Structure Talk

Today, Leonard Segal joins the show to talk about Covid-19 vaccine mandates. How will this affect the home inspection industry? Is vaccination required among inspectors? Can clients deny services from non-vaccinated providers? Reuben highlights that vaccination against Covid-19 is a common subject among small business owners and employees. Leonard shares that the Department of Labor’s Occupational...

Ryan Carey from My3quotes.com joins the show to talk about different window types and manufacturers. His company provides customers with an unbiased review of different products from different stores and contractors. Reuben recalls one of the most popular blogs by Ryan about Andersen vs Pella Vs Marvin . Then, Ryan talks about the pros and cons of their window products. He also discusses his prefe...

Today's show is about household maintenance that needs to be done before a long winter. Bill, Tessa, and Reuben talk about what to check and clean. They highlight the under-maintained areas of a house. They start by discussing the water system from sprinklers or lawn irrigation systems; how to properly disconnect garden hoses, sump pumps, drain exterior faucets, drain traps; and how to avoid...

Today's show talks about how home inspectors go beyond the call of duty and help homeowners more than expected. Reuben explains wood foundations and moisture testing, polybutylene plumbing  and leaking. Tessa talks about health and safety issues such as drafting at combustion appliances, microbial growth in houses and elevated levels of moisture. Bill shares his experience with carbon monoxid...

It's Fire Prevention Week! Skip Walker , the owner of Walker Property Evaluation Services from San Bruno, California, joins today's show to talk about fire safety. He is one of the authors of the Code Check series and is well-rounded about home inspections and building codes, and is multi-awarded by ASHI. Skip mentions that there are roughly 3,000 fire-related deaths in US homes. He disc...

Today Ryan Carey , the owner of My 3 Quotes , joins the show to talk about getting the best provider for your building needs. Ryan shares how he provides customers an unbiased review of different products with 3 quotes from 3 different contractors. They fill the space between a homeowner and a contractor by guiding them to have an informed decision. Moreover, they discuss the differences not only...

Cladding is an exterior siding of a building. It can be stone, brick, steel, vinyl, or an Exterior Insulating Finishing System (EIFS). And it’s definitely pronounced “EEFS”, not “EEFUS”. According to Mark, the best cladding that will give the least potential for failure depends totally on how it’s installed; and there are specific instructions for each type of material. However, water problems are...

The northern part of the USA has a different situation in terms of pests. Scott Dorn, the owner of BOGO (Buy One Give One), Pest Control , joins the show to talk about managing pests. Scott talks about the history and foundation of their company. He hates using poison, and suggests going over a checklist of all the different things that you have tried before resorting to poison. Reuben also shares...

Today we are joined by the friends and colleagues of Rick Norling to honor and remember him. Rick Norling was one of the original founders of Structure Tech, back in 1987. Before he passed away, he was a full-time radon technician. He also founded Operation HighGround , an organization that identifies and implements strategies to help Veterans with housing, employment, education, and transportatio...

Bill is thinking about installing a tongue & groove ceiling at his cabin, but Tessa and Reuben give his idea no love. Tessa shares that air leakage and moisture getting into the attic can be prevented in multiple ways. However, the climate zone, amount of air leakage, humidity levels in the house, size of the attic space, and the volume of air in the attic are major factors in how the ceiling...

Carbon monoxide (CO) leaking inside the house is a serious concern. How are they tested? What harm will it cause? How do you properly manage a furnace? According to Reuben, experts in the field conflict with each other on how to properly test CO on furnaces. While it is not required in the standard inspection process, he shares the common and right way to do it. Tessa discusses the types of furnac...

Fireplaces are decorative and give beautiful ambiance, but what are the safety issues? How do we address and prevent them? How do we inspect fireplaces? Reuben mentions that gas log fireplaces are the closest to the real thing. However, he doesn't recommend this kind of fireplace. He discusses the differences between gas fireplaces, going over the key differences in such items as a gas log, l...

Today's episode is about windows. How easy is it to identify window problems? What causes these problems? How are they inspected? Do you need new windows? Reuben and Tessa discuss their observations about the kinds of windows that are usually damaged due to poor moisture control, condensation, and temperature or weather conditions. Reuben also shares his experience with his failed windows whi...

It's the final stretch for the talk about Structure Tech's home inspection process series. Tessa, Reuben, and Bill start by talking about the top 5 things that they specifically look for when walking inside a house. They follow a step-by-step flow process that they stick to, in order to avoid being distracted and missing things. Tessa talks about checking outlets, windows, and bedrooms,...

Today's episode is a continuation of Structure Tech's home inspection process. Bill opens the show by asking about getting permission from the homeowners to open attics. He also touches on the topic of having minors in the house during the inspection. Reuben highlights that the real estate contract in Minnesota defines intrusive inspections as when the property has changed. Reuben talks...

Today's episode is part one of Structure Tech's home inspection flow process and why we do things this way. The standard process has been developed and enhanced since the start of the company.  Tessa shares the process flow which starts from a pre-inspection call. Tessa continues to share that from a quick walk outside the house, the team will proceed to wake up the house and use infrare...

Today, Josh Kerber from the Minnesota Department of Health will talk about radon gas. He is a research scientist who does applied research in building construction, specifically with indoor air. Tessa checks the statistics of existing vs newly constructed homes that have radon. Reuben clarifies the action level to which one is encouraged to do something to fix it. While Bill confirms the licensure...

Reuben Saltzman joins Waypoint Real Talk as a guest. He talks about how Structure Tech started and how its online presence since 2008 has helped the company grow. He shares that blogging on the company website allowed them to reach their market as well as other home inspectors. He also allows guest-blogging by inviting trade professionals to co-author. He highlights keeping content up-to-date by b...

Welcome to Structure Talk episode 100! Kevin Wagstaff , one of the founders of Spectora, joins today's show to talk about their company. Spectora is the fastest, easiest, and advanced home inspection software that is currently assisting around 5,000 home inspectors in the US. He shares that their focus is making reliable, understandable, and useful information for inspectors and homeowners. R...

Today’s session revisits the purpose of the show and discusses the plan to realign its focus to more specific and technical topics. Reuben shares that the show was originally designed for diligent homeowners who want to learn more about their house, real estate agents, and home inspectors. We're considering a new target audience of just home inspectors, but we'd like to hear your input....

Andy Schreder , Chief Building Officer of Rum River Construction Consultants joins today’s session to talk about ‘’Structural Insulated Panels’’ or SIPs. These are insulated foam cores with an OSB or plywood glued on each face; it acts as a structural component as an exterior wall assembly. Currently, their company is raising funds to erect SIPs buildings in Haiti. Andy shares that SIPs are becomi...

For today’s episode, the gang will talk about the checklist one should consider when moving into a new house; what is important and what should be fixed? The show starts off with Tessa sharing her experience when she went under inspector duty to assist her parents when they moved into a house that was built in 2006. In 15 years, some mechanical equipment must be replaced such as the furnace, water...

Reuben shares a recent water disaster with his kitchen water heater. He tapped 24Restore , a service company that specializes in emergency damage caused by water, fire, biohazards, and storms. He then shares the process and his full experience with the dispatch team of Jesse and David. Jesse Jackman shares that their company's primary goal is to help, to secure the property and belongings, an...

May is the National Deck Safety Month. In Today's podcast, Reuben shares his experiences in building decks and home inspections. He explains the attachment methods, how to prevent deck failures, maintenance and deterioration, and safety. While decks are good D-I-Y projects to add living space, some components must work together and some building codes must be followed. Related link https://st...

Building and renovating houses is getting expensive! In today's podcast, Bill shares that the cost of materials has been rising. Capacity, logistics, and tariffs issues contribute to the increase in prices. Reuben shares about the current prices of lumber in the market. The use of structural insulated panels, even a 100-year old iron bathtub may aid the expenses. However, Tessa shares that pa...