Insulation R Value: As the focus on energy efficiency has increased, inspectors will need to understand the part insulation and R values play in the process. The two most common problems inspectors may encounter regarding insulation are 1. inadequate insulation and 2. poorly installed insulation. Both of these items will effect the R-value and energy efficiency. Not enough insulation is simple enough, the thicker the insulation the higher the R-value. Just add more. There are many ways to install insulation poorly. The most common being compressing the insulation into a space to tightly. This will actually decrease the R-value. If lack of insulation R-value or the presence of poorly installed insulation are discovered during inspection, the inspector should include this in his report.
I was looking a the turtle vent on my house. Everything seamed to be in place. I could not see the vent from the inside of my attic. I didn’t see any exposed nail heads or any hail damage. The vent same’s to be in good working order.
I have been on a few home inspections wile training. To me I have noticed that there is no fire rated door attached to the garage on any of these houses. Before I got into inspection I never new a house had to have a fire rated door. The thing is all the houses Ive been training on are no more than 10 years old at best. I dont want to speculate on who took these doors off or if they were ever there in the first place?
You can see in this picture that the insulation is shoddy at best. There are a number problems. Missing gang nails and improper installation of the insulation. The access point was actually in a pantry closet and I was unable to completely inspect the attic area.
Open crawl space vents let in moisture, which creates the perfect environment for wood rot, mold, mildew and dust mites. Plus a vented dirt crawl space can also cause your energy bill to be much higher. You need to look at your particular region and determine if open air vents are best for you.
The left side second story attic space has area’s of missing insulation. This is causing energy loss and is not today’s standard. Proper insulation can reduce the energy loss. I recommend having a qualified person evaluate and add insulation as needed.
No roof ventilation is present. This will have adverse effects on the condition of the home. I recommend increasing the ventilation to promote the life expectancy of roof covering and allow the home to breathe properly by a qualified roofing expert.
Counterbalance sash weights (for windows) on older homes does not allow for maximum insulation on the sides of the windows. I removed the trim piece between two windows and took the accompanying picture. The sash weights are each 1 1/2" in diameter and the distance between the two window jamb legs is 3 1/2", giving enough room for the weights to move up and down freely. But front to back (interior to exterior) there is 5 1/4" which gives me 3 3/4" to install rigid foam insulation. (5 1/4 minus 1 1/2). In my case I can put about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" on the exterior side and about 1" x 3 1/2" on the interior side - still leaving room for the sash weights to move up and down freely. Press fit the rigid foam the full length of the window and caulk around the perimeter of the foam and you have solved the problem of no insulation on the sides of these (old) house windows. “Some (insulation) is better than nothing”. In this situation, I was dealing with single hung windows. If they were double hung I would not be able to put as much insulation on the sides. (This house was built in about 1949).
The picture show evidence of wildlife activity in the attic with tunneling and trails on top of the insulation. The insulation had also been compacted by wildlife diminishing the R-value. Recommend further evaluation by a professional pest control company to.
Asbestos siding can be very dangerous if handled improperly. The asbestos fibers inhaled are know to cause a type of lung cancer called asbestosis. Mesothelioma, another deadly form of cancer that attacks internal organs, can also be caused by exposure to asbestos.
In this picture of an upstairs entryway, you can see the stairs have a 8.5" rise, with a tread width of 11". The landing itself is 47" wide, and 12’long. The railing height is 36.25", with ballister spacing of 3.5". Also included in this picture is an entryway door that measures 36"x80"…
I looked at a hand drawn house in the library, internachi-house-11.jpg. In this illistration, I noticed that the stairway leading up to the second floor had no landing at the top of the stairs, no supports attaching it to house itself (stair treads ending directly onto the house siding), and no supporting landing pad at the bottom of the stairs.
The attic decking is insulated with rolled fiberglass insulation. It shows conventional truss construction and OSB roof sheathing. The image shows a soffit vent that is clear and open with no obstructions allowing the air flow to move through the soffit, up the under side of the roof and out the ridge vent.
The inspectors access into the attic is almost always by use of a ladder. Some homes will have an access pull down ladder. These ladders are often installed by the homeowners and are unsafe for the inspector to use for there attic inspection. An inspector should be prepared to use their own ladder for entrance into the attic for insured safety. safety during an inspection is an inspectors primary concern.
This is a picture of a staircase that I came across at work. As you can see in the picture. Measuring form the steps up is only 5’11". Not meeting the minimum height of 6’8" headroom. The cause was a extra step was added reducing the rise of each step. Witch added more run causing the stairs to go further than the opening allowed. The fix the opening had to be extended. Headroom fixed.
The sill gasket or some would call the sill sealer stops air flow between the fondation and framing. I have seen a lot of crews skip this step to save time only to try to caulk it after the structur is built. Causing air leakages and moisture problems. Proper installation of sill gasket at the begining is the first step stopping excessive air flow.
Looking at the attic condensation slide from the illustration gallery there is a moisture issue resulting from warm air escaping the living space below through air gaps or leaky areas penetrating the ceiling. The warm air enters the colder attic and is rising to the roof. When the warm air comes in contact with the cold roof condensation can form. Brown stains on the ceiling and walls below are indications of water damage - either from a leaky roof or in this case a build up of condensation. Proper attic ventilation can help alleviate this problem.
This is a photograph of a non-vented crawlspace in MI, not located geographically in a hot/humid climate. There are several issues in this picture. Unrelated to this section: the dryer vent is semi-rigid opposed to the required rigid, is not supported at appropriate locations at least every 4 feet. Related to this section: non-vented crawlspaces require rigid insulation on walls. This is accomplished but they are poorly attached. Insulate in non-vented crawl spaces should not be insulated at the floor above. In this case it is. And it is attached poorly and improperly. The space is climate controlled. Unseen in the photo, half of the crawl space is poured concrete flooring. The other half is dirt. It is also poorly covered with a vapor barrier. It is not overlapping, or taped at the seams.
It was observed that the fiberglass blown insulation in the attic floor. Between 13 to 14 inches of insulation amount well evenly spread it trough the attic floor. It is proved that the rifht amount of insulation helps to prevent moisture in the attic.
The insulation is a very important component of the home. The way that the heat flows affect the entire home. Any air leaks could change the effectiveness of the insulation and affect the efficiency of the HVAC units. Is imperative to hire a professional to ensure a better installation.
