This post is for the requirement for the wind mitigation course.
In the Gallery section of roofing the pictures between “hail damage characteristics and blistering characteristics” were every interesting and should be studied by all Florida inspectors. We have them both but mostly blistering. It is common when there is not enough air flow through the attic. In the gallery you can see that the damage from hail is usually all the way through the shingle. The damage from blistering is usually a lost of grit on top of the asphalt but not down to the mat
This photo is from an actual Wind Mitigation Inspection that I personally performed, along with a complete Home Inspection. The interior of the metal garage door appears to indicate that there is some associated level of wind resistance. It is obviously a newer door, and is not original to the building. There are at least 7 attachment points on each side of the door. The door has horizontal reinforcement. There is no glazing to check. So, this opening would fall under “Non-glazed Garage Doors” in the Opening Protection Level Chart. There are stickers (labels) on the door that provide further information, perhaps documentation.
As part of the Wind Mitigation Course, I looked through the Gallery to find pertinent photos or illustrations. What interested me was the Gallery-Collections-Framing-Framing-Roof framing 3d illustration. This detail made me think of the greater strength of balloon-framed gables versus platform-framed and/or skinning a truss for a gable. I have never seen a balloon-framed gable. As a former carpenter and building contractor, I’ve never built one. Specific to this course, I wonder if a bored structural engineer has ever calculated the difference between wind resistance capabilities of a balloon-framed gable and a hip roof. And I wonder if there would be grounds to argue the “hip roof” deduction being applicable to balloon-framed gables in some instances.
This is a picture of a strap on a home I did a wind mitigation. At first glance the strap appears to be close to the truss. Upon careful examination the strap barely meets the 1/2 inch maximum requirement.
The article gave a good overview of what a wind mitigation is. It also explained the why in regards to the building envelop and why its shape and fastening system is so important. For obvious reasons they could not go into a great amount of detail. It would have been interesting to have some statistical historical information regarding the cost and percentage of damage for the different types of fasteners. Statistical information on roof shape would also have been interesting. This would allow us to educate our customers as to the value of such features.
This picture is of a garage door I inspected during a wind mitigation. I could not find any rating sticker or documentation for the door, but it did have heavy horizontal metal bracing and 7 attach points to the walls. It also had non-protected glazed openings which I marked in column X and I listed the door under column N for not being verified.
I read the moisture intrusion article in continuing education and learned that high indoor humidity can, after time cause damage to wood trim, cabinets etc.
You don’t always need direct water contact or a plumbing leak for a lot of damage or wear to occur.
Mold can be in walls for years without any visual evidence and can cause serious health hazards or even death.
On a recent Wind Mit inspection I came across a Crimsafe screen door. The homeowner told me it was Miami Dade approved. Looking at his documents and finding no label on the door I told him I had to research it. There was no Florida building code number or Miami Dade approval. I found FL #13771.2 from the building department documents that were submitted for the permit. The Florida building code online website had all the test reports, drawings, etc. to identify the door. The door was approved for use in and out of the HVWZ on 10/16/2015. The website is www.floridabuilding.org.
I read through the library about asphalt/fiberglass shingles. The quality of asphalt can vary from shingle manufacturers. I have installed and inspected several roofs in the past 25 years of home building. I found the manufacturing information quite interesting. The back surfacing is used to keep shingles from sticking to equipment and to each other. It’s made from sand or limestone. The granules are crushed rock and colored with a ceramic coding to reflect sunlight. This keeps the roof cool and from damaging the asphalt. The weight of the shingle helps the adhesive strip bond, which helps wind resistance. The adhesive strip is the most important component in providing wind resistance. Adhesive strips are installed on the back or front of the shingle. This information will make it easier to explain to my customers when they question the remaining useful life on their roof.
The attached photo’s are from a recent inspection of a home with a wind mitigation performed and sent to the insurance carrier for applicable discounts these pics where not originally included as the screened patio was of a metal pan roof, screened on 3 of 4 sides was not part of or attached to the structure roof and non permanent IE: if a hurricane blew this away it would not breach the structure integrity. These pics where requested after the original mitigation was submitted by Citizens ins. To confirm why it was not in the original mitigation pictures or report items listed on the mitigation (roof type determination). The home was given the applicable discounts for meeting the glazed and non glazed opening requirements as well as the hip roof credit due to the addition of these pics.
I’ve chosen to start a discussion on you article of “Termite Control in the house”.
Upon reading the article I realized a few shortfalls in regards to termite prevention or if termites are suspected.
I realize that many of the inspectors in the country may not have much if any experience with (DWT) drywood termites/dampwood termites and subs as well as the king of damage Formosan termites but here in S Fla this is as common as rain falling.
In the article I was very interested to read that** you mention prevention tactics that are irrelevant for DWT infestations as these are airborne only in there quest to infiltrate a residence IE: they do not come from the ground like a sub based problem. I inject that in order to truly educate inspectors in all areas of the country a more thorough understanding of regional differences be made available to better represent all types of situations encountered. Thoughts???
Example: on a WDO report in Fla carpenter ants are not considered a wdo issue and as such are not put in to report. this is a regional difference.
Thanks for your input in the future!
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I just read " 16 Steps That Help Inspectors Avoid Lawsuits".
It provided some good tips such as: “never refer to yourself as an *expert” *pointing out that the Inspector should be more of a generalist.
Also I appreciated the suggestion to photograph the water meter at the end of the inspection to show that no water was running in the house when you left.
Neighbors house I inspected as part of course. Home has a great Hip roof with no extensions or changes and shingles installed five years ago in 2011. Owner has a record of roofer installing shingles and rolled roofing signed by building inspector for a SWR. Roof to wall has straps on all joists with 2 nails one side and one nail the other imbedded in block construction. Owner has records of Hurricane windows installed four years ago and have rating on all opening except the front and rear door that she has bolts into the block through the siding for a Miami-Dade approved shutter to cover. Looks like a very well protected home to me. There is no garage or decks. Thanks
This is a photo of tongue & groove decking. A Zircon MetalliScanner Mt6
was used to confirm the minimum of 2 nails per board. It qualifies
for a roof deck attachment credit.
When performing deck inspections the inspector must pay close
attention to proper clearances. It is not only a liability matter
but a moral and ethical duty that we be mindfull of
deck child safety issues such as assuring that railing balusters
be no more than four inches apart in order to protect our children.
This roof-to-wall attachment picture was taken at a Daytona Beach home built in 1973. Unfortunately it did not qualify for clips, as the metal connector only had 2 nails.The next truss over had a clip with 3 nails, but the metal was embedded in the concrete more than 1/2" from the truss and there was no blocking.
When determining the fastener size for the roof deck connection, a little critical thinking must be utilized. A 8d common nail is 2 1/2" long. After measuring the length of visible section (the shiner) we have to add the thickness of the roof decking to get the nail length. In case of most ply woods the roof deck is approx 1/2" thick while if dimensional lumber boards were used it will be 3/4" thick.
