Moisture Inspection Assignment.
I inspected a crawl space for a neighbor. I found no vapor barrier on the ground (dirt floor) and standing water in the lower areas. I also noticed that the girder beams were only about 6" above grade on the south side of the crawlspace. The ventilation grilles in the masonry foundation walls were closed.
I recommended to dig out the area so that the girder was at least 12" above grade and install 6 mil plastic sheathing over the entire ground area. Overlap the seams min. 6" and run the plastic up the walls at least 6". I also recommended that they keep the ventilation louvers open as much as possible until the temperatures start going below 40 degrees. They do not air condition the first floor of house during the summer, therefore, I did not recommend closing them during extremely humid weather.
Moisture Control Assignment:
I read the article entitled “Basic Waterproofing for Basements”
It recommends applying sodium silicate on the masonry walls after proper preparation and crack filling. The article covered safety precautions, surface preparation, crack filling techniques, and application. This would be a useful article to pass onto a home owner having issues with moisture on there basement walls.
View of a small laundry room where the dryer duct came loose from the vent to the exterior. Moist air from the dryer condensed on the relatively cooler walls and mildew/mold growth began.
Performed inspection of crawlspace on home and noted the space was dry but was missing a vapor barrier. Drains and plumbing running though the crawl space showed no signs of leakage but I expect there will be condensation on the un-insulated copper plumbing as it warms up.
Reviewed Moisture Intrusion by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard. A ‘condensed’ version of the course. Noted points on mold growth and thereat to human health.
I found this area of rotting wood along siding which seemed to not be fastened. It was also exposed to rain water from roof with no gutters which definitely caused this wood to decay.
I inspected a bathroom that had a fan that was not working. The tenants would take showers which would add hot and moist air to the cool air present in the bathroom prior. This then condensed on the walls, ceilings, and floors. There were signs of mold everywhere from the tub to the floor boards. I recommend getting the fan fixed and re-caulking and sealing the tub, and floorboards.
Just finished reading “Housewrap Inspection” from the Library of Inspection Articles. I noted the inspection tips provided at the end of the article. The main concern here is proper installation for the climate conditions.
After completing the Home Inspection Report on a friends home, I found a good structure except, where they added a small deck in the back yard. This deck had 3 steps to it. The bottom of steps where resting right in the soil camouflaged by pine straw. It wont be long before decay.
I read in the library of Inspection Articles on BBQ safety. Anytime is grilling time. When you’re not grilling & chilling this article will inform you on the precautions recommended for grills like propane, charcoal, & electric. For example, did you know you can have; no more than two 20 pound propane tanks are allowed on the property of a one or two family home. Info such as this is in this article.
The house I’m rebuilding has been such a task. This course has opened my eyes up to problems related to the age of the house, past to current standards and yes, unfortunately, some of my own mistakes. I feel blessed though with the new knowledge and information on how I can correct the past problems and not make quiet so many in the future.
Sincerely
Steve
Living in Florida, I read the cool roof article. I’m not sure if I’ll do it or not as we are trying to keep the look of our 40s house as original as possible. The idea of the cool roof is great though and the article says you can lower the temperature of your roof by as much as 100 degrees. That’s awesome.
this roof and gutter system had several issues including clogged gutters which were totally shot and leaking, non functional downspout and no rainwater diverter at downspout termination. the gutters were undersized and pulling away from the roof. they had allowed water to run up underneath the roof and cause severe rot and damage to the eve material and in some spots cause damages to the interior wall.
