Improving the drainage and keeping the gutters and downspouts clean and flowing away from the foundation prevents foundation water issues. If the areas are not graded away from the foundation, ground water could enter the foundation wall and allow mold growth or bowed walls.
Attached is a photo of an HVAC supply duct feeding a garage (minus the register). Unless the garage is on its own dedicated HVAC system, the home’s HVAC system should not supply air to a garage. And more importantly, it should never draw return air from the garage.
For this, I read: “A Garage Inspection.” Among the many deficiencies to look for in a garage, this article teaches how to look for framing issues. As examples, the author discussed improper roof truss alterations, fastener problems, inadequate metal hangers, etc. Lastly the article reiterated the importance of all garage receptacles having GFCI-protection.
There is no NEC requirement for power in a detached garage.
This is a photo of a door from a single car garage into the living space of a home. As you can clearly see, the self-closer is missing and I advised the client of the dangers of the products of combustion entering the house.
I read the article “Garage Doors and Openers” and I was actually not aware of the all warning labels, required to be there. I’m not sure if it’s just because I was not aware, or that in Canada we have different requirements, but I will certainly be advising clients, going forward, that these labels should be there, for their safety.
The image above is of a garage vehicle door missing motion sensors at the bottom of the garage vehicle door. Motion sensors should be installed no more than 6 inches off the ground for safety. The inspector recommends further evaluation and installation of motion safety sensors.
The image researched is of a door from the garage to the living space. Doors from the garage to the living space should be fire rated and should be self-closing, self-latching for fire safety. Doors from the garage to the living space should not open to a bedroom.
Observed garage floor has settled out-of-level, negative slope towards entrance stairway. Snow and rain run off from cars will pool against the foundation and may cause further movement in floor as well as concrete walls. In addition, sole plate is not pressure treated, there is no impervious moisture barrier below sole plate. Last, sole plate missing foundation anchor bolts.
When I inspect garage roofing systems often I come across a home owner alterations, the worst being installed flooring on trusses bottom cord. In one such case a homeowner built a room on top of 2x4 trusses, his floor felt like a trampoline when I walked across it. Another had 2 V8 engines stored on 3/8" plywood. And lets not forget the pull down attic ladder. Older homes are not exempt from this. Homeowners will use the 2x3 or 2x4 collar ties to store their “stuff” causing the exterior walls to move and the ridge beam to sag. Seeing a pulley installed is not uncommon.
When the inspector checked the door hardware and springs, the door was checked for damaged springs and spring safety retention. The springs were secure and the retention cables for the springs were secure. The hinges, brackets, and fasteners were secure. The opener reinforcement bracket at the top of the door was secure and the header bracket for the opener was secure.
Garage doors are extremely heavy and under high tension. The home inspector should be aware of the dangers that missing or defective components present. Injuries caused by garage doors are common. The inspector should inspect all the hardware, springs, spring containment, brackets, rollers, warning labels, and both sides of the door panels for missing or damaged components. The door should be checked for correct operation. The inspector should also check the safety features of garage doors: wall mounted switch out of reach of children, red handled door release not higher than six feet, auto reversal operation, photo-electric eye operation, and door edge sensors. Inspectors should call out defects and recommend examination by a trained garage door technician. He should not try to fix or adjust garage doors and should be ready to explain the safety hazards involved to his/her clients.
This picture is in my back bedroom master bath! It is an older toilet but works efficiently although the height of the seat is lower than what is normal today! There are no cracks of any kind and no sign of any leakage!
The garage is the subject of interest today and included in this essay is the largest door of the house, the garage door! You need to be aware of the different warning labels and the many ways that safety is a definite concern!
Pictured is the brackets that support the track for the garage door. The installers cut away the sheet rock at the ceiling to support the bracket directly to the joists - a good practice. They failed to seal the gap they created - a bad practice.
I read the garage inspection article by Kenton Shepard. For such a brief article it was loaded with good information. History of similar construction in the neighborhood is a great idea. Overlooking fasteners is easy to do, but he certainly made a case for poor fasteners leading to potential failure of the structure.
Extension springs are under extreme tension when the door is down or in operation. When a Garage Door is in the down position the springs are fully charged and at their most dangerous. If a door cable or springs breaks and safety cables are not present the extension springs can becomes potentially deadly projectiles.
Extension springs are under extreme tension when the door is down or in operation. When a Garage Door is in the down position the springs are fully charged and at their most dangerous. If a door cable or springs breaks and safety cables are not present the extension springs can becomes potentially deadly projectiles.
Image of wiring and water lines penetrating the garage firewall into a attic. The wiring is being fed directly form the service panel. The copper is the cold supply and hot return from the water heater. My first thought is, wiring and plumbing being run side by side through a wall, cant be to code? And where would or could I find the answer? There isnt any presents of a sealant. There are defects here that need to be further evaluated by a professional.
