Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a picture of the inside of a garage that is connected to the home. It has small pieces of composite siding stacked on top of each other with open gaps and fasteners. The siding does not go all the way to the roof line. The door jamb is not finished and has spray foam insulation which is very flammable. This is a defect. I would recommend having a licensed contractor address this issue.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Garage doors are to blame for 20,000 emergency room visits a year. They are typically the heaviest moving object in the home and can be unsafe if not properly cared for. They should have a auto reverse mechanism and four warning labels on each door. One at the springs, one on the back of the door. Another on the cable area, and a final one at the wall mounted switch
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a photo of a garage door opener push button. It is located at an appropriate height but lacks the warning label next to it for the user to be aware of when operating the automatic garage door opening system.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I looked at the gas water heater in a garage illustration which shows the water heater out of the way of the vehicle and elevated 18 inches so that it is out of the way any flamible liquid spills. It also notes acceptions for FVIR Tanks.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Garage walls next to living spaces require drywall that is solid and not damaged. This should be called out as a defect. The drywall has been cut and removed to gain access to the main drain. The opening should repaired and sealed with approved drywall and mud. The screw heads should also be sealed with mud.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Garage floors need to be sloped towards the garage door. One reason this is necessary is for drainage. For example if youre in a snowy area and after returning home the bottom of the car is covered in snow, as it melts it will pool. The slope will help it naturally leave the garage.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The image above shows seveal images of a 2 car garage. The garage is lined with gypsum board and taped/sealed on all sides of the garage. There are 15 1/2" holes around the garage walls that will need to be filled and sealed to maintain fire integrity of the walls. garage ceiling sits below 2 upstairs bedroom and the main entry to the house from the garage has a solid wood door and automatic garage door opener and is equipped with a self closing device. The torsion springs do not appear damged and are intact. The opener is located at the front of the garage and sits just over 5 feet from the floor
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Garage Inspection: Defect: This is missing drywall or gypsum. No less than 5/8 inch Type X gypsum board should be used for the firewall with habitable rooms above the garage. All joints should be taped and finished with 3 coats of joint compound.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Garage Inspection: Fire Hazards; The garage either attached or separate, can present a multitude of fire hazards unless conscientious attention is paid to ensure the safety of inhabitants of the home. Defects in applications of ducting, openings, electrical outlets, electric garage doors in need of repairs, walls improperly attached to concrete floor, inadequate slope and a number of other seemingly insignificant defects should be corrected. Should a fire occur while defects exist, acceleration of fire throughout the premises could occur. Corrections to defects should be made and equipment properly labeled and maintained.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Being an InterNACHI certified Florida based Master home inspector I’ve done many garage inspections and a defect I find that is very important is garage door supports. Most defects I find is split wood. This picture has factures wood throughout.
Research & Writing Assignment:
A Garage Inspection
by Kenton Shepard
Being an InterNACHI certified Florida based Master home inspector I’ve had many garage structures fail due to handy man repairs. I have seen many nail misses and broken boards. Also cement cracks that are wider than a credit card
Research & Writing Assignment:
“Garage Doors and Openers”
A garage door is usually the largest moving part in an average residential home. Garage door injuries that require emergency room visits climb to nearly 20k each year. While death’s related to garage doors have been minimal, safe practices must be followed by homeowners and inspectors to ensure garage doors are operated and maintained appropriately. Some features that make automatic garage doors safe include; photoelectric eyes positioned 6" above the floor at the garage entrance, manual release handle no more that 6’ above surface, torsion springs, ensuring the switch is 5ft above the surface of the garage and always operating the door according to manufacturer recommendations.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The stair landing in the garage has a guardrail installed. The space between the balusters should be close enough to prevent a sphere of 4 maximum from passing between them. This guardrail has balusters that are too far apart as shown in the picture. They are roughly 4 1/2 apart. This is a safety concern that should be addressed.
Research & Writing Assignment:
In the article Garage Doors and Openers I was alarmed at the number of injuries related to garage doors. There are approximately 20,000 emergency room visits per year according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. And 60 children have been killed since 1982 as a result of garage doors that did not automatically reverse upon contact. This is so tragic, and from an easily preventable cause. It highlights the importance of inspecting the components of a garage door.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
An outlet box was observed in the garage on the wall to the left of the door into the house with a missing cover. Additionally, a gap of approximately 1/8th inch exists around the outlet between the box and the drywall. A best practice to ensure fire separation between the garage and the house is to install a fire block such as a fire-rated spray foam or putty in the gap. Recommend repair and installing missing cover.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Inspecting Residential Attached Garages. The article provided information for the inspector on IRC codes related to the fire separation of the attached garage from the house. It goes over areas in the garage effecting the fire separation “envelope” an inspector, knowledgeable in code and current best practices, should inspect and note. I found the author’s implication that more clarity could be provided by IRC to be something I agreed with. If fire separation is necessary, items such as electrical penetrations that could allow smoke and fire to enter the wall cavity should not be ambiguous.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The attached photo depicts proper garage drywall instillation. A minimum of inch drywall is installed on both the wall adjoining the house and the ceiling. If the room above the garage was habitable, it would have required 5/8 inch Type X drywall. The fasteners and joints are also properly sealed with drywall compound.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The photo gallery picture I chose was of a conventional water heater located in the garage. Unless the water heater is a new model and is Flammable-Vapor-Ignition-Resistant (FVIR), the flame source must be at least 18 inches above the ground. Also, if any appliance could be in direct contact with a vehicle, it should have a blocking force in place, such as a Ballard
Research & Writing Assignment:
One of your quizzes has a question relating to the spatial relationship between a garage door torsion spring assembly, and the garage door header. The question asked is whether a torsion spring assembly is mounted above, next to, or below the header. The desired answer is that the spring is mounted above the header. Given that garages are defined as being enclosed, unless an exceptional circumstance was encountered, the garage wall would continue upward from the header until intersecting either the roof, or the floor located above the garage. Thus, mounting the torsion spring assembly above the header is almost a physical impossibility, and even if done, by means of a header above the header leaving room for the assembly, would require reversed mounting of the drums and springs to allow the cables to access the lower brackets. I believe that the question intended to say “Above the level of the top of the header” or similar as a possible response, although this is also incorrect. Depending upon header depth, track radius, type of low headroom kit selected, etc, a torsion spring may be mounted to the side of the header (although I will grant that it will more often be mounted at the back ends of the rails in low headroom situations), but I am unable to find an instance of the assembly mounted above the header.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a picture of a garage ceiling, located beneath an upstairs toilet room, which is open to a sleeping room. Local code requires 5/8" sheetrock in this area, thickness was verified, although it was not possible to verify that it is actually type X as also required. The plumber has in this instance extended low point drains, these are found throughout the house, to allow complete gravity drainage of the plumbing system. In this case, however, the drywall contractor did not seal around these pipes, creating a break in the required firewall. This is a defect, and should be corrected.
