Hi all- looking for some experienced inspectors to share your thoughts.
I did an inspection on 95yr old house.
Main girder was not continuous> about 3-4ft break in it.
Cuts on girder look old/same color as 95yr old lumber
someone added some 2x bracing and plywood>>>obviously added later
I thought may have been a closed up stair but the location does not make sense. Any ideas?
Maybe an old floor furnace was in the space?
Thanks- not sure but its not boiler now…no central a/c
Just curious, what does the area look like from above? Photo?
Anyone’s guess I suppose. Floor furnace, hatch, steps etc. It appears they framed up the old opening/floor with some undersized materials.
IMO… that floorplan is not typical of a 1920’s home.
What style home is it? What are the size/dimensions of the rooms?
Got a pic of the overall exterior elevation? I suspect that staircase was relocated or removed.
The first questions I always ask myself are “is this working?” and “how long has it worked?” The floors appear level and the house is still standing, so structurally, there do not seem to be any major problems, correct? Any cracks in the walls? Door frames out-of-whack? If not, perhaps nothing to report here(?)
Yes, good questions… BUT… remember that everything fails at some point in time, and those that were not installed (or modified) in a proper manner will typically fail sooner than later.
Hope your ‘Crystal Ball’ has been tuned-up recently!
If I reported on what could fail, I would never finish the report. Anything can fail at anytime, right? I am just asking, what is the specific problem? Just because something was not done in the “proper” manner, does not mean that it will not work or fail anytime sooner.
My question is why are you worried about “method” on a 95 year old home. You should concentrate on “performance.” The materials (wood) used in the construction of a century old home were far superior than what is available today. If you are seriously worried about construction design or technique you need to pay close attention to the performance of walls and floors and stairs. Method problems (materials, workmanship) always create performance problems.
Thanks to all who responded…appreciate it.
Couple updates…
this house did NOT have the girder cut out though
it pitches down from the girder to the rear of the house
