Inspection & Writing Assignment:
this essay will describe the absence of a handrail where one is required. this stairway consists of 8 risers. the requirement in the US is that a handrail is required for anything greater than 4 risers. the handrail should be between 34 and 38 inches in height and be continuous.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Air leakage is a necessary evil. If you air seal a house too tight the occupants will not get enough fresh oxygen and if it’s not sealed enough they will get moisture. As the chart shows floors, ceilings, and walls account for the most, 31%. HVAC ducts, windows, doors, plumbing entries, and the fireplace each make up 10-15% air loss. Air carries lots of moisture so you want to prevent unconditioned air coming into your house as best you can.
Research & Writing Assignment:
attic insulation: when properly installing attic insulation you should always take into consideration the ventilation. it is important to make sure that the soffit vents do not become covered up with insulation. the use of baffles is recommended to maintain adequate airflow from soffits to higher vents.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Thermal imaging measures heat and the absence of heat. This is very handy when it comes to looking behind customers walls and trying to discover anomalies. A few months ago i took picked up a FLIR E6 and to date i have discovered 6 issues ranging from missing insulation to a water leak that was freshly painted over but found with thermal.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Prior to being a home inspector I wondered why the gap was spaced as it was. it didn’t occur to me at the time that it was specifically designed to protect small children from falling thru. I take it as my mission to protect my clients and their families.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Checking the attic for the proper amount of insulation is very important, up to 70 percent of home energy cost goes for heating and cooling so making sure that your home is as energy efficient as possible if key. i like to make sure the client understands this if there is not sufficient insulation.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This crawlspace was missing significant portions of vapor barrier/retarder which will allow for the naturally occurring moisture from the earth the rise into the crawlspace and interiors creating high levels of moisture. This condition is conducive mildew growth and damage of building materials. Plastic sheeting of 6 millimeters should be installed on the all exposed earth in the crawlspace to help prevent aforementioned issues.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Energy efficiency in a home can be achieved through sealing the home and mitigating energy loss through intrusions in the siding and roof. A properly sealed home can be significantly less expensive to heat and cool. Window frames, weather stripping in doors, and window mounted air conditioners are just a few examples of common areas of energy loss that could be easily checked and corrected by a homeowner.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
In this picture that i have taken it shows a glazed door that does not have impact rated glass on it, so that means it is not protected by anything and would have to get replaced or fixed to the right standards to be protected.
Research & Writing Assignment:
what i learned in this course was the purpose of spot ventilation is to control the concentration of pollutants in the room they were emitted into, and to minimize the spread of pollutants into other parts of the owners house.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
In this picture of an attic that was missing part of the insulation, the insulation was removed to install can lights. The insulation was never put back in. This condition will allow heat to escape the house in the winter, and heat to enter in the winter.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The article i read was about carpet beetles. The best way to deal with carpet beetles is sanitation. There are chemicals killers that can be used also. These beetles reproduce fast and find protein rich, warm areas. The love dark areas also.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This photo features a stair case with landing before a turn to another floor. This landing serves the turn for the floor but also serves as a landing for the door to the right that is walk in storage space with the door opening towards the stairway.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Studying the image from the gallery titled, “Ridge Vent with Baffles”, I’ve learned that the ridge vent serves as a method to circulate air through the attic space. This is accomplished by providing low pressure at the ridge drawing air from the eave through the attic and out of the ridge. This venting method provides for cooling air and removing excess moisture from the attic space.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Attic Viewing Method: Areas inside the attic
Note: All attics have limited access due to insulation/obstructions/clearances.
Attic:
There are widespread gaps at the soffit areas where pests can potentially enter into the attic. There is left over material/debris in the attic.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I went over the “Vapor Diffusion Retarder Inspection” article by Nick Gromicko and Ben Gromicko.
It started by explaining what the building enclosures should effectively do… keep water out; and if water gets in, let it out.
It also highlighted the terms vapor barrier and vapor retarders and their differences.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
I photographed the interior of a window. This is an older wood framed window. The bottom sill of the window is missing all paint and the wood has rotted severely from lack of maintenance. For these windows it is critical to maintain the finish on the wood and to use storm windows when applicable to prevent damage.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I studied an image of attic condensation from the NACHI gallery. The image shows conditioned air from the living space leaking through a leaky bathroom exhaust vent and from around a recessed light fixture. This warm humid air can cause water to condense on the underside of the roof which is cold. This condensation can lead to multiple problems. In this image it is shown that the condensation runs down the underside of the roof sheathing and then runs down the inside of the exterior wall where it can discolor the walls and ceilings of the interior among other problems.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The intermediate rails should not exceed 4 inches:
The balusters in the stair rails are more than four-inches apart and are not child safe, we advise caution if children or small domestic animals are present, and you may wish to have a protective barrier installed.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Basic waterproofing for basements:
In this article, I learned that basements are the most vulnerable areas for moisture intrusion; water damage can be devastating and even produce a building to collapse, not mentioning the health hazard that can produce like mold, and even interior air quality could be compromised.
