Structure Talk

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...

Today’s episode digs into the topic of electricity. Tessa leads the technical talk about the difference between grounding and bonding: “why we have it,” “what it means, ” and “what it does.” At the same time, Reuben explains the distinction between being electrocuted from being shocked. He also explains the difference between Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Thes...

Dan Sibinski with Keller Williams Classic Realty joins the show to discuss whether or not we’re in a housing bubble. Dan discusses the housing market trends in Minnesota, with a deep-dive into inventory, interest rates, and how those affect the market. There are a lot of numbers and trends discussed during this podcast, and it will greatly help to follow along with the graphs and charts posted on...

Daniel Felt, the owner of Kura Home Maintenance , joins the show for the second time. He catches up with Bill, Tessa, and Reuben about the secrets to the thriving success of their business. He shares about providing the various needs of their clients as they are expanding in promising states nationwide. He also highlights the importance of having a customer-focused team and how this culture has he...

Brendan Ryan, the president of the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI) joins the show to talk about the National Home Inspection Exam (NHIE). Brendan explains the complexity and importance of taking a psychometric exam for a home inspection license.  Passing the high-stakes examination is an advantage in the market as well as a requirement in various associations such as the...

When we talk about real estate real agents, usually they would convince people to buy the property because of this and that. May it be in the seller’s market or buyer’s market, we never heard of them telling anyone anything other than “Why now is the good time to buy!”  But today, we will hear a different story that will knock us off our feet. Michael Bartus , residential Realtor® extraordinaire o...

Dirk van Reenen, the co-founder and owner of Inspector Empire Builder (IEB) joins the show to talk about the business of home inspections. The show starts off with Dirk introducing himself and his company. He shares how they work with other companies by opening up the lanes of growth in structure and the people in the organization, which opens up the scalability, growth, profitability, and time fr...

Steve Trumble, the owner of Chimney Doctor s in the Twin Cities, joins the show to talk about all things related to chimneys. The show starts off with Steve introducing himself and his company. He also discusses a metal fabrication company which he owns. Then, Steve, having  a massive amount of knowledge about this topic, answers the following questions: How can there be such discrepancies in most...

Today’s episode features George Ury, a licensed Truth in Sale of Housing evaluator and one of the finest home inspectors at Structure Tech. Today’s focus is on Minneapolis Truth-in-Housing Evaluations, and the whole new energy component that was added last year. George discusses how the new TISH evaluations are going and shares some of the inspections he has participated in. He also shares how thi...

The show starts off with Peter Troast, the founder and CEO of Energy Circle , sharing a little bit about himself and his company. He joins the show to talk about the concept of healthy homes and indoor air quality and some of the changes that people are starting to think about in terms of their homes and the actual health of the indoor air they're breathing in on a day-to-day basis. He  then...

Kevin Wagstaff, the co-CEO of Spectora , joins the show to talk about home inspection software, the home inspection industry, and company culture. The show starts off with Kevin introducing himself and how he decided to get into the home inspection industry from a technology perspective. He  then answers the following questions: How much competition is there in the home inspection software field?...