General Reference

Scroll down to find links to resources on the following subjects:

Building Codes
Building Science
Business (Home Inspection)
Concrete
Document Templates
Electrical
Exterior
Flooring, Hardwood
HVAC
Plumbing
Reporting
Roof
Structure

Note: I expand/improve this as time allows.

Builder Magazine (Hanley-Wood online)

Huge choice of articles, whitepapers, and courses on a variety of building-related technology and subjects.

BUILDING CODES

Date key building code issues went into effect (GFCI & other electrical, Door from garage to living space, asphalt shingle fastening & valleys, stair components, plumbing, and more...) Thank you Jerry Peck!

Find VARIOUS IRC & ICC CODES AND STANDARDS HERE

National Electric Code free download (NEC)

BUILDING SCIENCE

Crawlspace Science, Jesse Waltz, Professional Engineer

Building Science Corporation (BSC) articles

One of the greatest resources available anywhere for home inspectors wanting to learn more about how building design and construction methods affect the movement of moisture, air and heat, how they deteriorate materials, systems, and components, and affect human health. A huge amount of well-written and organized information is available for free:

Articles
Studies
Reports
White Papers
Guides & manuals
Information Sheets

90 articles: Building Science Insights

37 Building Science Digests

28 Published articles

Individual Article Links

Moisture-safe Unvented Wood Roof Systems, John Straub, Johnathan Smegal, John Smith

Mold in Residential Construction Materials, BSC

Infraspection IR SOP Bldg Envelope, Infraspection

BUSINESS RESOURCES: HOME INSPECTION

InterNACHI

Marketing Department
- Education, design service, certifications/logos, website content (text/video/education transcripts), document templates, articles on success, much more… most free to members:
Home Inspection Business Course
Inspection Marketing Forum
Free online webinars

ONLINE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Inspection Support Network (ISN)

ISN provides business management services that are compatible with major inspection software.

Scheduling
Payments
Pre- and post- inspection notification, and automated emailing
Business tracking
Website integration

InterNACHI message board discussion about ISN

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

BASICS

What is a domain name?
Hosting (read the reviews)
Using WordPress to control your website appearance and content

WordPress Content Management System (click the image to enlarge)

What are plug-ins and what's the best way to use them?

CONCRETE

Visual Inspection of Concrete, comprehensive InterNACHI online article.
Visual Inspection of Concrete Structures, Civil Engineering Portal online article.
308R Guide to Curing Concrete, American Concrete Institute
Understanding Cement/Concrete.com (website)
American Concrete Institute
Portland Cement Association

DOCUMENT TEMPLATES

DISCLAIMERS

Note: All documents are supplied as a courtesy and should be vetted by your attorney before use to ensure that they are appropriate for the jurisdictions in which you inspect.

FLOORING, HARDWOOD

Causes and Cures of Hardwood Floor Problems (National Wood Flooring Assoc.)
Installing Hardwood Flooring (Wood Flooring Manufacturer's Association)

EXTERIOR

InterNACHI message board Exterior Forum

BRICK/MASONRY

SIDING INSTALLATION MANUALS

HardiePlank Installation Manual
Composite Siding and Trim Installation Manual (This is LP, no national standards exist)
Vinyl Siding Installation Manual (Vinyl Siding Institute)

STONE

Technical Manual (Cast Stone Institute)
Installation Guide for Adhered Manufactured Stone Veneer (Masonry Veneer Mfgr's Assoc.)
Recommended Home Inspection Report Language for Artificial Stone Veneer

HVAC

InterNACHI message board HVAC forum

Date of manufacture of a furnace, air conditioner, water heater, heat pump, boiler, air handler, evaporator, cooler or other HVAC equipment.
Measuring Air-conditioning Temperature Splits

PLUMBING

InterNACHI message board Plumbing forum

Inspecting Residential Water Heaters (PDF)
Water Heater Backdrafting (website, excellent information)
Residential PEX Water Supply Plumbing Systems (PDF)
Problems with- and Identification of- Kitec Water Supply Pipes (DMartel Plumbing)
Type B Gas Vent Installation Details (Underwriter's Laboratory)
Sewage Ejector Installation and Operation Manual (PDF)
Sump Pump Installation Manual (SSPMA)
Bonding Gas Pipes Google Results
Plumbing.com (Website)
Copper and Concrete (Plumbing.com article)
Polybutylene Water Pipes (InterNACHI article)

ROOF

ASPHALT SHINGLE

InterNACHI message board Roof forum

The History of Asphalt Shingles (CASMA)
Mastering Roof Inspections (Asphalt Shingles (#55-#109)
Asphalt Shingle Sealant Strips (Donan Engineering)
Shingle Wind Resistance and Bond Failure Location (Prugar Consulting Inc.)
Impact Resistance of Asphalt Shingles (Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety)
Racking of Shingles (GAF Technical Advisory Bulletin)
Buckling of Shingles (RCI, formerly Roof Consultants Inc.)
66 GAF Technical Bulletins
InterNACHI Asphalt Shingle Inspection online video course (3.25 hrs, InterNACHI members only)

METAL ROOFING

Mastering Roof Inspections (Metal Roof #110-#119)
Standard Details for Metal Roofing and Siding (Fabral)

SLATE ROOFS

What Home Inspectors Need to Know About Slate Roofs (Joseph Jenkins, Excellent!)
Mastering Roof Inspections (Slate, #120-#132)
Traditional Roofing Magazine, 8 issues, much excellent information about slate
InterNACHI Slate Inspection Online Video Course (71 minutes, members only)

TILE ROOFS

Tile Installation Guides (FREE downloads from the Tile Roofing Institute)
Technical Briefs (FREE downloads from the Tile Roofing Institute)
Mastering Roof Inspections (Tile Roofs, #140-#145)
Walking Tile Roofs (1-minute video w/me)
Tile Roof Systems: Analysis and Inspection Techniques for Roof Consultants (RCI, formerly Roof Consultants Inc.)
InterNACHI Tile Roof Inspection Online Video Course (47 minutes, members only)

WOOD ROOFS

Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau Manual

STRUCTURE

InterNACHI message board Structure forum