the door on this garage is obviously an earlier door it has some reinforcement
but no enough to be impact rated also it has only 3 attachments to the structure
on each side.
glad to see aerogel in the library. it’s amazing stuff i have seen it used
by the military and it worked way above expectations. If it comes down to a reasonable price i would re insulate my house with it in a new york minute.
Essay #1 - Wind Mitigation Article by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
The article on the Wind Mitigation gave a very concise understanding on the importance of wind mitigation techniques used to protect homes during a hurricane.
Given the historical data from past hurricanes in Florida like Andrew and Katrina, there is a great advantge to the home owner and insurance companies, by imnplementing these wind mitigation strategies.
The article also expained the inspectin chacklist used to show the level of protection in the different areas of the home using a rating the following: roof geometry, opening protection, garage door, roof to deck and roof to wall connections, and roof covering.
Essay #2 - What Really Matters in a Home Inspection
This was a really cool article (with video) that spoke to the home owner on behalf of the Home Inspector. It show an empathetic understanding by the inspector on what the potential home buyer’s emotional experience will be during the home buying process. It explained why the home owner can relax because the home inspectors who are members of Internachi are highly trained and professional. I really liked the break down of the four issues that really matter during a home inspection; Major defects, Conditions that lead to major defects, Conditions that may hinder the financial ability, insure, legally occupy a home and any safety hazards. All are conditions that should be addressed as soon as possible often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively if corrected in time to protect both life and property.
All the openings are found properly protected with shutters .
The main door and the auxiliary garaje door at the time of the inspection , had the necessary labels to be approved by the condadod and Broward / Dade HVHZ areas , insurance mechanisms are correct.
The glass blocks at the time of the inspection had mounts necessary for the use of polycarbonate shutters.
I inspected a home located in North Florida with a gable roof. The home was built in 1989 based on county building records. The roof structure is original to the home, and the roofing material was replaced in 2012- based on county permit records. None of the windows, doors, or garage openings are impact rated for FBC or MDC.
I inspected the truss to wall connections and found only toenail connections present. There are no metal clips or straps. I also noted a loose gable wall brace on the west side gable wall near the roof. The included picture shows the truss/wall connection are toenail only which does not qualify as rated for wind mitigation.
Homes can be constructed in a manner which better resists high winds. Without certain measures, some buildings are susceptible to dangerous conditions such as overturning and building collapse. Designers are tasked with creating a system of parts including but not limited to diaphragms and shear walls, which make up the lateral force resistance system, or LFRS.
Reference:
Gromicko, N., Gromicko, B. (n.d.) Structural design of lateral resistance to wind and earthquake for the home inspector. InterNACHI. Retrieved on November 17, 2015 from http://www.nachi.org/structural-design-lateral-resistance-wind-earthquake-inspectors.htm
I performed a wind Mitigation inspection on my home but was unable to upload due to size constraints. Understanding the importance of all aspects of wind Mitigation not only provides useful to the homeowner from a safety and insurance saving perspective, it also keeps the inspector skills sharp as other defects can easily be noted during a wind mit inspection.
photo number one of 2 indicate shutters to be properly installed. Both upper and lower track and channel have adequate fastening systems in place every 6 inches. There is some surface rust in the lower left corner of the track which does not appear to be affecting any of the structural integrity of the system
.
Roof to wall attachment: What is the WEAKEST roof to wall connection?
C. Single wraps.
Metal connectors consisting of a single strap that wraps over the top of the truss/rafter and is secured with a minimum of 2 nails on the front side and a minimum of 1 nail on the opposing side.
In this residence, I found all strapping exceeded the minimum nail requirements - all straps consistently had a total of 7 - 8 nails on the front side of the straps and 6-7 nails on the back side.
Front of strapping:
Back of Strapping:
For the Reading & Writing portion of this course I chose the Wind Mitigation & Wood Decay Articles.
Since the portion of a homeowner’s premium covering wind damage can be up to 70% of the total cost depending on location, the Wind Mit Survey/Inspection is a must for Homeowners.
Wood decay is a never ending issue here in Florida with the high temps/High humidity virtually year-round. Proper construction, build techniques and maintenance are key to prevent finding yourself on the losing end of this battle.
The wind mitigation course seperates the hurrican issues from the rest of a home inspection. The explanation of the 1802 form and how to fill it out was great, considering how complex the form is. Now that I have taken this course I believe I can do a wind mitigation inspection and fill out the form with confidence. I am testing for my Florida home inspection license on 11/30, I’ve read that their are wind mitigation questions on the test, I am prepared. Good technical writing with this course. Unfortunately I’m having camera problems and can’t post an image at this time. I will solve the problem and return to this thread to post an image.
I chose Tree Dangers and Wind Mitigation for my reading assignment.
The wind mitigation article enlightened me to the facts about insurance companies premiums. I read that discounts are mandated by the state of FL.
and that most homeowners are not aware of the discounts. This to me is a huge
opportunity for home inspectors, to bring the discounts to people’s attention and increase business with wind mitigation inspections.
Tree dangers are basically this;
roots invading foundations and septic pipes
fire hazard if too close to house
promotes insects if near house
damage to siding and roofs.
Thanks for your time reading this
Jeff Robbins
student member
This photo is of the front exterior entry door. There is no visible label stating that this is an impact rated door. There is also no visible evidence of any other type of opening protection for this door.
I chose to read “Pool Drain Hazards” as one of my reading assignments. I was amazed to read how much suction pressure there was. I was also surprised how many injuries and deaths there were as a result of this issue. It really made me realize how important that part of the inspection really is.
I chose to read an article on “Window Films”. Energy audits is a type of inspection service that I had not really thought about. This article was informative on some of the products available and the energy savings that they could bring to a homeowner.
Performed a wind mitigation inspection. Basic findings: hip roof, new asphalt shingle roofing with SWR of peel-and-stick membrane.
Deck material 3/4" dimensional lumber, fastened with 8d nails every 6".
Roof to building attachment toenail only.
No wind or impact or wind protection on any openings except new garage door.
The new roofing, hip roof are definite advantages, as well as the type of roof deck and method of attachment.
The weak points are toenail attachments, and no opening protection.
As my reading assignment I chose articles on Wind Mitigation and Modular vs manufactured homes.
The Wind Mitigation article added an overview of the course I just took and was informative and helped reinforce some of the information I had just covered.
Modular homes are something that I have never knowingly inspected, after thousands of inspections, however the fact that they are nearly indistinguishable from site-built structures means that I may have seen one and not known it. I have inspected many Manufactured homes and the main point of interest I find is that they are not built as sturdily as regular houses and due to this and the fact that they are usually not structurally attached to the foundation in a normal fashion means that they depreciate over time.
Wind Mitigations are performed to help protect the home from damage .
Insurance companies provide credits/discounts,incentives to those homes that are eligible to them,based on approved protection and other requirements on the different building techniques applied on each home such as garage door protection, roof covering, roof shape, roof deck attachment, roof to wall connections, opening protection and SWR.(secondary water resistance).
A particular home can achieve those discounts on all of the components required or some of them, that means if the property its not eligible for the roof credits because didn’t meet the requirements for roof to wall attachment ,it still can get the other discounts such as garage doors and the rest of them ,if requirements are met .
I found very interesting at the beginning of the Wind Mitigation course the information about wind loads and the ilustrations on how meteorologists measure winds.
The meaning of the term “zone” used by engineers and how a home can be affected by internal and external pressures.
The entire course is great and prepares the home inspector on every single area that needs to take into account and beyond… awesome course !
