A Northern Virginia Home Inspector's Perspective

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Home Inspector - Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - 3380-000723

ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS

2012 

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." Patrick Henry (1736-1799) So here is yet ANOTHER Founding Father's prescience that we have not taken...
01/30/2012
I really like seeing finished carpentry this, especially on new construction. One thing I like to see on new construction, especially the high end, is the finished carpentry.  Indoors and out.  That is the easiest way, and most visible way, a builder can set itself off from the crowd. SO WHY DON'...
01/29/2012
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I ask myself that all the time.  Where DO old toys go? Or where SHOULD they go? I wrote a post a while ago about Rabbit.  Rabbit had an interesting adventure.  He punked a hawk! For years we have bought furry squeaky toys for our dog Jenny. They have always lasted about 2 days.  She rips into the...
01/28/2012
Jay's Saturday morning haiku - 15 The English form of the traditional Japanese Haiku includes any or all of the following: The use of 17 syllables, in the form of three lines, with 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.  Some haiku may employ 10 - 14 syllables, but 17 is traditional. The use of a sea...
01/27/2012
How do you know when you have a carpenter bee infestation, and what should you do? Do you see the stain on the aluminum siding? That is a sure sign there was a carpenter bee infestation in the past. It might be current and active. Sometimes I see 10 or 20 of these stains all along the underside o...
01/26/2012
Where would we be without classic light fixtures? And you know'em when you see'em. I think these will never go out of fashion.  I think these SHOULD never go out of fashion! Stylish and shapely, this baby probably adorns every house in the country older than 30 or 35 years. It's wired correctly -...
01/25/2012
During a new construction inspection, what should I do when appliances don't sound right? One of the goals on a new construction inspection is to test things.  Unless the builder makes it clear some appliance is not completely installed and should not be tested, I test them all.  That's why we're...
01/24/2012
"Never was capitalism imposed on life as a system, or at all.  It grew out of life, not all at once but gradually, and is therefore one of the great natural designs.  When it was found and identified by such men as Adam Smith, who wrote its bible, and Karl Marx, who wrote its obituary too soon, i...
01/23/2012
Coming home soon, the Young Man From Afghanistan had access to a computer!  This tour has not offered much computer opportunity.  So he took advantage when he got to one and sent me a bunch of photos.     Here is a typical farm. Remember, the area is extremely dry. This photo shows millenia-old i...
01/22/2012
I was exceptionally interested when I got a call from a former client telling me that lightning, and the gas piping system, caused a house fire. Just under a couple of years ago I did an inspection for this couple's elderly mother's retirement condo.  During the inspection I had noticed that the ...
01/21/2012
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Jay Markanich

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
local_phone(703) 330-6388
smartphone(703) 585-7560
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An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.