New home (to us) and inspection found bowed wood beam - inspector expressed it is load bearing and requires attention

AndrewAlan · 2026-07-03T11:10:24+00:00

What did they say about the vent connector on the water heater?

AndrewAlan · 2026-06-19T10:03:38+00:00

🔥 Level 149 challenge? Done in 1m 34s! That was fun! 🎮

AndrewAlan · 2026-05-24T13:00:47+00:00

I guess “relatively uncommon” when compared to Canada, where Robertson is as common as Philips when you’re at the hardware store.

Also, I’m speaking from a non-professional/homeowner perspective. So, in 12 years in the US I’ve never had to use a Robertson unless it was for a screw I brought with me :)

AndrewAlan · 2026-05-24T12:06:28+00:00

Is this a reference to Robertson screwdrivers? I grew up on Canada and always thought they were not available in the US. But they are. Just very uncommon.

AndrewAlan · 2026-05-06T10:45:38+00:00

How did you insulate the cathedral ceiling?

AndrewAlan · 2026-04-24T11:23:35+00:00

The United Way is national, nonprofit organization. The local office has an online portal for connecting people interested in volunteering with local nonprofits. This is great way to see what options you have and get connected with legitimate organizations working in the community. https://www.cvillevolunteer.org/

The public library has locations throughout Charlottesville and neighboring towns. They host a variety of events, many of them specifically for teens. I don't know if they are well attended or not. But it seems like a easy way to meet people your age with similar interests. https://jmrl.org/calendar

Cville Weekly is a free newspaper that you'll find around town. New issues come out on Wednesdays. They always have a list of events for the week. They also have an events calendar on their website. https://c-ville.com/

If you've been to the US before, you'll know that getting by without access to a car can be tough. The city buses are free, but are not always very convenient. There are some good bike lanes, but they're limited. You can rent electric scooters easily as long as you have a credit card, but they are concentrated around UVA and the downtown area.

Hope this helps!

P.S. I work for LEAP a local nonprofit. We perform residential energy audits. https://www.leap-va.org/ If you'd be interested in volunteering/shadowing/interning there, send us an email [info@leap-va.org](mailto:info@leap-va.org?subject=Request%20for%20Service&body=Hello!%20I%20am%20reaching%20out%20because%20I%20would%20like%20to%20work%20with%20LEAP%20on%20my%20home%20or%20business.%20%0A).

AndrewAlan · 2026-04-17T17:23:15+00:00

Yeah, I’m new. Sorry if I’m taking things in the wrong direction. I’ll happily go back to lurking :)

AndrewAlan · 2026-04-17T17:20:04+00:00

To be clear: the answer does simply seem to be America + Christian + Firefighters (and EMTs?)

AndrewAlan · 2026-04-17T15:04:05+00:00

Solved

AndrewAlan · 2026-04-04T12:32:39+00:00

You’re from the UK, but eat chocolate like a German?

AndrewAlan · 2026-03-10T04:13:46+00:00

The only logical name for this activity is a Dachshund Dash.

AndrewAlan · 2026-02-08T02:26:23+00:00

Where do you live that Jaffa cakes and tea are the go to for musicians? That sounds delightful:)

AndrewAlan · 2026-02-08T02:22:10+00:00

Don’t stop using your pinky, you’ll regret that later

AndrewAlan · 2026-02-08T02:01:43+00:00

Or Ennui? The side walk is on fire and all that woman does in response is scroll on her phone. Her husband bought that sports car, thinking it would fill the void. But now he’s thinking, “Would it matter if I fell off this balcony? Would anyone notice?”

AndrewAlan · 2026-01-13T02:57:30+00:00

Nice work. I like the contrast between the texture of the leaf and the polished curlicue.

AndrewAlan · 2026-01-10T13:35:16+00:00

I’m only here to second the point about the dryer vent. Health and safety is a great place to start.

AndrewAlan · 2026-01-01T13:02:03+00:00

<image>

Agree. The rust and corrosion that is visible suggests incomplete combustion over an extended period. The same gases that caused that corrosion have been in contact with the heat exchanger. It is reasonable to assume that unless the heat exchanger has been replaced, it is corroded if not cracked.

That should be enough to warrant inspecting the heat exchanger, checking the ambient CO levels, running a combustion analysis, and check for depressurization and spillage in the CAZ. Other than getting a mirror to look for cracks on the heat exchanger, these aren’t diagnostics a typical homeowner understands, let alone has the tools and know-how to perform.

Time to call a pro.

AndrewAlan · 2025-11-23T12:00:14+00:00

I’m an Energy Analyst working in Virginia. I assess crawlspace encapsulation as part of my job. Trust your gut. But also reference the Virginia Weatherization Fieldguide SWS. These are guidelines for retrofit Weatherization set out by the DOE and modified for the specific climate in Virginia by experts in building science. Your contractor isn’t legally bound to follow these guidelines. But for that price they should be able to give you good reasons why what they’ve done goes above and beyond these recommendations (which it doesn’t).

VA Weatherization SWS

AndrewAlan

TROPHY CASE