TOP LINKS FOR HOMEOWNERS/HOMEBUYERS

RESIDENTIAL AIR CONDITIONING:

• Carrier
• Lennox
• Goodman
• Rheem
• Rudd
• Trane
• York

APPLIANCES:

• Amana – Owner’s Manuals & Installation Instructions
• Bosch – Owner’s Manuals & Installation Instructions
• GE Appliances – Owner’s Manuals & Installation Instructions
• Jenn-Air
• Maytag – Owner’s Manuals & Installation Instructions
• Thermador – Owner’s Manuals & Installation Instructions
• Whirlpool Appliance Doctor

CONCRETE & MASONRY:

• Masonry Advisory Council On-Line
• Concrete Building Systems in Residential Construction Slag Cement Association

ELECTRICAL:

• Hazards of Aluminum Wiring and Federal Pacific Electric Panels along with many other Home Inspection topics on web site
• Mike Holt Enterprises, Inc. NEC Forum

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:

• ” A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home” from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Lead Based Paint Information from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• EPA Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)- Radon

EXTERIOR SURFACE COMPONENTS:

• BIA – The Brick Industry Association On-Line Technical Notes
• EDI – Exterior Design Institute for EIFS
• VSI – Vinyl Siding Institute.
• The Door and Window Industry Information Web Site

FIREPLACES & SOLID FUEL BURNING APPLIANCES:

• The Chimney Safety Institute of America
• Hearthnet – Articles and Q & A
• Majestic Fireplace Product Manuals

INSPECTION FORUMS

• The Journal of Light Construction

HEATING SYSTEMS:

• The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
• International Ground Source Heat Pump Association

INSULATION & VENTILATION:

• NIA – National Insulation Association
• ICAA – Insulation Contractors Association of America
• Cheating – The Insulation Industry’s Dirty Secret.
• Better Insulation

INTERIORS:

• The Gypsum Association
• United States Gypsum Company – Product Installation Manuals

MISCELLANEOUS TECHNICAL:

• NFPA – National Fire Protection Association
• ANSI – American National Standards Institute
• ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials
• The Building Science Corporation
• Technical Information Links on the ASHI Web Site
• The Foundation of Real Estate Appraisers

PLUMBING:

• Master Plumbers.com Bulletin Board and Forum
• Master Plumber.com Commercial Plumbing Site

ROOFING:

• ARMA – Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
• NRCA – National Roofing Contractors Association
• RCMA – Roof Coating Manufacturers Association
• Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau

SLAB ON GRADE CONSTRUCTION:

• Post Tensioning Institute

STRUCTURAL:

• Eng.-Tips Forum – Structural Engineering Forums
• SBA – The Structural Board Association
• SIPA – Structural Insulated Panel Association

WOOD DESTROYING INSECTS & PESTS

• The National Pest Management Association
• Structural, Industrial and Medical Information on Insects from the University of Kentucky Entomology Department
• Protecting your home from Termites from the University of Kentucky Entomology Dept.

HUMOR:

• Walter Jowers Home Inspector Humor Columns from the Nashville Scene Weekly Wire•
• The Darwin Awards
• Real Estate Appraisal Humor
• Paula Hollins Designs Real Estate Humor
• Kensington Realty Advisors Real Estate Humor

HELPFUL FAVORITES:

• US Consumer Product Safety Commission
• MapQuest.
• U. S. Postal Service Zip Code Lookup

NATIONAL INSPECTION ASSOCIATIONS:

• ASHI – American Society of Home Inspectors
• ISHI –International Society of Home Inspectors
• InterNACHI – National Association of Home Inspectors
• NACHI – National Association of Certified Home Inspectors

HOME INSPECTION ASSOCIATIONS BY STATE:

• AAREI – Arkansas Association of Real Estate Inspections
• CREIA – California Real Estate Inspection Association
• CAHI – Connecticut Association of Home Inspectors
• FABI – Florida Association of Building Inspectors
• GAHI – Georgia Association of Home Inspectors
• MAHI – Maryland Association of Home Inspectors
• MSHI – Minnesota Society of Home Inspectors
• NYSAHI – New York State Association of Home Inspectors
• NCLHIA – North Carolina Licensed Home Inspector Association
• NACREI – Nevada Association of Certified Real Estate Inspectors
• SNAPPI – Southern Nevada Ass. of Professional Property Inspectors
• PHIC – Pennsylvania Home Inspectors Coalition
• TAREI – Texas Association of Real Estate Inspectors
• WVAHI – West Virginia Association of Home Inspectors
• WAHI – Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors

INTERNATIONAL HOME INSPECTOR ASSOCIATIONS:

• CAHI – Canadian Association of Home Inspectors
• AIBS – Australian Institute of Building Surveyors
• NZIBS – New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors
• OAHI – Ontario Association of Home Inspectors
• ISHI –International Society of Home Inspectors

REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATIONS:

• NAR – National Association of Realtors
• Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors
• Southern Ohio Area Realtors
• Butler Warren Association of Realtors

HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATIONS:

• NAHB – National Association of Home Builders

ASBESTOS:

• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION:

• NAHB (National Assoc. of Home Builders)
• Dwelling Doctors – General Contractors
• HBA (Home Builders Assoc. of Kansas City)
• This Old House
• JLC (Journal of Light Construction)
• Simpson Strong-Tie (Metal Connectors & Ties)
• Fine Homebuilding
• Truss Joists for Floors
• HomeTime
• We Build (good site on construction info)
• Home Inspection/Construction Info Website (Dan Friedman’s site – Aluminum Wire, FPE Panels, etc.)
• How Stuff in Your Home Works
• Do It Yourself Home Repairs
• Common Construction Defects and Failures (Decks, Wood Rot, Mold, Chimneys, Crawl Spaces, Roofing, etc.)

CONSUMER HOUSING ADVOCATES & HOTLINE:

• HADD (Homeowners against Deficient Dwellings — Good info on bad builders, shoddy construction, code inspectors, new home construction defects, etc.)

BUILDING CODE INFORMATION:

• Code Check – Help with Building Codes
• ICBO (International Conference of Building Officials)
• BOCA (Building Officials & Code Administrators)
• CABO (Council of American Building Officials)
• ICC (International Code Council)

FIREPLACES & CHIMNEYS:

• Chimneys.com 
• Chimney Venting Information 
• CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America)
• NCSG (National Chimney Sweep Guild)

FOUNDATIONS & REPAIRS:

• Atlas Piers
• Haag Engineering Company
• Power Lift Foundation Repair

MOLD & FUNGUS:

• Stachybotrys (Black Mold)•
• Mold Testing Information•
• Toxic Mold•
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) – Should Air Ducts be Cleaned?

PLUMBING:

• Plumbing Express – Polybutylene Specialists

RADON GAS:

• NRSB (National Radon Safety Board)
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
• RTCA (Radon Testing Corporation of America

REAL ESTATE SERVICES:

• Real Estate ABC
• REALS – A C•
• National Association of Realtors

ROOFING:

• Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau
• Roofhelp.com (good roofing info site)
• ARMA (Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association)

SIDINGS (Hardboard and/or Masonite Siding Information):

• Siding Solutions.com
• Masonite Claims.com

STUCCO & EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish System):

• EDI (Exterior Design Institute)
• TLPCA (Texas Lath & Plastering Contractors Association)
• Stucco-Pro (Moisture Testing)
• Moisture Warranty Corporation
• Dryvit
• STO Corporation
• Parex, Inc.
• EIMA (EIFS Industry Manufacturers Association)