Many older homes, especially in the south, were built by individuals who had limited building knowledge. As a GC I still come across a few subcontractors who will tell you that their “grandpappy did it that way, their pappy did it that way and they too are going to continue to do it that way”…which is nothing but pure ignorance.
And while some of these structures are still standing, that does not make it correct; yet we must becareful in telling a buyer or seller that it needs to be “upgraded”…again, I never use that word.
Building something correctly in the first place has nothing to do with upgrading or code…it has to do with following basic principles of the trade in question
regards.
We do get snow loads around here, I think you were talking about the published snow regions where code is different. The snow does not stop based on a map or a code. Parts of Rock Hill SC got 18 inches a few years back and it did not melt the same day.
Take the case where the spliced rafters have rusted nails due to a past or slow roof leak and the next snow buckles part of the roof. The insurance adjuster or the contractor is going to write up “improper or damaged building components prior to the failure event”.
This is a good example of why most inspectors practice defensive report writing, or in better terms “educational report writing”. This thread is a very good example of why the NC realtors want changes made to the way inspectors report things. There are several things to think about including the fact that structural failures can be sudden therefore the past performance is a useless excuse when dealing with variable loading and building stresses.
In some cases it would be easier for us and best for the clients if we just answered some basic questions on issues such as this:
Is the roof structure damaged? no
Is the roof built to modern standards? no
Is the roof built to less than typical practices during the initial construction? yes
Is the roof structure more likely to fail under future weather events than the average house? yes
Snow in most of the Carolina’s are not sustained loads, which when calculating rafter spans one does not use the loads that are defined for such…hence nor does one use it when inspecting. Last year we got 8 inches of snow in a 24 hour period…less than 24 hours it was all but melted.
But I do agree with you about why realtors get upset about some of the things reported. I had a lady call me last week who was trying to sell her house…had a contract and a closing date.
The sell fell through after the inspector wrote about mold. I went and looked at it for both the seller and her agent for which I do business with. There was no mold issue… I wrote her a letter stating that fact. Needless to say both were not happy about how the inspector wrote it.
As to weather the (roof in question) roof is likely to fail under future events…that is speculating and subjective… considering that its 70 years old without any signs of stress…I would say no…yet that in itself does not dictate that no actions should be taken.
I hope your letter stated “no visible mold” instead of just “no mold”. Sounds like a lot of liability you took on there either way.
Maybe the other inspector forgot to remove that from his report template by accident or the seller could have already done some “cleanup” before you got there. I vote for the “cleanup” being already done.
I think we need to understand that the framing basics of now and what the standard of the industry is providing, is far from being any type of equivalency to the standard in the industry 40 to 80 years ago.
You observe a framing style that is not common or understandable to today’s standard and you want to call it a defect?
Recommend a structural engineer or Architect if you do not know the capacities or the long term affects of this type of framing.
You can not judge or comment that a roof structure due its age, is more apt to fail then todays standard build.
It don’t compare.
Some of todays builds that were done without permits have failed way before the 50 year old.
A spliced member is not the end of the roof, it just depends where it is located in the train of load transfers.
If one is not sure what he is looking at, differ to a Architect/engineer.
Home Inspection reports should not be of speculations, and opinions.
It should be of facts, accurate statements, and/or referrals to experts in the relevant item. :)
In addition I would stay away from comments like Jim suggest. To make a comment based on what another inspector may report on during a future inspection is speculative and sounds defencive.
This was a good thread for me to read, I enjoyed reading all the different opinions. I do not often see anything built here, over 50 years old.
That being said, one of the reasons we write the report is so the client fully understands what it is they are buying. And though it may seem logical that a Home Buyer would understand that an old home would have older, unconventional framing, it never ceases to amaze what exactly the Client/Home Buyer does really know.
I would not call the framing a defect, but would note that it is older and unconventional. (It is probaly over engineered/stronger by todays standards)
It has become clear to me that many home buyers/clients are not my friends, so covering ones *** is always prudent.
It’s poor quality framing no matter what it’s age. If there is no visible failure, I wouldn’t recommend additional work, but I’d suggest that additional framing (purlin bracing) be considered.
I’m agreeing with Kenton here. Those spliced rafters would have me concerned. I come from a framing backround and to sister two rafters together with only a lap of around 24 inches is poor form. To not add bracing under those splices is even more poor form and just lazy framing.
Agreed, George and Kenton, in addition to adding purlin bracing, I would also recommend adding collar ties.
Note: Is there anything (beam, interior walls) to brace purlins off of since you shouldn’t brace off of ceiling joists, or are they going to have to add a beam to brace off of ?
