoor air quality and air comfort. Reuben shares three maintenance tips. He first discusses the importance of changing furnace filters and how it can lead to restricted or reduced airflow. He and Tessa then talk about how an oversized AC system and unchanged filters can also negatively affect the health of the house. The seco...

Today's show is about handyman services and its business difficulties. Daniel Felt of Kura Home shares that they ventured into providing handyman services for more than a year. While it was booming it also encountered manpower and financial challenges. He mentioned that one of their major challenges is managing expectations with their clients. He talks about the miscommunications they had wit...

Realtor Joe Schwartzbauer from the Grey Duck Properties team joins the show to talk about real estate market updates. Joe mentions that the market is starting to get back to normal from the limitations of the pandemic. He talks about the rising interest rates and possible rate-lock, the seller's behavior and mentality, and home inspection strategies. He mentions that 42% of the latest accepte...

Today's podcast covers bad electric panels, as well as panels with bad reputations that really aren't bad. This includes a discussion of Challenger panels , Bulldog/pushmatic panels, FPE Stab-Lok Panels , and Zinsco/Sylvania panels. E-mail podcast@structuretech.com for your questions, comments or other correspondence.

Founder of Zsako Home Inspections Inc. , Istvan Zsako joins today's show to talk about sewer inspections. Istvan is a fellow home inspector and entrepreneur from New Mexico, with over 22 years of experience in Home Building, Remodeling, and Home Maintenance. He shares how he got into sewer camera inspection and the training he underwent as well as the licensing requirements for home inspectio...

Today's show is part two of red flags that buyers should look out for to avoid big and expensive issues when checking out properties. Windows is one to look at first, especially the type of windows that potentially are going to rot. Tessa advises giving windows a gentle push or touch to see if they are solid or rotted. She highlights that replacing windows can be a huge expense for home buyer...

Today's show is about red flags buyers should look out for when buying a property. Reuben and Tessa run through tips and recommendations when checking a house. Tessa shares where and how to look at the roof for any defects, damages, or irregularities. Reuben adds that there's a lot that can be seen from the ground to alert buyers of a bad roof. He highlights that it's important to k...

Today, the three-legged stool breaks down and digests the recent podcast about insulation with Patrick Huelman . Tessa starts the discussion by talking about Patrick's applied research and development in residential houses with the Building America Program that is led by the Department of Energy. This program focuses on energy efficiency and building performance issues, ( durability, quality,...

Brock Verville shares his unique perspective as a home inspector and a firefighter for the City of Albertville and talks about fire safety and fire codes. Brock quotes that fire codes are written in blood. He explains that the purpose of codes is to correct something that caused injury or death in the past and they are driven out of tragedies or avoidable things that had occurred. They talk about...

Owner of Inspection WerX s and Appraisal WerX , Lanny Freng joins the show to talk about the property appraisal industry. Lanny talks about the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) and the Appraisal Management Company (AMC) and how it changed the industry and the appraiser's relationship with mortgage companies since 2008. While appraisers continue to carry through, Lanny explains that appra...