Inspector's Blog
Thoughts and ideas from one of the best area home inspectors in the Bloomington Normal area.
Thieves target air-conditioning units at VFW, churches in Hernando County
0134 days
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p/pSPRING HILL — Just a week into the new year, Hernando County is already facing a crime spree — and some of the area’s most benevolent organizations are the victims./ppThieves have stolen copper tubing from well more than 20 air-conditioning units, and among their targets, the criminals have raided three churches and a Veterans of Foreign Wars post./ppIt is a shame any time our citizens are preyed upon by thieves, said Hernando sheriff’s Lt. Harold Hutchinson Jr., but it is even more painful when they target those that serve our citizens like our churches and veteran groups./ppOn New Year’s Day, thieves broke into six air-conditioning units at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Yontz Road, north of Brooksville./ppJust after midnight Monday, someone stole copper tubing components from six huge air-conditioning/heating units at VFW Post 10209 on Edward R. Noll Drive in Spring Hill./ppAbout 1 a.m. Wednesday, components were taken from another five units at Nativity Lutheran Church on Commercial Way in Weeki Wachee. That was the second time in two weeks someone had ripped off units at that location./ppLate Wednesday evening, criminals struck again at Christ Lutheran Church off North Avenue in Brooksville. All five of the church’s units were dismantled./ppThe cost to repair all of the damage will be substantial./ppThough the VFW post’s insurance carrier is expected to cover the cost to replace its six units, officials said the post must pay the $1,000 deductible and for some damaged heating strips estimated to cost $6,000./ppWe’re just holding our own right now, VFW commander Lou Lessner said of the organization’s financial situation./ppPost officials have begun planning a fundraiser, likely a musical entertainment gala, to raise the needed cash./ppLessner received a call from a security company early Monday morning after an outdoor motion detector had been triggered at the post. A search dog followed a trail from the facility and into the nearby woods until the scent vanished at a road./ppYou could tell the way they dismantled (the units) with screw guns, it wouldn’t have taken long, Lessner said./ppThe Sheriff’s Office has asked local scrap yard dealers to report any large amounts of incoming copper./ppAnyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (352) 754-6830 or the Brooksville Police Department at (352) 540-3800./ppiJohn Woodrow Cox can be reached at jcox@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1432. Beth Gray can be contacted at graybethn@earthlink.net./i/pbr//div/div
2 men arrested after 11 stolen air conditioning units found in truck
0134 days
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The two men have both been charged with 10 counts each of felony larceny, 10 counts of felony possession of stolen property, 11 counts of conspiracy to commit larceny and one count of attempted larceny, Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman reported this afternoon./ppPolice found the duo driving while responding to a report of two men stealing air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system from businesses at a strip mall near the intersection of Oak Forest Drive and Capital Boulevard./ppThe 911 caller told police that the men were in the rear of one of the businesses manipulating the air conditioner units, according to a search warrant made public today at the Wake County Clerk of Courts Office./ppThe witness told the police that the two men hopped into a U Haul truck and drove off, heading north on Capital Boulevard, court records show./ppPolice arrived and stopped the U Haul truck near the intersection of Capital and Sumner boulevards, records show./ppPolice searched the rear of the truck after Evans, who was driving, consented to a search of the vehicle. The law investigators found 11 air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system in the rear of the truck. Police believe Evans and Holden stole all 11 of the units from the strip mall, court records show./ppPolice searched Evans’ Southeast Raleigh home on Dec. 17./ppPolice discovered cast-aside emblems for Carrier and Lenox air conditioners in Evans’ backyard. They also found an aluminum grate for a York air conditioning unit, along with scraps of electrical wire, hand and power tools and a fire pit, court records show./ppPolice transported both men to the Wake County jail. Evans was released on Dec. 21 after posting a $32,000 bond. Holden was released on Dec. 24 after posting a $32,000 bond, a jail spokeswoman reported. /p
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Photos: Check out Calverton artist’s work at Riverhead Free Library
0134 days
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div id=attachment_31745 class=wp-caption aligncenter readability=3a href=http://media.timesreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/riverheadnewsreview/files/IMG_9910.jpgimg class=size-full wp-image-31745 src=http://media.timesreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/riverheadnewsreview/files/IMG_9910.jpg alt= width=475 height=343 //ap class=wp-caption-textBARBARAELLEN KOCH | Calverton artist Dennis Link, now 65, with his self portrait from 1971./p/div
pSelf-taught artist Dennis Link of Calverton had an opening reception in the Elizabeth Fox Overton Gallery at Riverhead Free Library Saturday afternoon./p
pfrisco home inspection is how he makes his living, but creating art is his “passion,” he said./p
pHe said he was raised in Brooklyn and started drawing with colored crayons at a very early age. His mother gave him and his sister “Paint by Number” sets for their birthdays, but very quickly he said he couldn’t follow the rules./p
p“Once I started, I couldn’t stop,” he said./p
pHe was inspired by the movies “Lust for Life” and “Agony and Ecstasy” and so he started to paint with more detailed and energetic brush strokes./p
pIn his 20s, Mr. Link focused on raising a family and building his real estate career and didn’t return to art until his 50s./p
p“Art makes me forget all my problems,” he said. “It lets me be in the moment, like meditation.”/p
pHis paintings, in pastels and oils, are taken from famous works of art he has studied. He said he doesn’t try to copy them, but be inspired by them, studying the brush strokes and the light. Paintings in the show, hosted by the Friends of the Library, are inspired by the works of DaVinci, Gauguin, Vermeer, Modigliani, VanGogh, Rouault, and Pollack./p
pThe show will be on view through the month of January./p
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Ask the Experts
0134 days
[]Q: What does a frisco home inspection look at? A: A frisco home inspection looks at the whole house including the exterior, structure, plumbing, heating, electrical, insulation, roof, cooling, and interior of the home.
Periodic home inspections make sense for everybody, not just buyers and sellers
0134 days
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pYou probably take your car in to your mechanic for regular maintenance, but do you give the same kind of care to your largest investment: your home?/ppKeeping up on your home’s maintenance issues will help you identify problems early, which could help save you money in the long run./ppThough many people think of a frisco home inspection as a tool to use only when they are buying or selling a home, hiring a home inspector can be useful for homeowners who have been in their house for a number of years./ppMost people are too busy with work, kids and everyday life to properly maintain their home, said Mike Chamberlain of MC2 frisco home inspections, LLC in Plainfield. Their number one investment tends to get put by the wayside and not taken care of. We can come in and do a frisco home inspection for a current homeowner and let them be aware of some of the items that are being neglected because they are so busy./ppChriss Cheatham with Homeworx Inc., Indianapolis, recommends her company’s Home Preservation Inspection every 12 to 18 months./ppWe have yet to perform an inspection that the homeowner did not learn or discover something new about their home, Cheatham said. When we are performing an inspection for a homeowner, as much as anything else, they appreciate the inspection findings and utilize this information as input when prioritizing repair needs./ppChamberlain said he frequently sees problems with homeowner do-it-yourself projects for which the proper building permits were not pulled or the work was done improperly, and often, unsafely./ppElectrical items and plumbing items are probably two of the most common violations that we see, Chamberlain said. People that watch a little too much HGTV get in and do electrical work themselves and will double tap on breakers (using one circuit breaker for multiple wires) stuff like that. Another one would be if the homeowner had an addition put onto the house and didn’t obtain a permit. That would probably hold up the closing (if the homeowner tried to sell) quite a bit until the permits are obtained./ppCheatham said she often sees issues related to poor insulation and exposed moisture entry points./ppThe most common maintenance items found during a home preservation inspection involve caulking around the home’s windows and doors, Cheatham said. Recommendations are made to make sure gutters are cleaned on a routine basis and that downspouts are free of debris. Homes of all eras benefit from regular and routine exterior maintenance to prevent moisture entry from creating larger issues and concerns./ppJust as with a frisco home inspection for buyers, reputable inspectors will look at your plumbing, heating, electrical, structure and roof./ppHome inspectors are required to be licensed in Indiana, but it’s always good to do a little extra homework. Ask for proof of insurance and independent certification, like the National Association of Home Inspectors or the American Society of Home Inspectors./ppCost will vary according to the size of the home and other factors, such as if there is a basement or crawlspace, but typically ranges from $200 to $400./p#13;
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Home inspections 101
0134 days
divdiv readability=5A frisco home inspection is a critical part of the home-buying process. But do you know how to choose the right inspector, what to expect when the inspector comes to evaluate a home, and what things the inspector will — and won’t — look for? p
Due to the importance of understanding what to expect with a frisco home inspection, and because of recent changes to Massachusetts frisco home inspection regulations, there are a number of things you should know before starting the process.
Here are 12./pp
i– Jesse Nunes, Boston.com/i
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2 men arrested after 11 stolen air conditioning units found in truck
0134 days
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The two men have both been charged with 10 counts each of felony larceny, 10 counts of felony possession of stolen property, 11 counts of conspiracy to commit larceny and one count of attempted larceny, Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman reported this afternoon./ppPolice found the duo driving while responding to a report of two men stealing air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system from businesses at a strip mall near the intersection of Oak Forest Drive and Capital Boulevard./ppThe 911 caller told police that the men were in the rear of one of the businesses manipulating the air conditioner units, according to a search warrant made public today at the Wake County Clerk of Courts Office./ppThe witness told the police that the two men hopped into a U Haul truck and drove off, heading north on Capital Boulevard, court records show./ppPolice arrived and stopped the U Haul truck near the intersection of Capital and Sumner boulevards, records show./ppPolice searched the rear of the truck after Evans, who was driving, consented to a search of the vehicle. The law investigators found 11 air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system in the rear of the truck. Police believe Evans and Holden stole all 11 of the units from the strip mall, court records show./ppPolice searched Evans’ Southeast Raleigh home on Dec. 17./ppPolice discovered cast-aside emblems for Carrier and Lenox air conditioners in Evans’ backyard. They also found an aluminum grate for a York air conditioning unit, along with scraps of electrical wire, hand and power tools and a fire pit, court records show./ppPolice transported both men to the Wake County jail. Evans was released on Dec. 21 after posting a $32,000 bond. Holden was released on Dec. 24 after posting a $32,000 bond, a jail spokeswoman reported. /p
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Police report copper theft from Edmond church
0134 days
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pEDMOND —
Three air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system were damaged when copper wire was stolen from a Baptist church in Edmond, police said./pp
Wednesday afternoon, Edmond Police Officer Nathan Fountain went to Heritage Baptist Church, 1921 E. 15th St., in reference to a copper theft, according to a report filed by Fountain./pp
Police said when the church’s pastor arrived at the church he noticed that three air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system were destroyed. He then realized that the copper was missing./pp
According to the pastor, the last time anyone was at the church probably was on Jan. 1, police said. The units were still in working order shortly after noon when services ended./pp
The air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system were valued at $9,000 and the copper wire was valued at $240, according to the police report./p
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Noisy Air Conditioners Disturb Neighbors
0134 days
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p id=paragraph1Buzz, whir, and wham./p#13;
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p id=paragraph2Choose your words — the noise from the Laguna Honda Hospital air conditioning unit is hell on earth for neighbors in San Francisco’s West of Twin Peaks and Midtown Terrace neighborhoods, a href=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/29/BA711MER20.DTLamp;feed=rss.bayareaaccording to the San Francisco Chronicle./a/p#13;
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p id=paragraph3The issue isn’t just that the large air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system installed on the roof of the hospital following its recent remodel can click on at any time, even at 3 o’clock in the morning. The issue is that they don’t so much click as roar, according to neighbor Terry Thompson, 49, whose backyard and rear deck abut the hospital on Dellbrook Avenue, according to the newspaper./p#13;
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p id=paragraph4The hospital was remodeled after a voter initiative was approved in 1999. The refurbished hospital opened in 2010. The air conditioning unit operates at 47 to 50 decibels, according to hospital spokesman Marc Slavin — and that’s well within legal limits./p#13;
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p id=paragraph5Nonetheless, Slavin said the hospital will try to make the generators quieter to soothe frazzled neighbors, who say that the noise disrupts what used to be a peaceful neighborhood./p#13;
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p id=paragraph6In the meantime, Thompson, who is active in neighborhood affairs, unfurled a large yellow banner on his house, outlining his position: LHH noise disturbs us!/p#13;
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Air-Conditioning Units Stolen
0134 days
divdiv class=story last readability=15pTinley Park, Ill. – Four rooftop air-conditioning units were stolen between Dec. 12 and 19 from a southwest suburban Tinley Park real estate office, police said./p pThe five-ton units valued at $6,000, and compressors from two units valued at $3,000, were stolen from the office located in the 6800 block of West 179th Street, police said./p pFootprints were found on the roof, and several pieces of the units were found in a field north of the office, police said./p pFive air-conditioning units were stolen overnight Dec. 18 to 19 from a condominium complex in the 17900 block of Royal Oak Court, police said. Copper tubing and electrical cables connected to the units were cut, police said./p /div/div
What Others Have Been Saying…