Research & Writing Assignment:
The article on radon provides a great argument for implementing radon mitigation with the construction of new homes. First and foremost, it is less expensive. Secondly, it provides a considerably more efficient system and can also act as a moisture intrusion resistor. With the installation of 6 mil plastic under the concrete is helps to prevent moisture intrusion through the slab floor.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The burden of an unobtained permit is passed on to subsequent owners.
If, for instance, major alterations were made to a property without a permit, and the property was later bought and sold several times, the building official can force the current owner to obtain a permit and satisfy all code requirements. Previous owners are not held responsible for permits that were not obtained, and the current owner becomes solely responsible for compliance.
The penalty for non-compliance is usually double the fee for the permit. The permit can be applied for by the current property owner or by a contractor, but the problem often doesnt end when the fee has been paid. If inspections and construction documents would have been required to satisfy the original permit, these items must now be obtained. Also, all work must now meet the current code – not the code that was applicable when the alteration was made.
The current property owner then must have an architect or engineer (who often dont like evaluating other peoples designs) document that all work meets current code. A general contractor may be required to dig up, disassemble or otherwise expose all elements that need inspection. This process can cost much more than what it would have cost to complete the project in the legal manner by obtaining a permit in the first place. Fines and liens for unresolved issues often make it cheaper and easier to remove the addition or renovation and start
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a exterior picture of a tenement building…
Fire escape are shown here but most of the time they had poor escape which they were some time called death traps.
They have made improvement but it is still a death trap.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Here is a photo of the back of my house. It was constructed in 1981, as I understand the builder built it for himself and his mother. In the early 1980’s Oregon was in a deep economic recession and it was likely the builder didn’t have much work built a home for himself. This home is a split level “Daylight Basement” with a kitchen on each level, apparently Mother and Son had their own living spaces and kitchens. One downside of the daylight basement and this house in particular is the steps. The garage is on the level of the front grade and driveway but you have to go up and down stairs to access any of the living levels.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I read the article “Aging In Place”. The overwhelming majority of senior citizens today would rather spend the rest of their life in their home than a facility. Much can be done to make a home more accessible and livable to elderly such as having non-slip floors, no steps, open areas with grab bars and one I learned from this article, design of the toilet paper holder allows rolls to be changed with one hand!
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Dumbbell Tenements were named dumbbell because of the shape of the structures. It was required that every room have a window. These windows were small and went on to a narrow or shower. Not much light would come through narrow shaft and they were very close to the neighbors windows across the shaft.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Tenement buildings were often old warehouses that were converted into housing. The conditions were horrible. There was open sewage behind the buildings and perhaps there was one privy or toilet and a sink to share for the building. Disease and water born illnesses such as Cholera where a big problem.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This photo shows an example of United States tenement housing. Clearly these dwellings were intended for some of the lowest income residents at the time. It’s easy to understand why the terms “slum” and “tenement” became interchangeable by the middle of the 19th century.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Knob and Tube wiring diagram:
This diagram shows knob and tube wiring. This older style of wiring is comprised of one single insulated conductor, attached in place by porcelain knob insulators and protected where appropriate by porcelain tube insulators. Although still allowed by some parts of the NEC (in limited specific industrial or agricultural settings), knob and tube wiring is considered outdated and may not be insurable in newer residential settings.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
As this essay is required to finish the first course of the Healthy Home Inspector certification I am curious to how I am supposed to write about historical housing. I live and work in modern Los Angeles suburbs where most buildings sprung up in the 60s and 70s. So I will pretend I have a time machine and report on the lack of ventilation in dumbbell tenements. As shown in the old timey picture that I have included a center courtyard of 2 feet by 6 feet was not adequate to keep proper air circulation and avoid stagnant and polluted air from building up. This condition is ripe for all sort of pollutants and unhealthy air quality. In the future I hope cities change laws and regulations to prevent these types of health violations.
Research & Writing Assignment:
FHA
Due to high foreclosure rates during the great depression, the federal government created the Fair Housing Administration or FHA in order to create home buyers and get the economy moving again. The FHA provided low cost loans with significantly lower down payments and closing costs. This made the dream of home ownership possible for many Americans. The FHA also helped build many homes through out the country. A drawback to FHA loans is that are capped at a lower loan amount and you many not be able to buy the home of your dreams. However, to many owning any home is a dream come true.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
In this photo you can see that a homeowner or plumber has cut a floor joist to make room for a toilet which is above the plumbing. There was nothing done to relocate the joist to make sure the floor above is safe.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Seniors want to “age in place” because of the senior citizens wanting to continue to live independently. They will seek to have care performed in their own homes. Nursing homes to seniors represent a loss of freedom & loss of quaility of life.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
A porcelain flush toilet was observed. This condition is hazardous to private parties and society in general, i.e. defecating in potable water—a precious resource in short supply—is not a long-term solution to disease causing pollution. It is recommended that all homeowners and contractors consider alternative methods to safe and sanitary local treatment of Human waste. See: http://www.humanurehandbook.com/downloads/humanure_instruction_manual.pdf
Research & Writing Assignment:
According to Healthy Homes, Part 1: Housing History and Purpose Course, the original solution to pollution was dilution. However, with modern time population stresses, out-sourcing the Human waste problem by merely flushing it away is outdated thinking; especially using precious potable water as the transport system. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) indicates that even in an scientifically advanced nation like the USA, there exists a minimum of 10 chronic water borne disease directly related to fecal contaminated potable water. See: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Read through different articles on tenement conditions. 1890- 1910. Whether in Canada or US, was the Industrial revolution good for society or a curse. Created jobs for people to leave farms, increased immigration, but it also increased poor living conditions with tainted water, deplorable sewage systems, overcrowding and no child labor laws. Owners of the industries at that time lived in wealthy and leafy homes in suburbs, but the workers lived in very small condensed areas near the factories with heavy pollution and did not have a good healthy environment.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Zoning Ordinances for Inspectors : In 1926 government made a decision to protect the Public health welfare and safety.Today cities and local governments have their own laws to what can be done and not done. Some people like the zoning boards some do not. They do help protect property owners from doing whatever they want. Some people think they have too much power and can limit what a homeowner can do with their own property. The good with the bad?
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
In the 1940s the houses were considered attached or duplex, are houses that add rooms to complete houses and put them together in a sense to share light, water among other things; for growing families, the arrival of family members, friends, renting a part of the house as business premises or rent for other families, and in one way or another, get more money or decrease the number of people in a home. Since at that time they were still recovering from the great economic depression and the country needed more space and less costs in construction costs
Research & Writing Assignment:
At the time of the industrial revolution and close to them the houses that were designed to urbanize the city were smaller in size and less comfortable compared to those in rural areas and with a rather poor system and structure, usually of low quality so as to be able to receive more people in a confined space and with few comforts, so much was the level of construction, that laws and norms had to be established for the urbanization and construction of houses in the zones where there was an exponential development of the population and growth city planning of cities
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This home is part of the Pepperrell Mill Village in Opelika Alabama. This is an example of the home built by an employer. These homes were approx. 800 sq ft. The bathrooms were located on the back porch. The homes were offered for the mill workers to purchase for $5,000 in 1950’s. The mill would finance the purchase and deduct the payment from the workers check. 300 +/- homes of this type are in this neighborhood.
