Christen7: We are in the same dilemma. We have a raised wood foundation in a 1940's era home with stem wall construction. We just found out we need extra plywood to beef up the 3/4" plank subfloor (resting on joists that are 16" OC) before we can put down our 1/4" Hardiebacker. We were hoping to have the 6 X 6" travertine tiles installed in the foyer and adjacent dining room, level to the existing wood floor in the living room - but it appears that is the least of our concerns now. I just don't want to risk movement or shifting and thus cracking of the tiles especially since we are doing the work ourselves. Luckily my DH has plenty of experience with tile, albeit I hear stone has yet more special requirements. I wonder though, if we have a better chance of success given that we are using the smaller tiles in a running bond patter, rather than the bigger floor tiles which are heavier and less forgiving in terms of subfloor....? Maybe somebody in flooring or with experience in travertine can answer these questions?? Good luck to you guys!

I have examined the photo with great interest and from what I can see you need not worry about being grandfathered in. The only code violation that I can see in the picture is the galvanized steel perf strap hanger on the horizontal 3" line. Code now specifically prohibits metal strapping or wire hangers for plastic pipes. The reasoning here is two fold: 1.When liquids flow through pipes there is a slight high resonance vibration in the pipe. As a result, in the course of time a metal hanger will cut through the plastic pipe. 2. When cold water flows through the pipe, the pipe wall cools below the ambient air temperature surrounding the exterior of the pipe, and in some circumstances condensate moisture will collect on the metal hangers. The moisture then leads to rust forming on the hanger and in the course of time the hangers rust through and break. The codes are very explicit on pipe hangers. Plastic pipe should be suspended by means of holes bored through wood, Plastic pipe hangers or plastic perf strapping. When using plastic perf strapping you should install wood blocking down from the joist above the pipe to the top of the pipe. This will prevent the pipe from rising up and ultimately changing the pitch of the run. The perf strapping should then run under the pipe and be attached to the wood blocking on either side or it may be attached directly to the joists from above in the same manner as that metal strapping is now. Steel strapping or steel pipe hangers should be used for galvanized iron, black iron or cast iron pipes and copper or copper clad pipe hangers or strapping should be used for copper pipes. The 3" line running from left to right, which is supported by the galvanized strapping is a Horizontal line. We may attach a branch line to a horizontal line from either side, from the top as shown in the photo or at any angle in between horizontal or vertical however, when attaching a branch line to a horizontal line we are required by code to use a "Wye & 1/8". A sanitary tee is expressly prohibited. here again, the reasoning is simple. If we had a tee where that vertical line ties into the horizontal, as the waste coming down the vertical enters the horizontal it would immediately fall to the bottom of the horizontal, the expand outwards, some flowing downstream, while some of the liquid would immediately back flow upstream. This causes two distinct problems; 1. When the liquid hits the bottom of the line, then changes direction it reduces the velocity of flow. 2. The liquid which immediately back flows upstream could be carrying solid particulates. When that liquid stops its upstream movement then reverses and runs back downstream, there is no longer sufficient velocity to carry the solids and they are left behind. Once the liquid has receded the solids are then left on the bottom of the pipe and they will dry in place forming a clog. To prevent that from happening the codes require that all connections to a horizontal line must be made by means of a Wye. The side inlet of a Wye is configured at a 45deg angle in the direction of flow therefore as the liquid entering through the Wye goes into the horizontal line it is directed downstream thus maintaining the velocity of flow. When making a 90deg tap into a horizontal line we then use a Wye & 1/8 bend. An 1/8 bend is a 45deg sanitary elbow which when attached to the 45deg input of a Wye it completes the required 90deg turn. You could use a common 1/8 bend which has a hub on each end, but when doing so, you would need to cut a short nipple of pipe to connect the Wye & 1/8 bend hub to hub. A simpler method would be to use a "Street 1/8 bend. A Street fitting has a hub on the input end but the output end has a raw pipe size, called a "spigot". The spigot can be inserted directly into the hub of the Wye, thus you would not need a pipe nipple between the two fittings. The Wye shown in the center of your photo is technically not a Wye, it is a "Combo". Understanding that when making a right angle connection to a horizontal line we are required to use a "Wye & 1/8 bend" the fitting manufacturers produce a "Combo" Which is simply a Wye & 1/8 bend made into one fitting. Functionally there is no difference between a Wye & 1/8 bend" or a "Combo" but it is more convenient for the installer because it is one less glue joint to make up and in most instances a Combo is a few pennies cheaper than the cost of a Wye & 1/8 bend. Generally this is not a big deal in single family residential plumbing but believe me, if you were plumbing an apartment complex a couple pennies on the fittings and not having to pay a man to make the extra glue joints can add up very quickly. Now before we get into the final solution for your new drain line, let us take a moment and discuss how Tee's and Wye's are identified. If all three openings on a Tee or Wye are the same size the Tee or Wye is identified by the pipe size, I.E. a 3" Tee however for your application you need to connect a 2" line to a 3" horizontal so the easiest method is to use a Reducing Wye. For a reducing Wye or Tee each opening size is listed in a specific order; 1. The input on the straight through, 2. The output on the straight through and 3. The side opening by example, you will need a 3" wye with a 2" side opening so your Wye would properly be called a 3x3x2 Wye. (you could use a 3" Wye but by using a reducing Wye you save the cost of a reducer for the side input plus you will have one less glue joint to make.) I would recommend a "3x3x2 Combo". I can see that the horizontal 3" is running parallel to the wall, but it is difficult to tell how far away from the wall it is. Here is a tip. When you install the Wye & 1/8bend or combo on the 3" horizontal configure the side opening to rise at a 45deg angle towards the wall, then make your offset with a line running up at a 45deg angle. In this manner your offset will be a vertical offset so the horizontal distance of that offset doesn't count off your 5' maximum fixture arm length. Send me an email so i have your email address and I will return you some illustrations I made for my apprenticeship class that will help you. LazyPup@yahoo.com

Be sure you understand the options. There are 2 kinds of crawlspaces allowed by the IRC: Vented and Unvented (aka "sealed"). The terms "unvented" and "sealed" are misleading because this type of crawlspace is not completely sealed or unventilated. The IRC code requires that both of these types of crawlspaces be "ventilated" so that moisture does not collect and encourage the growth of fungus (whether from the ground, condensation on the slab, etc.) by one of the following methods: 1) "Vented" Crawlspace - install vent openings in the exterior wall of the crawlspace 2) "Unvented" Crawlspace - inside the house supply to or exhaust from the crawlspace a small amount of air with a return air path to or from the house and insulate the exterior walls of the crawlspace. Both crawlspaces must have a vapor retarder at ground level and an access opening. For more information see IRC section R408.1, 2, & 3.

The vent helped. Your comments helped. This was a hard lesson for me. I've accepting my DH's first response -- which was pretty much the same as Jim's in the very first reply here. It's Good-bye and Never Again! There is no benefit for me in having any further contact with this gal. More 'stuff' keeps turning up: There are faint paw prints on our mattress pad. (I'd made the bed up fresh and covered dust-covered it before we left.) By going outside, I can see scrapes where dog scratched at the porch and French door screens -- before breaking through them. Branches were 'planted'. I evidently needed these 'last straws' to give up my wishful trust. My guess is that House-sitter is leaving town. She had said her mother was planning to remarry and sell the house here. She's probably moving downtown. It's where *normal* single adults live. Calling a locksmith. Changing the entry code on the garage doors. Hoping nothing serious is yet to be discovered.