I’m currently doing my mock home inspections for my certification and I inspected my friend’s house. I found a couple of issues in the garage that I hadn’t seen in any other house and wanted an opinion on. The garage door mounting goes through the drywall into the framing above. They feel sturdy but would this disturb the fire barrier in the ceiling?
Then, the ground underneath the garage tracks is kind of hard to describe but it’s like they put down a very thin layer of concrete and it feels soft because it’s just soil underneath. Any other garage I’ve ever seen has solid concrete here. Would you mark this in the inspection as a potential place for moisture intrusion?
Morning, Nicholas. Hope to find you well and in good spirits today.
You are at your mock inspection stage. You must be excited.
When writing reports, the old expression goes; KISS. Keep It Simple Student.
I’m pulling for you buddy!
Robert
Garage ceiling. Drywall damaged. Cracks. Visible Signs of stress. Poorly repaired or taped around the ceiling drywall for the overhead garage door motor track hanger.
Suspect: Garage Ceiling not smoke/fire rated at the moment.
Overall impression: Signs of stress/movement in the drywall caused by the instability of the overhead garage door motor track hangers when the garage door opens and closes.
Is that an attached garage? Is the ceiling a component of the fire wall that separates the attached garage from the home? Is that a heated garage with an insulated ceiling?
The hardware penetration is an issue if that’s a fire wall. The penetration has to be sealed with drywall mud and fire rated caulk. The hole at the penetration is not a moisture issue unless that garage is also a heated room and there is a cold attic directly above. If that’s the case, it’s a heat loss and condensation issue, not a moisture issue.
Structure of the bracing: It appears not well triangulated. Did you climb up and try to wiggle it? Was it solid or not? After confirming it’s solid, I’d watch that area when operating the overhead door to see if any issue shows up. If it was solid, it wouldn’t make it into my report as a structural issue. We inspect for function.
I’m unable to comment on the concrete condition at the base of the track. Maybe that’s a footing and a skim coat. Hard to tell what’s happening from your image.
They screwed up the pour here which created some type of void resulting in a patch job, including spray foam. Yep, I would be concerned about water getting under the slab here, where the garage floor is susceptible. More so if the home is on a basement, in my area, sub slab water intrusion between the garage and the basement is a somewhat common problem, resulting in foundation issues.
