Good Advice Available to Prepare for 'Big One'

QUESTION: What advice do you have for surviving the "big" earthquake?

ANSWER: There is too much good information available for us to presume to provide an original answer. Instead, read the following (in about the order of their complexity):

--Telephone book advice on shutting off gas, etc.

--"Beat the Quake" brochure prepared by the state, available from regional Earthquake Preparedness Offices at (619) 238-3321; (818) 795-9055; (415) 893-0818; (916) 427-6659.

--Sunset magazine article "Getting Ready for a Big Quake," March, 1982.

Inspectors Do Mind Business of Buyer

Q: Why don't home inspectors stick to code enforcement and stay out of such areas as roof wear and safety enhancements? I think you all overstep your bounds by making a big deal out of things that are none of a buyer's business.

A: Your concept of a home inspector's job is simply wrong; in any case far from how most people construe it. Your concept of what is a home buyer's business is archaic, dating from the days of caveat emptor.

Today because of a combination of high prices and court decisions, buyers expect the homes they buy to be safe and maintained. "Code" allows for any number of pre-existing conditions which a prudent buyer will want to be aware of. Code does not apply to the wear and deterioration that may result in imminent expenses. Items such as these are the buyer's business.

Hollow-Core Doors Often Not Maintained

Q: Would you comment on the hollow-core doors that builders have been using for exterior applications? It seems to me that they are pure junk, and should not be allowed?

A: The doors you refer to are approved for use outdoors; the problem is mostly with installation and maintenance. Painters tend to be lax about thoroughly painting such doors thoroughly (especially the top and bottom edges), and homeowners tend not to maintain the paint seal.

When there are unsealed edges or other places that allow water penetration, the door skins delaminate, damaging the doors. This is presumably the basis of your complaint. I think of such doors as expendables, cheaply replaced if they are not maintained.

Although I usually find them damaged, the cost of replacement is nominal, and the risk of other damage if not replaced is virtually nil.

Wood Stove Near Wall Could Be a Time Bomb