Opening found under covered porch between existing gable roof over living quarters, and exterior covered porch. Opening junction box also discovered in this opening. Recommend a contractor cover the opening for a more permanent installation. Furthermore, recommend a contractor or electrician add missing faceplate to open junction box.
Types of Framing
I studied the image concerning different types of wood structure framing, balloon and platform. Performing inspections in Charleston, S.C., it is possible to come across more historic structures which were constructed through the use of balloon framing. While most of these have likely been updated with fire block to separate the different living levels, there are still some structures that remain largely intact with their original framing methods.
In many of the home we inspect in Florida, both we and the client are concerned about lot settlement and sink holes. While there are resources to find sink hole histories for a particular area, they can not predict anything. All homes will settle and show signs on the exterior, especially on masonry and stucco exteriors. These are not necessarily a sign of a sink hole. A walk of the property is helpful but not conclusive. A wise man (my brother) told me once that “predicting a sink hole is like cutting into a round of Swiss cheese. You never know where you might find the holes”.
Block foundation showing signs of repair, cracking along joints some settling has occured as a possible cause from corner of structure pulling away and down at corner of house. Area of settling is close to sloping area of yard(not shown) which likely caused this type of movement.
Image shown as of a brick foundation wall showing signs of water working its way from outside soils and through capillary action, wicks it’s way up through the brick and forcing its way outside at an above grade point shown as efflorescence on brick surface.
when going into a crawlspace you want to first make sure that it is easily accessible and if it is not you should not be trying to go in. there should be a correct amount of space for an inspector to be able to safely go in. if you are able to get into the crawlspace you need to note if there is at least 18 inches from the ground to the bottom of the floor joist.
when inspecting the attic you want to make sure that there is no rafter sag and bowing of trusses. checking to make sure that the h clips are properly installed. these kind of issues will cause steps in the roof and resulting in water intrusion in the roof which will call for costly repairs for the client and this is something they need to be aware of.
This brick extension on the back patio shows signs of settlement where the soil underneath was not properly compacted. As the weight of the brick pressed down on the soil over time, the less compacted areas settled, causing the brick to fall and the mortar to crack and separate at the weak spots.
Based on the image titled; Foundation cracks, concrete shrinking cracks (non continuous). This diagram expresses how cracks in concrete are not necessarily a structural failure, but can be just a factor of the concrete shrinking as it cures over time. Concrete can take several years to fully cure, and small cracks can occur during this prolonged time frame.
Dryer venting safety is very important, and most home owner never think about it until their dryer stops working properly. Also the material the vent pipe is made out of. Some home owners use the venting material that should only be used for bath room venting.
The general roof material standing seem looks to be in good conditions.But unfortunately with the way the gutter down spouts are installed the water will exit the top down spout and come down with a force that it could over shoot the lower gutter.
Attic space with R30 loose fill Rockwool insulation. Skip sheathing with plywood layer over roof truss systems. Ridge venting has been installed to upgrade the attic ventilation. No signs of animal or bird activity were noted in the attic areas.
Garage inspection: Operate all garage door and opener systems, ensure all safety systems are functioning properly and proper signage is visible. Repair all voids and holes in the garage firewall systems. Ensure GFCI protection is installed at the required outlets.
“Introduction to Foreclosures” is a very interesting article that briefly, and succinctly illustrates some of the various ways in which a mortgage holder may lose ownership of thier home. While there are certain rights afforded a homeowner, they should be wary of the legal pitfalls should they fall behind in thier payments.
The attached photo is on the wesren ide of the attached garage. While concrete foundation cracks are oftentimes harbingers of structural deterioration, that does not appear to be the case in this instance. The crack shows evidence of occurring in thhe distant past with no further growth. Recommendation: Continue to monitor.
Many older foundations have stone walls with interior parge coatings that naturally deteriorate over time. Spaces between stones can create structural concerns, as these present the potential for stones to shift, undermining the support provided by the wall. For this reason, periodic re-parging is necessary maintenance item for stone foundations.
The article Structural Design of Wood Framing for the Home Inspector provides a vast amount of detail about the materials and methods of wood framing for floors, walls and roofs. These design concepts are primarily defined by the allowable stress design (ASD) method which provides specific equations to determine the appropriateness of structural design and materials.
The photo provided is a picture of a 16 foot ledger board of a deck. the builder has used galvanized nails to attach to the rim board of the house behind the ledger board is the vertical siding to the house. The deck builder has also used joist hangers to attach the floor joist to the rim joist. There are no lags anchoring the ledger board to the rim board of the house.
wood shingle siding photo,
Picture shows that there is a frame structure usually 2 x 4 that has sheathing to tie the frame together then there is a house wrap that goes on before the wood siding. the wood siding is started with a double layer of wood siding as its starter piece then each row after that is offset so the gaps don’t line up.
10" crack above exterior door in master bedroom appears to be related to the expansion/contraction of the wooden framing components and shows no signs of moisture. A light switch plate next to this crack covers what appears to be an outlet/junction box of some type. This box is both unusual and of unknown origin.
