I read an article on Wind Mitigation. Wind Mitigation has many moving parts that include inspecting open protection, roof covering, roof shape and roof deck attachments. It also includes roof-to-wall connections, and secondary water resistance. All these areas are important for home owners to know about before purchasing a home in Florida.
This Door and Door frame does not shows rating, it is aged and has been repaired to mask the damage due to water damage. The door does not seal correctly and loose to the touch,could be a hazard if not addressed this would not pass my inspection. Recommend repair and replace
Barn Inspection: Electrical hazards and ventilation are common in barns. maintenance on electrical outlets are often not protected and to many items are on a outlet causing the circuit to be over loaded. lack of ventilation often causes livestock to over heat and may cause death.
keeping a barn maintained should be kept clean and well ventilated. roof vents, stall opening, doors and windows would help.
Up for discussion on this image is whether the attached sunroom with the flat vinyl roof, is considered in the geometry of the main roof. The room is used as a living space, but it is not air-conditioned nor heated and must depend on overhead fans and open French doors from the interior of the home for comfort. The room is attached to the exterior rear wall under the soffit of the gable roof. The answer is no, it is not considered and would be reported as “c”, other roof.
Reinforced concrete was noted in this study to be a superior choice of wall construction. Rebar is the reason for this strength. Nick Gromicko statesin his article “Rebar” that Rebar is typically made from steel because it has a similar coefficient of thermal expansion to that of concrete, which minimizes stress on the structure in response to changing temperatures.This is a direct quote from his article. He further comments that ridges aremade in the metal when fully surrounded by concrete for “enhanced mechanical anchoring”. This definitely a superb choice in construction where hurricanes occur.
The picture is of a clip installed in an older home. It meets the requirements for nails as it has 4 in the face. This type of fastener does not give the home owner the highest credit/discount on the wind portion of their insurance however it is better than toe nails.
The bat house inspection was interesting as I never knew the correct size or that there should be chambers inside the unit. I was not aware the wire screening was not good because it can fail due to urine rotting away the fasteners or the wire itself but that polyethylene plastic mesh is better.
When the inspector is identifying each type of opening protection a picture of at least one example is required. All pictures should be clear and visible and be included in the form. Attached is a picture of an opening that is Miami Dade Co. approved.
noted window had no label and had no shutters, noted in attic no h clips, gable roof, with asphalt granular composition shingles covering, garage door was not approved, frame house fully detached. with stucco covering double hung windows, thermo pane.
noted window had no label and had no shutters, noted in attic no h clips, gable roof, with asphalt granular composition shingles covering, garage door was not approved, frame house fully detached. with stucco covering casement windows, thermo pane glazing.
Home inspection agreement: During my years of owning a home inspection company I have had “agents” sign the agreement for my client that may have been out of town. I have learned to make sure in writing that the agent is an “authorized agent”.
Photo is of rear exterior elevation. This vantage shows the lack of any attached shutters or storm protection equipment for the windows and door. You can also see that mounting hardware for unattached shutter system or protections were not present. This vantage also highlights the hip shaped back porch that is attached to the rear exterior.
In the article “A Garage Inspection”, by Kenton Shepard there was a concerning issue about home-owner renovation to a garage space that resulted in dangerous end bearing and connection issues for the truss system. The highlight of this article is that it is always best to look closely at all areas when inspecting so that you do not miss a major flaw that on the surface may look acceptable.
Impact Window with label.
Local Building codes require a “window buck” inspection of the attachment of the wood “bucks” anchored to the structure. Then a “window in progress” inspection of the attachment of the windows because sometimes the windows have finish caps that cover the screws. Then a “window final” inspection with all caulking in place etc.
Tankless Water Heaters.
Tankless water heaters have advantages over traditional water heaters.
Traditional water heaters consume energy to maintain water temperature even when not in use, require more space and have a limited supply of hot water when in use.
Tankless water heaters save space, and provide unlimited supply of hot water when in use (the tankless unit must be sized correctly or multiple units installed). Energy is saved because water is only heated when called for (in use) rather than constantly maintaining water temperature.
Hurricane straps are all present. Hurricane straps are located with in one and a half inches of located trusses. There are single strap hurricane straps on trusses. Three nails per strap were noted during inspection. Roof decking is 1/2 inch thick plywood.
Tobacco smoke creates an odor that is notorious for its ability to saturate living spaces and persist long after its source is gone. Inspectors may be asked by clients who recently purchased a smoke-infused home, or by sellers before their house goes on the market, about how to remedy the situation.
The attached picture is of a single clip. It doe not wrap around the beam but it does have 3 nails in it. This meets the minimum requirements and would be check under the “bracing” section in the wind mit document.
For my research I decided to perform a wind mitigation on my own house. I went into attic and measured the nail spacing as well as the nail length. After that I took photos of the clip and the back side of the same truss.
