Movies about Houses

I am building a list of movies about houses or house building. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.

HOUSES

Still Mine

Life as a House

The Money Pit

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Home

Are We Done Yet?

HORROR

The Last House on the Left

The Amityville Horror

Rose Red

DOCUMENTARIES

Winchester Mystery House

Monticello: Home of Thomas Jefferson

Frank Loyd Wright’s Fallingwater

The Whitehouse Documentary (History Channel)

The Queen of Versailles

America’s Castles: Biltmore Estates

America’s Castles: Newport Mansions

America’s Castles: The Astors

America’s Castles: The Vanderbilts Abroad

America’s Castles: Andrew Carnegie

The Most Common Residential Building Code Violations

Here is a recent article from the Journal of Light Construction based upon a 2013 joint study by the International Code Council and the National Association of Homebuilders titled, Common Code Violations Survey.

Top Ten Code Violations

This is a national survey and reflects a lot of what I see on a day to day basis. I would like to add a few issues that were not mentioned, perhaps due to their being a localized problem in the North Central Texas area.

1. Lot Grading and Drainage. This is found on nearly every house I inspect. In the expansive soils we have in this area inadequate drainage leads to differential foundation movement and structural damage.
2. Window Installation. On 9 out of every 10 houses I inspect the windows are not installed in accordance with the code, manufacturers’ installation instructions or other applicable industry standards.
3. Electrical Installations. About 60% of the homes I see have multiple electrical installation code violations.
4. Framing. Flagrant wall and roof framing code violations are common.
5. Foundations. Foundation formwork and reinforcement violations are on every house.

Garage Door Repair Ripoff

Local consumer Watchdog Dave Lieber holds forth on garage door repair scam.

Watchdog: Carrollton-based garage door company’s ex-manager fesses up

Local Developer, HOA and City Officials Screw Homeowner

Homeowner’s Lot Slides Away

Consumer Information is King

A very good article from Sam Rashkin regarding home buyers finally waking up to the need to demand quality homes.

Consumer Information is King

Spider Bites

Spider Bites

Mike Holmes: Make sure the home inspector you hire has the knowledge needed to do the job right

Mike Holmes holds forth on home inspectors, and for a change, we agree.

A Peek Behind the Builder Marketing Curtain

Sam Rashkin holds forth on home builder marketing.

Kitchen Fires

Kitchen Fires

The number one cause of home fires and injuries is kitchen fires. Improper use of cooking equipment and a lack of adherence to safe cooking rules are to blame. All of these fires and injuries are easily preventable. Educate yourself. Do not become a statistic.

http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/causes/cooking/safety-messages-about-cooking

http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/causes/cooking

http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Avoid-Kitchen-Fires-Use-Red-Cross-Tips

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Newsroom/News-Releases/2013/Kitchen-Fires-1-in-New-Report-Smoke-Alarms-and-Escape-Plans-Key-to-Surviving-Fires-in-the-Home/

Some possibly helpful technology, since most of the state’s governors seem to have attended former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s prayer meeting where it was decided on high that Texans do not need fire suppression sprinkler systems in their homes.

http://guardianssi.com/products/guardian-iii/

http://www.denlarhoods.com/products-main/1000-series

http://www.homesensers.com/index.html

https://www.stoveguardintl.com/

http://www.cookstop.com/home.html

https://www.pioneeringtech.com/store/commercial/safe-t-element/

PLAYING WITH FIRE

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Code or no code, cost or no cost, fire safety is an issue builders and manufacturers can’t afford not to get right—now