Field notes
The work, written down.
Long-form and specific to Arizona. Written to be useful whether or not you ever call me — which is, in my experience, the only kind of writing worth doing.
A build year is a prediction. Here is how to read it.
Construction era predicts failure mode with real reliability. None of it is a defect by itself — it is a list of what to verify before you write. Phoenix-specific, by decade.
8 min read · July 2026Phoenix water is hard, and that is a line item on your offer
Valley municipal supply runs roughly 12 to 18 grains per gallon. That mineral load shortens water heater life, scales every coil in the house, and quietly raises your maintenance budget for as long as you own it.
6 min read · July 2026Why averaging Arcadia comps produces a number that describes no house
A 1954 original and a 2023 rebuild trade on the same block. Averaging those two produces a figure that accurately describes neither. Screening outliers is not cherry-picking — it is the analysis.
6 min read · June 2026The pre-list inspection changes who holds the leverage
If a buyer finds it on day nine of their inspection period, it is a negotiation. If you found it in advance, it is a disclosure with a bid already attached. Same defect, entirely different transaction.
5 min read · June 2026What thirty years of contamination control taught me about buildings
I spent three decades either growing organisms deliberately or keeping them from growing. A building envelope with a persistent moisture source is the same problem, running unsupervised.
6 min read · May 2026Applying any of this to a real house?
Send me the address and what you are weighing. You will get a written answer — which corridor factors matter, what the build year predicts, and what I would test.