The roof appears to have proper ventilation with large vented sofits and a ridge vent. The ridge vent runs the length of the ridge, but it appears that the attachment to the roof is coming loose and it may need reattaching or resealing.
I reviewed the 10 ways to save energy in your home article and it describes several ways that a do it yourself home owner can save energy. These ways can range from easy projects, such as changing light bulbs, to climbing through the attic spaces and sealing the gaps from piping and wires. Even the simplest changes can make big differences in the cost savings in a persons energy bills.
This image was taken of a home that had extreme damage to the gutters. The gutter had to much weight as a result of large amounts of snow and ice hanging from the gutters. As a result the gutters collapsed.
Displaying house numbers is a must in most occasions. It is important to have house numbers displayed and visible at all time, in case of an emergency. As the article explains it is required in certain municipalities to have there house numbers displayed as part of local rules.
Orient Strand Board (OSB) was developed in the 1980’s as a way to reduce the cost of plywood manufacturing. Plywood consisted of individual veneers or layers glued together from larger sheets to increase thickness depending on application. OSB allows smaller pieces of wood to be laminated together forming larger sheets, so it’s cost effective and less demanding of natural resources.
The photo depicts a commercial gutter system with a outside to outside measurement of 7" on the downspout. The material is galvanized metal which has been painted and the corresponding elbow at bottom is PVC. Drainage is proper in that it flows to sewer drain in parking lot. Roof access was locked and given the height of building further inspection of gutter was not completed.
The chimney will likely be the largest roof penetration on every roof that is inspected. With that size comes exponentially more areas for water penetration to exist inside the structure. Most homes have some type of flashing present, but rarely do chimneys have every level of flashing that is necessary. In my experiences, I rarely see counter flashing with the upper edge secured inside of the mortar joints. The counter flashing should be installed to protect the exposed top seam of the step flashing. Without this present, water can enter behind the step flashing and begin deteriorating materials, wreaking havoc for years to come.
The flue pipe enters and exits through the top of the chimney. The flue for the chimney is not properly protected from the weather based on the rain cap not fully cover the opening. We recommend a new flue cap be installed over the entire exterior of the chimney flue to protect it from the weather.
A home that has 1000 square ft should consist of a roof vent for every 150 sq ft listed. In this case, the roof of 1000 squares ft should have a minimum of 7 roofs vents of a ridge vent that expands the length of the roof line.
Viewing this roof i find no issues with the lay or line of the shingles. They are architectural shingles approximatly 15 years old and appear to be in exellent shape for their age. It appears there are issues with the pipe boot and the chimney flashing where caulking has been applied to stop leaking.
Upon observation of the gutter system it appears to have collapsed. There are no downspouts present. whatever the reason for the collapse, the collapse itself has damaged both the flashings and the soffit underneath. Also observed is the presence of a tarp indicating a possible leak or damage to roof system. Recommendation of repair to both gutter drainage and roof system by licensed contractor noted in inspection report.
The article I chose was “A Garage Inspection” I learned a lot from this article. One thing that I was greatly informed by was the image of the defective installation of both the gangnail and the joist hangers. The joist hangers being undersized, incorrect screws where used and the it was mounted to drywall. All those factors plus the bent over nails used to secure the gangnail made that roof a candidate for catastrophic roof collapse and gave me a great set of red flags to look for as I begin inspecting any garage roof.
In this particular image you can see the damaged area of the soffit and what appears to be some cracking in the gutter as well. There is paint present over both surfaces. Further inspection would be suggested by a professional.
I looked at the garage inspection where trusses were being altered without an engineers approval. Im no engineer but being in construction over 20 yrs i was scared for the homeowner of that structure where it was obviously a set up for failure. i hope i dont miss such things when out inspecting.
I chose to further study the images of gutters. Galvanized gutters are more rounded at the bottom and the paint often flakes as well as the interior being susceptible to rust. Whereas aluminum can be scratched with a screwdriver and doesn’t flake or peel it’s surface material.
Downspouts are drainage pipes that direct rainwater away from the structure.
One downspout is missing a splash guard at the end of the down spout to guide the water away from the edge of the foundation to promote foundation health reducing moisture-related deterioration.
The photo shows a plastic downspout leading to an apparent underdeck extension that appears in the lower left of the picture on the side of the walkway. While this may be continuous, we have no way of confirming that. I would note this not as a defect but as a item to be monitored to confirm it’s integrity. There also appears to be some erosion near where the downspout enters the ground.
The pictured gutter has been bent downward where two sections are joined. Due to the angle at which it is bent, it is unlikely that water cascading off the roof will be effectively captured.
The leader in the picture terminates below grade. It could not be determined where the leader terminates or if it effectively conveys water.
The common trip and single pole breaker illustration in the gallery shows how a 2 pole breaker has a common factory handle which will simultaneously disconnect both lines and a two single pole breakers with a listed handle tie, field installed to disconnect both lines. I would note that the single pole breaker shown in the center should have only one line wire connected to it.
