The article I have chosen from the library of inspection articles is regarding the inspection of Decks. The inspection of a deck should be done in the same sequence as the deck is built. You should always begin in the bottom of the deck. The deck ledger has to be istalled directly to the rim joist of the house and the siding needs to removed from that area. The article mention that washers being installed on the bolts between the joist and the ledger to create a space for water and moisture to drain are not a good practice. You can find spacers in the market that are made for that purpose. Those spacers are screwed in directly to the ledger board.
In the attached photo, you can see some of the common building details we discussed in the opening of the course. Specifically, you can see the eaves of the home have a drip edge, fascia and soffit. More notably, you can also see an entablature, which was described as a major element of classical architecture. There is a frieze and architrave above the front porch columns. The front porch could technically be described as a “portico.”
I decided to look at an article from the library titled “Exterior Design Features.” This was an interesting article which covered decks, porches, balconies, verandahs and patios, and how we can distinguish from these common outdoor spaces. It also included some etymology and history of some of the words we use today. For instance, “patio” originates from the latin word patere which means “to lie open.”
Hi everyone I’ve taken the course on exterior inspections and have chosen the pic test for my research project. I needed a refresher on how to perform the test. So using a awl, or screw driver. I choose an area. and insert in to the suspected area. If the wood splits in the middle that is a sign of termite damage. If the wood splits it is OK. I referred to the gallery pi pics to use as a guide and be found at the site listed below.
Surface drainage is an important aspect of protecting your home from problems associated with water intrusion in a home. I took this picture from out of a 2nd. floor window looking at the ground against the foundation to this house.
It is apparent that the ground slopes towards this house instead of away from it, the crawl space often has several inches of water in it. This water played a part in the piers underneath this house settling in the saturated soil they rested on.
For my research exercise I read “Attached Garage Fire Containment” from the library.
There are many common things stored in many garages , like gasoline, that make a fire hazard especially concerning. It is important to identify and utilize measures that can keep a fire from spreading to the living space within a house , like proper doors and the correct wall and ceiling materials.
How to Inspect the Exterior Course – Photo and Essay Assignment
This photo is of a driveway to a carport at a mid-century home. There are several open cracks which appear to be allowing water to penetrate under the slab continuing to damage the concrete. The cracks are wide enough and have a change in elevation that could be a tripping hazard. The change in elevation can be ground down to minimize the tripping hazard. These cracks can be repaired with an epoxy material that can help keep rainwater from undermining the slab. I recommend having a qualified, licensed contractor inspect and make recommendations for repair or replacement.
Efflorescence
Efflorescence usually occurs on masonry. It happens when water moves through the wall. The water picks up the salts that were not bound as the concrete cured and when the water evaporates the salt is left behind. The deposits appear as white fluffy or hazy deposits on the wall that can be brushed off by hand. This is not a structural concern but rather a cosmetic one.
Garage Door Safety Features
Garage doors cause 20,000 ER visits a year (mostly pinched fingers), and have killed 60 kids (since 1982).
The garage should have:
An emergency release handle that must be colored red, easily distinguishable from the rest of the garage door opened, and be no more than 6 feet high.
Automatic reverse that when it comes into contact with an object the door reverses (since 1991).
Electronic eye that if the beam is broken indicating that an object or person is in the way the door reverses course (since 1992).
Door edge sensors that is a pressure sensitive strip that reverses when it detects an object or person in the way.
How to Inspect the Exterior Course – Research Exercise
Retaining walls are common around homes when changes in grade require them to facilitate proper site drainage. Coincidentally, poor drainage around and behind retaining walls are their most common defect. This image of a cracked masonry retaining wall depicts a defect typically caused by hydro-static pressure or inadequate strength of the earth behind the wall to resist the load. If they are caught early, this type of defect can be repaired.
This deck has (2) 4x4 post supports. The image below shows damage to the following: vertical 4x4 ( slightly splitting by the connection), the 4x4 on the angle for lateral support and damage to the 2x12 which spans from the 4x4 post in this picture to the other one. The cracking could be from the age of the wood. On visual inspection I would imagine that its putting more stress on the ledger which could be pulling away from the house. Thank you
I did my research on Barbecue Safety! With the weather finally starting to become warm (Chicago) let the grilling season begin! For propane grills, I found it interesting that after cooking, the gas should be turned off first, and then the controls. Any gas left in the pipe will be used up by shutting down the grill properly.
Never using an electric grill always having propane, I learned that for whatever reason if you need extension cord make sure it is rated for the amperage required by the grill. I can see this being overlooked if hungry!
Thank you
This picture is showing eave damage and you can see rotting damage. This damage can lead to more serious water and moisture intrusion. Recommended repair by licensed contractor.
I read an article about 15 tools every homeowner should have and I have checked my tool box. I do have 10 out of 25 recommended. But I have other tools that were very helpful. I used drain auger many times and I offer people to get it along with plunger.
Proper management of rainwater runoff is important for homeowners to understand and for inspectors to bear in mind during the inspection. In the attached picture several things can be noted by the home inspector and largely relate to poor rain management. Most notable is the damaged downspout. This house has a slab foundation and there is visible spalling and cracking of the foundation near the damaged downspout. Water retention at this corner of the house has also added in the settlement and cracking of the surrounding patio. The customer was advised to have the foundation corner evaluated for needed repairs but more importantly for the downspout to be repaired and for improvements to be made for better rainwater runoff management.
Kickout flashing is a specialized roof flashing component designed to divert roof water runoff away from the wall cladding and into the gutter. Missing or improperly installed kickout flashing may result in water intrusion behind the wall cladding leading to damage of the underlying wall system. It is possible for severe damage to be present with little or no visible evidence of its existence. It is important for the home inspector to know where kickouts are needed and that they are properly installed.
Review of AFCI Testers by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
I chose to review AFCI Testers by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard. Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) are electrical receptacles that are able to sense potentially dangerous electrical arcs in home branch wiring. The test buttons located on AFCIs cannot test for arc faults within individual portions of the branch circuit. InterNACHI inspectors should use AFCI indicators. AFCI indicators are important because they ensure that the interruption function is working properly. If an AFCI is malfunctioning it can become a major safety hazard. AFCI indicators may produce a test failure on a functioning outlet. The tester button on the AFCI should be tested in the event that the indicator test did not cause it to trip.
This is a picture of a Brand new home. It has a gable roof with asphalt shingles, no defects observed in the roof.
It has gutters and downspouts, but the downspout is not away from the foundation. This may lead to moisture problems or foundations problems.
The siding is stucco and has a clearance of 6 inches from the ground. The surrounding ground slopes away from the foundation.
Backflow prevention.
Taken from https://www.nachi.org/backflow-prevention.htm
According to the authors (Gromicko, N. and Shepard, K.), backflow is the reversal of normal and intended direction of wáter flow in a wáter system.
Because we need to protect houses from wáter damages, backflow preventers are installed.
Backflow is a problem because it may spread contaminated wáter to the potable wáter supply.
Some causes of backflow are: water line breaks, fire fighting activities, Back-pressure and Back-siphonage.
There are different types of backflow preventers, they are:
- Double check valves
- Pressure vacuum breakers
- Reduced pressure principle assemblies
This is a picture showing caulking at the window sill in need of repair. It is hard to make out in the pictures, but moisture has intruded beneath the sill and caused the sill to heave in the center (notice the reveal of lower sash where it meets the sill in the middle vs. at the edge). To avoid further deterioration, repair, seal and paint damaged area.
