I am posting what I have learned during my research assignment regarding Masonry Chimneys and what kind of clues and defects you should look for in a chimney inspection. There is a high probability of additional structural damage & personal injury particularly from falling debris that occurs during a chimney collapse in inclement weather or earthquake.
4 major factors leading to defective Chimneys -
1). Poor soils compaction underneath, or undersized footings.
2). Deteriorating concrete quality in the Mortar joints between bricks.
3). A spreading gap that develops between masonry stack and house exterior.
4). Failure to add metal strapping at Floor & roof levels to integrate and reinforce connection from chimney to House.
Growing up in Florida, I had no idea about icicles, or what could lead to their formation. A few years ago, I moved to Kentucky and my familiarity with them became intimate.
Due to the heat from the house escaping into the attic, parts of a snow covered roof will be warmer, melting the snow which is refrozen at the cooler, lower, parts of the roof. The causes build ups of ice on the lower edges of the roof. Last year, my gutter on the back of my house fell victim to this phenomenon.
This is a manufactured chimney flue. appears to be installed after the roof was installed. it is screwed down with tek type screw with neoprene washers, and sealed with roofing tar. The flue is only 27" to the top, and is less then 2’ above the peak of roof which is 10’ away. Should be raised approx. 2’.
15 tools every homeowner should own
the is a number of tools the homeowner should own. a pair of plungers one for sinks and one foe toilets. set of combination wrench, slip joint pliers, and adjustable wrench to tighten or losen items as needed. Caulking gun to seal cracks or leaks around windows tubs ect. Flashlight I would recommend one that plugs into the wall in case of power outage. Tape measure, level, and claw hammer hang pictures and other small projects. Safety glasses and safety mask for protection from various things you may do around the house.Screw drivers and wire cutter for small projects around the house. Duct tape it is good for many a small repair till it cam be fixed correctly. there is many project you can do with the tools listed
The image attached shows tree branches over the roof.
Tree branches overhanging the structure have potential for damage the roof covering.
Trees cause the most impact damage by their branches being too close to the roof covering.
I would recommend trimming those tree branches.
Collar Ties vs. Rafter Ties
Collar ties and rafter ties are both horizontal roof framing members, each with different purposes and requirements.
Collar tie is a tension tie in the upper third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to resist rafter separation from the ridge beam during periods of unbalanced loads, such as that caused by wind uplift.
Collar ties must be at least 1 x 4 inches, spaced not more than 4 feet on center.
Rafter tie is a tension tie in the lower third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to resist the outward thrust of the rafter under a load.
Rafter ties are installed between opposing rafters, and they should be installed as close as possible to the top plate.
Rafter ties should be at least 2 x 4 inches.
H-Clips for Inspectors
H-Clips also called panel edge clips, are small steel devices that fit snugly between wood panels in order to provide them with edge support. They are often used with roof sheathing to keep it from feeling spongy or soft at its edges. Their size should match the thickness of the panels to which they are attached.
H-Clips increase panel stiffness by allowing distribution of weight between adjacent panels.
The use of H-Clips reduces the amount of required materials and lower the cost of construction. A builder who uses H-Clips may need fewer rafters to complete a project because the distance between them can be increased.
The picture I took depicts the gutter and downspout system, an integral part of the roof system. When we moved into this house, the downspout did not go completely into the underground pipe system, so when it rained hard, the water would splash out of the pipe and saturate the soil on that side of the house. There was water damage in the basement on that side of the house that was attributed to the downspout issue. We simply put a PVC extension on, which directed 100% of the water into the pipe and eliminated the basement water issue.
The article that I read for this assignment was on attic inspections. It’s important when conducting an attic to inspect for signs of moisture, especially around roof penetrations. It’s also important to use a moisture meter if you observe or suspect moisture in the attic. It’s also important to ensure that exhaust ducts from bathroom exhaust fans and furnace systems.
I did this roof inspection and found many split asphalt shingles (see picture).
As per the roofing coarse I am currently taking, I would note this as a defect.
This was also the second layer of shingles. I also found the masonry chimney cap cracked and in need of repair. Flashing was all good.
Read the articles of roof hail damage. I experienced hail damage to my home a few years ago. It suffered directional damage like pointed out in the article. My insurance company paid for damage to 2 sides of the house, and the roof facing the storms direction. I would have liked to see more pictures of actual roof damage.
This is an image of the drip edge on the northeast rake of the roof. I lifted the shingles along the edge to observe that the underlayment was installed over the drip edge. The drip edge was installed properly.
I feel like I have learned a lot about the different components both on top and below the roof. I found the information about flashing particularly helpful. I attached a picture from the gallery that shows the proper installation of flashing where the roof meets a wall. It shows how the flashing should be above the underlayment but underneath the shingles and house coverings. I also learned that flashing is needed at any point where the roof changes pitch or direction, meets a wall, has a penetration and along the edges of the roof.
The component I chose to inspect is the roof of an unattached carport. The roof covering is a 3-tab asphalt shingles, and they appeared to have some granulation erosion, and the roof covering appeared to have been in place for some time. I observed some granules collected in the guttering. It appeared that the roof did not have a drip edge and this has caused water to penetrate into the plywood sheathing as seen in the attached photo. The plywood sheathing was bowed up and had pulled the nails out in one section of the roof. This would definitely be noted as a deficiency in my report and I would recommend a roofing contractor take a look at it.
The article I chose to read and research for this assignment was "Mastering Roof Inspections: Moisture Problems. I chose this article because it seems that moisture detection is vitally important during any inspection, and so many homebuyers have become very educated as to the potential problems with mold. I found it very interesting that moisture has so many routes of penetration as well as the issue of humidity causing moisture problems. It is vitally important for the inspector to determine, if possible, where the leak(s) are located so they can be evaluated and repaired.
This is a photo from a recent inspection that I completed. I took the photos from my extension ladder. I was asked by the seller that I not walk the roof, as it was recently installed. From this vantage point, I was able to determine that the flashing and roofing was installed correctly, but did notice a small defect. The 8th row up and slightly left of the flashing, I noticed the small area that appears to be bulging upwards. I was unable to determine the cause of the bulge, but did note it to the client as a defect.
In all my time of inspecting homes for fees, one of my biggest pet peeves has been house numbering. Maybe I am just anal on this subject, but honestly, homes should be numbered, and be highly visible. I have understood the fact of people wanting privacy and the like, but by making the house “invisible”, there are some inherit dangers associated with this. One of the biggest is the fact that unless your house is visible from the street, what happens if you have an emergency? How are the emergency services, if they don’t know you, going to find you and save your life, your house or any other issues if they cant see the numbers. Unlike a fire, which may be seen from the road, a medical or other emergency would not be as readily known to the emergency team if they cant read a house number. I guess that over the years, finding homes has become more of a challenge with all the events in the world going on and more and more people seeking sanctuary and not thinking as I do. If I cant find you, no one can.
I inspected this garage roof. I found it in need of a new roof, there was moss growing in it, the rolled roofing was in bad shape and there was a tree with branches hanging over it causing leaves and debris to fall on the roof and further accelerate the roof decay/damage.
For my research on roof topics in the picture gallery, I researched the topic of chimneys. Chimneys must reach at least 3 feet above the roof area they penetrate and they must maintain a 2 foot clearance above all roof areas/walls within a 10 foot radius of the chimney. While inspecting the chimney look to see that there is proper flashing where it comes through the roof, if it is a pipe style or if it is a built up chimney(brick/stone) look for proper counterflashing, back flashing(a cricket if it is over 30"wide) and the apron and step flashing. These are spots where you typically will see a lot of leaks in older chimneys.
The photo shows a basic gable roof. The has composition 3 tab shingles installed on it. The eaves, and runs have a properly installed drip edge installed. The gable end have a 2x3 gable vent installed. The roof has properly flashed roof jacks and several ventilation vent installed. The roof appears to be in good work condition, with no visible wear issues. The bottom of the eaves on both side of the gable have rain gutters and downspouts installed.
