During 35 years as a general contractor in south Florida I have seen many methods of determining existing truss nails. I use a Zircon and I often wonder how many readings are detected for past nails and or staples from past roof projects
While conducting a home inspection, I came across the air handler. There was heavy corrosion and condensation on the unit. The unit was also not functioning properly. The unit was 20 years old. I advised the client of the observation.
There are a large number of conditions that are present in a crawlspace. That is why it is important to always wear personal protective equipment before entering the crawlspace. Never enter the crawlspace if evidence of a hazard is present.
Living in south Florida my entire life and personally dealing with them I am relieved to know two improvements which are vital to our homes & lives! #1 Impact windows & doors & #2 building codes which keep our community safer!
The picture shows an example of a out swinging double door at a Florida home.
These types of doors are more resistant to high wind and driving rain in a storm because the positive pressures actually push them more tightly against the door seals, which helps reduce water intrusion.
The picture shows an example of a out swinging double door at a Florida home.
These types of doors are more resistant to high wind and driving rain in a storm because the positive pressures actually push them more tightly against the door seals, which helps reduce water intrusion.
There are three types of devices used for wind mitigation. Clip,strap,and double strap. This roof has a single strap. This strap meets the minimum requirements for wind mitigation. There should be at the least two nails on one side of the strap and one nail on the other.
There are four items for a roof deck attachment. deck materials,deck thickness,fastener and fastener spacing. O S B and plywood are the most commonly used foe roof deck sheathing. The plywood or O S B board need to be at least 7/16 of an inch thick.
This photo shows a metal roof component of a single family, 2 story structure. The roof is a 5V crimp style roof, with 2.5 inch stainless screw fasteners. They are spaced 12 apart on the edge and 16: apart in the field. There is an SWR layer beneath the covering and above a 3/4 cdx plywood sheathing.
This is a photo of the circuit breaker panel. You should identify the type of panel installed and the amperage rating. in this photo I am identifying the type of wire feeding the power. it is copper wire , secured properly without excess exposed bare wire within the protected rubber conduit. Note any corrosion if evident. Looks like acceptable and clean workmanship.
Ranges in homes provide heat to cook meals.These ranges are susceptible to tipping if they are not equipped with anti-tip brackets. Accidents resulting in injury and in some cases death have been directly related to lack of proper bracing. Therefore inspectors should know how to confirm that these safety devices are present. often you can see the bracket visually behind the range. upon locating the bracket insure it is properly secured to the wall. To test the effectiveness, pull the top back of the range towards you, if it tips the bracket is ineffective. Note the presence of the bracket and corrective action if needed.
The roof attachment appears to be a double strap. One strap has two nails while the second has one. The nailing appears correct. The strap out of the concrete is more than 1/2" from the rafter and is not correct.
A wind mitigation inspection can save the homeowners money with their insurance premiums and deductibles. A properly wind mitigated home can prevent damage during high rick storms. Insurance companies require windstorm insurance to hold a mortgage from a bank or lender.
Rear patio egress double pane door with no rating for impact or wind. The house is not located in a mandatory high wind or wind driven object zone. It does swing outward so it is more able to withstand wind driven rain than an inward swinging one.
Rear patio egress double pane door with no rating for impact or wind. The house is not located in a mandatory high wind or wind driven object zone. It does swing outward so it is more able to withstand wind driven rain than an inward swinging one.
This is a picture of a single strap tie down for the wind mitigation inspection. A single strap should have a minimum of 3 nail. 2 nails on one side and 1 nail on the back side. The other requirement is the trap can not be embedded more than 1/2 inch away from the truss or rafter. It is a good practice to take two pictures of the tie down (one on each side) and put it in with the report.
I read an article about ageing-in-place inspections. This type of inspection it meant for an older person that want to make their house easier to live in for the elderly. Some of the small thing include having a 6 foot shower hose extension, and having a seat in the shower. The article gives numerous other details that could be uses for an ageing-in-place inspection.
A photo and illustration of a category 2 hurricane was chosen to study in relation to determine wind pressures in relation to the mean and slope. Meteorologists measure the maximum sustained wind speed at a point of 33 ft. above grade. the 100 mph winds at 33 ft. reduce to 84 mph at 15 ft. and at 5 ft. they are down to 66 mph.
A 2 story condo unit was inspected for wind mitigation and the photo included shows documentation of a water mark that all the sliding glass doors are impact resistant. All windows are also inspected and are noted to be rated impact resistant as were the 2 exterior doors and the garage door.
The roofing straps exceeds the maximum allowable distance requirements for distance between attachment without the use of blocking or shims. There should be no distance greater than 1.5 inches of space between the strap material and the truss or joist. The number of fasteners does not meet the minimum requirement of 3 per attachment point.
