Intermittent Sill Plate

Specific Inspection Topics Structural Inspections
1

Did a new home yesterday. A pier and curtain wall foundation, and the sill plate was not continuous…it only existed above the pilasters for the entire permiter of the structure. (The band sill was unsupported between the pilasters.) The building inspector has passed it. What are your thoughts? Is it allowed?

Another question: how many straps do you need to see unsecured before you call it out? (I think I know the answer to this question.)

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2

IMHO, the house looks like it’s floating a little over the foundation. Has the home owner looked at this? Might want to defer to a SE. Then have them see a lawyer. :wink:

tom

3

Is this home attached to the foundation in ANY manner besides gravity? If not, they better at least put a heavy chair in each corner!

4

Straps are secured to the joist ledgers. (But some are not secured.) See the pic.

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5

That “strapping” doesn’t look much better than plumbers tape. Definitely agree about SE and…the attorney.

6

That could be a disaster just waiting to happen!

7

S/B beams pier-to-pier with adequate tie-downs. Specifics really depend on local conditions.

JMO

8

Is this a home built by a builder or the Owner doing his own work .

Cookie

9

Whiskey!
Tango!
Foxtrot!
Are you sure that is not just a curtain wall to
seperate HIS/HER crawlspace areas?

I read the thread title:
"Intermittent Sill Plate"
and knew this would be interesting…

(New Canned comment created)
“Intermittent Sill Plates are 6 feet on center and considered substandard
by most AHJ in North America. Recommend SE evaluate further.”

10

A local builder. He scolded the buyers for getting the home inspected. Here’s a few of the other significant findings:

  1. Exterior sealant missing
  2. Door thresholds not caulked
  3. Deck was nailed to ledger board (not bolted)
  4. Loose handrail
  5. Loose outlets
  6. Nails (the sharp end) stick through vinyl siding
  7. Service entrance panel loose on the wall
    8 Gutters missing end caps and downspout elbows.
  8. Roof sheathing cracked (visible from attic)
  9. No access panel for spa tub
  10. Spa tub not on GFCI
  11. Modified trusses
  12. Rafters pulled loose from ridge board
  13. Supply and drain line leaks under kitchen and hall bathroom sinks
  14. Drain line leak in crawl space
  15. No pipe for water heater TPR (water heater located inside house)
  16. When you take the SE cover off, you can’t get it back on because the cables and wires packed in there pop out.
    18 White wires used as ungrounded conductors and not marked with black tape
  17. GFCI outlet in kitchen provided for refrigerator
  18. AC system over fused
  19. Insulation missing in crawl space
  20. Window tilt mechanism didn’t function
  21. Noisy ceiling fans
  22. Damaged outlets
  23. Open seems at tub that need grout
  24. Kitchen cabinet doors mangled during installation
  25. Kitchen range hood designed to vent to interior does not vent anywhere
    28 Laundry vent cap outside fell off when I touched it (it was caulked to the wall).
  26. Main drain going to septic tank, outside the house, was above ground, then took a nose dive to the tank.

The worst new home I’ve ever seen! My antenna were up everywhere I looked.

11

Joe,
The pier and curtain wall foundation intrigued me as they are not common in our area. I had to google it to learn more.
From your pictures it all looks wrong to me as well. Here is something I found in my search. http://www.orangeburgcounty.org/Permitting/BasicPierReqs.htm

(5) When a pier/pilaster curtain wall system is used, the perimeter band sill must be doubled to consist of a minimum of 2-2” width members with a ledger strip.

12

Harold, the band sill was doubled. The sill plate, however, was odd. The pilasters do all the support for the structure—the curtain wall just keeps the possoms out (that’s what I was taught). So, structurally, it might be OK. But, still crappy.