Humanity 09.23.21

I was sitting at the stoplight at Division and Austin. Muse was playing Hysteria. Aside from the fact that this is one of my all-time favorites songs, there's a particular hook that happens twice in the song, if you know the song you know what I'm talking about. ...just so much fun to play on air guitar.

Anyway, I'm sitting at division and Austin rocking Hysteria, and that hook comes up and I'm rocking out. 

As I'm rocking out, I look to my left and there's a guy sitting in front of a laundromat having as much fun as I am watching me rock out.

Seeing him laughing, then turning back into the laundromat obviously saying to the person or people inside, "Hey, y'all gotta see this!", I yell to him as he turns back to me, "Dude, it's a really good song."

He yells back, "I can see that!"

Today was a good day. 

What does Anachroism Mean? or I think I Made a New Word

I was making a comment online and I used the term "print" instead of "publish". ...an anachronistic use of a verb that I caught upon editing. I wanted to use the term "anachroism" to give a name to my habit (malady) of doing so and learned that it's not a word, until now.

a·nach·ro·ism

/əˈnakro,izəm/ 

A linguistic condition characterized by archaic terminology references in speech.

What Makes a Good Rooftop Deck?

Question

Hi Ken,

I have a question: would you happen to have a picture of what a good roof deck looks like? One that you can properly assess?

We really want a place with a rooftop deck, but we can't tell a make-shift bad one, from a make-shift good one.

Thanks, Joe

Answer

Hello Joe,

Thank you for your email.

What you're asking is way too subjective and open to a universe of interpretation. So the short answer is no. But I can provide you with some information regarding what to consider.

Roof Structure

First and foremost, the underlying roof structure must be capable of supporting the deck's weight. This should be determined by a qualified structural engineer. Where necessary, your design/build firm should be able to provide this determination/service, as well as ensuring the deck and its attendant components comply with local municipal building codes.

Traditional Wooden Lumber Decks

Traditional wood lumber decks, because of material cost, are the most common. These can be constructed with pergolas, terraces, etc. to enhance their function and aesthetic. Generally, traditional wood lumber decks are not modular in design.

A Basic Wooden Rooftop Deck

Walking Surface

Ideally, the walking surface should be modular so that it can be removed to provide access to the underlying roof for assessment, maintenance, and repair.

As far as materials go, it can be anything. Modular deck systems are constructed of wood, concrete or other masonry, composite materials, etc. These are aesthetic choices that can be combined to create differing, delineated areas. Aside from being modular, the only other criteria should be weather resistance and maintenance requirements. Modular deck systems generally are designed to be and utilize materials that are weather resistant.

A Modular Tile Deck System

A Modular Wooden Deck System

Build-Out/Design

Your deck design is limited only by your imagination, your wallet, municipal building code, and the structural capacity of the underlying roof structure. This is where a qualified design-build firm can help.

A Rooftop Deck Using Multiple Walking Surfaces

Chicago has a number of quality rooftop deck design/build firms. Their websites are a great starting point for design ideas. I would start here:

Chicago Roof Top Deck Designers

I hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Kind regards, Ken

Ken Whitelaw,

Chicago Building Inspections, Inc.

http://inspectingchicago.com

ken@inspectingchicago.com

312-INSPECT (467.7328)

Mobile: 773.350.2325

...where I'm at, 11/20/2020

Greetings fellow Earthlings,

To state the obvious, what we've been dealt with vis-à-vis the current political environment goes way beyond any party line. What we've experienced is not unlike the beginnings of single-minded, abusive governing by a wannabe despot. 

There are people who will always agree with Trump, et al., and his incendiary rhetoric. ...wanting nothing more than the eradication of anything they perceive as un-American, including but not limited to everything Obama, non-white people, personal choice, truth, science, the Golden Rule, etc. 

These subhumans will not disappear but will once again go underground, waiting for the next Hitler-like wannabe to once again prey on human insecurity, fomenting hatred and violence against what most of us know in our hearts to be good, true, and right.

I recently read a thought by someone that maybe DJT will leave for Florida for the holidays and never come back to the WH.

That's what I want for Christmas.

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Keep you Powder Dry

This slow burn towards fascism that's happening in our country has completely unnerved me. I awoke this morning with a feeling of dread, due to what is taking place in Portland and the implication that it has on my new home town of Chicago. Portland, Chicago... Where next will our Nazi-loving, subhuman president send troops to seek his crown? While I agree in principle of the use of federal force to quell criminal violence, it's use to stifle peaceful protests, a right we are given by the Constitution of the United States, scares the shit out of me. The only thing I can think of doing is to keep my powder dry, and I've never felt this way before. Mr. President, you have irrevocably ruined my country, our country. I am saddened, angry and don't know what to do.

Wrong Number in the Time of Covid-19

I'm driving home, on a phone call, on speakerphone. A number that I don't know, from Alabama, comes in so I let it slide. I get done with my drive and phone call, and push return on the Alabama number.  This nice lady answers, "Hello?"  "Hi, my name is Ken Whitelaw and I'm returning your call". She says "Well, I was trying to figure out who, what this number was." Says I, "How are things in Alabama?" " Pretty good, how are things wherever you are?" "Chicago-ish. We're ok." "Well good, you take care. Bye." "Bye." Lol

Buying your First Condo? Read this Blog!

So Many Choices

Buying a condo is insane. Buying a condo in Chicago is even crazier because (a) there are thousands of them. And (b), there's a lot of merde.

There're the hoops one must jump through. ...the time-suck, the money, the move. The Move.

Anyway, before most of that one must first choose a dwelling. With this, I'll try to provide you some useful information.

What three things do you think of when looking at a condo? What rattles around your melon? ...the price? ...the neighborhood? ...the walk-in closets? ...the steam shower? ...the view?

First-time condo buyers, whether that condo is in a high-rise, a low-rise, 6-flat or less, often pay scant attention to the outside, the roof, or the general structure. 

I know, reader.  Try and push through.

The exterior (the shell or envelope in industry parlance) keeps the outside out. It protects you, yours, and your stuff from the elements. But doing so takes its toll. As a potential buyer of a dwelling in a multi-unit building, it is essential you understand the absolute necessity for periodic exterior evaluation, maintenance, and planning. This is where we can help.

Many first-time homebuyers become enamored with interior finishes and details. The quartz countertops, the deluge shower, programmable lighting, etc., often distract buyers from conditions that can hit a homeowner, financially or otherwise.

Water Is the Devil

Water, the thing we can't do without, has the potential to destroy almost anything. It is called the "universal solvent" for a reason. To a building, it causes insidious and catastrophic damage if not managed.

Fortunately, this battle has been fought for thousands of years, resulting in a huge knowledge base of success and failure. Modern construction materials have been developed as a result of this knowledge base. The implementation of how they're used is equally and fundamentally important.

Boom! So Much Junk.

There was a building boom in Chicago, roughly from 1995 through 2015. An awful lot of small, multi-unit (2, 3, 4 flat) buildings were built. A bunch were built within a hair's breadth of municipal building codes. ...pretty crappy stuff, tail-light warranties, ...the like. Many developers and contractors during this time utilized bankruptcy to, in fact, make their profit. Many of these structures have fundamental flaws in basic construction methods that can negatively affect occupant comfort, safety or health.

Now, someone (developer, builder, others) may say, "It's built to code." But, and I cannot stress this enough, 'built to code' is code for 'built to the absolute minimum set of standards required for a structure to receive a certificate of occupancy'.

Noobs!

Noobs are called such because of their lack of experience. Well, I and my colleagues eat and breathe this stuff.

So, noob, first-time homebuyer, even those not so green, y'all can benefit from our knowledge and experience. I urge anyone reading this to give us a call.

Happy Hunting!

Ken Whitelaw\Chicago Building Inspections, Inc.

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Horses and Toboggans - What's Not to Love?

Growing up, my family had quarter horses. We had a 4 acre horse farm adjacent a private country club that backed up to a mammoth park encircling metro Cleveland, the Metroparks' Emerald Necklace. Yes, reader, I was spoiled.

In winter, Mighty (my Mom's nick) would gallop down the parkway, towing at the end of a serious lasso (true), a big wooden toboggan. On it was me, my sister, and one or two friends (victims). 

It was awesome.

The first time we did this, I sat in front. Now with the horse galloping along, snow compacts into its hooves. This forms hard, oblong snowballs which as the horse gallops, fly out at anything trailing behind, kind of like a crazy, possessed, pitching machine. If you're in the first seat, their trajectory pretty much sends them directly at you. More specifically, directly at your head.

The 1st time one gets hit with these projectiles, you're like, "Fuck?! WTF?", only to look up and again get smacked in the face with another. 

One learns quick. So, after my initial hazing, I kept my head down and enjoyed the ride, only to hear my friend(s) behind me scream in surprise and agony.

Life was good, still is.

TIL

TIL this definition.

Something Old/Something New: Residential Forced-Air Ducted Heating and Cooling

Something Old

I've been doing a lot of studying about Indoor Environment Comfort (IEC) and HVAC systems. For those that don't know, the acronym stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning. I'm hoping my learning experience will help others. Bare with me as this will be a multi-part blog. There's so much information and history, a single blog post would be TLDR.

A Gravity Boiler

First, some facts and a bit of history.

If you live in the United States, there's a 70% chance your home is being heated by a forced-air, ducted furnace. Today’s heating systems are based on ideas and designs that date back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Forced-air ducted heating has been around since about 1935, It has long been the 'go-to' system for most residential HVAC contractors. 

Before that, all sorts of things were used to heat homes. Wood and coal-burning fireplaces, cast iron stoves, coal-fired hot water and steam boilers. The latter, until the early 20th century, had a nagging tendency to explode with great force and consequence. Here's a link to a big one. (Grover Shoe Factory Disaster) These episodes became so commonplace they were relegated to the 3rd-page news.

Octopus Gravity Air Furnace

Gravity heating systems (air) and hydronic heating (water/steam) dominated single and multi-family dwellings through the depression. Due in large part to rampant tuberculosis and the need to provide occupants fresh air, many late 19th and early 20th-century boiler systems were sized to heat a dwelling in winter with an open window! Forced-air ducted heating systems only came into their own around the middle of the 20th century.

The Basic Forced-Air Ducted Heating System

The next logical step was cooling or 'air conditioning'. Central air-conditioning became popular in the US during the post-World War II economic boom. Now ubiquitous, the advent of central air-conditioning fundamentally changed where we live. Imagine how much fun Miami, Orlando, New Orleans or Biloxi would be without it. The U.S. population's migration to Southern states like Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, etc, is largely attributed to the development and widespread adoption of air-conditioning. Since 2000, 95% of homes built in the United States have central air conditioning.  

Convenience and Versatility

A Forced Air System
with Air-Conditioning

Forced air ducted HVAC's dominance in the United States resulted from many things including cost, convenience, versatility, and climate. In its simplest form, a forced-air ducted system utilizes a mechanical fan to push heated air through a series of channels (ducts). That's it. ...pretty simple, eh?

Add a condensing unit (the outside part) and an evaporator coil (the inside part) and we have central air-conditioning. This is pretty much the way most homes in the United States have been heated and cooled since the postwar economic boom.

Cost

HVAC contractors ply their trade to put food on the table, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back. And, as with many contractors providing residential construction services, profit margins are slim. So contractors are always looking for ways to keep costs down. Forced air, ducted HVAC systems have remained popular largely because of cost. Relatively speaking, they are cheaper, simpler systems. They don't cost as much to install or repair. Statistically, they last around 20 years. Basic forced air ducted HVAC systems are (again, relatively speaking), a cost-effective, time-proven and generally safe means of heating and cooling a home. 

Efficiency

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last half-century, you're aware of ongoing efforts to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. The majority of residential heating systems use fossil fuels (natural gas, heating oil) as their primary fuel source. What you may not realize is most, if not all ducted forced-air HVAC systems also require electricity to function. More than half of the electricity we use today (65%) is generated by burning fossil fuels, including coal. So, by improving the efficiency of how HVAC systems use both electricity and fossil fuels, we reduce their rate of consumption and make our world a better place. This is a simple and noble concept. ...right?

Well, kinda.

The research, development, implementation, design, and installation of more efficient HVAC systems increase their cost. When you're a builder, this can be a hard sell. When you are replacing someone's old HVAC system, this can be a hard sell. In fact, getting anyone to spend more money on something they rarely worry about is a usually hard sell. The typical HVAC contractor will try to sell a lower cost system because it's an easier sell. So, unless you know the right questions to ask or have done your due diligence, you won't know that heating and cooling your home represents roughly 40% of your energy use. And, with modern high-efficiency systems (more upfront cost) you can reduce your energy consumption, save money, reduce your carbon footprint and make this world a little better place. It's up to you as part of the teeming masses, to educate yourself and recognize your responsibility to "leave it better than you found it". (Who said that? Click on this link!)

Something New 

Major changes in system design and efficiency have taken place only within the past 25 years. ...some of the more profound improvements have occurred only within the past 10. Many of these improvements are a result of better construction techniques and a tighter building envelope.

A house has a shell. This shell (or building envelope) has always had a problem. They leak air. ...lots of little holes. Most anything built in the past 100 years has lots of these little holes in their shell. Air gets sucked in through these holes. Air gets blown out through these holes. Add the little holes up and you have a great big air-leaking hole. The air blown out this big hole is 'expensive' air. ...made so by mechanically heating or cooling it with your home's HVAC equipment. In part to reduce the loss of expensive air, modern construction methods have created a tighter building envelope. That's great news, yes?

Well, kinda.

Keep reading! Visit our website: www.inspectingchicago.com. Feel free to contact me at ken@inspectingchicago.com with questions, critiques or if you're considering a home inspection.

We're happy to help. - Ken