This is the underside of a valley in a concrete roof of a house in Mexico. I’m used to seeing the bottom of a valley resting on an exterior wall. This home was about 30 years old and there was no sign of cracking any where in the ceiling, so I see it as a cantilever and am not calling it a problem.
Feel free to comment.
I am curious about the water disbursement and assume that could be a future trouble spot.
The bottom of that cantilever as you call the rafter structure will receive lots of bombardment during rain…
Kenton, that looks like some sort of fiber lightweight concrete of some sort.
What was the purpose of this configuration, I can’t tell from the picture. ?
Are you still in Mexico?
That you in the window?
Kind of a funky framing technique. Huh!
That’s just interior plaster you’re seeing Marcel.
I’m in Boulder now. I was in Mexico for a week last month and did a couple of inspections, met some people. I go back to Cuernavaca June 2 and return August 5th. Leaving again August 10th for three weeks in Australia/New Zealand (5-city tour), then it’s back to CO to hunt the elk muzzleloader season, and then back to South Africa to help with a major project there.
I spent two years trying to get this international stuff going, not making any money, and up until two months ago didn’t think it would ever really go anywhere. Suddenly it has exploded.
Ah with that climate I am a fish out of water.
All about local, there.
I’ll be sitting down with experts in all the home systems in developing courses there. A portion of this home had clay tile (none of it fastened down) over concrete tile (covered with a resin-saturated synthetic membrane) over a concrete roof structure. You’d think a solid concrete roof would be pretty leak resistant, especially since it’s covered with tile, even though it is a pretty low slope.
Is there a weight issue? I dunno. I mentioned the possibility and that they might want to have it checked out by a SE but that I’m not qualified to evaluate adequately.
Tile fixing is a good option. It will definitely resist leaking of roof. Concrete tiles are very durable and can cover the cracks efficiently.
Kenton,
I lived in Mexico city from 1969 to 1975, I spent a lot of time in Cuernavaca and Puebla, etc. I think you are going to find all sorts of different building ideas in the area. Of course they love their concrete there and you can do alot of off the wall stuff with it but that doesn’t mean any of it was designed correctly.
I wonder if a Schmidt hammer would be helpful in evaluating concrete roofs.
I doubt they use 3000 and 4000 PSI concrete Kenton.:)
Suddenly I no longer have the option to add photos to a post. Also, in editing a post, I no longer have the “go advanced” option. Anyone else having this problem? Just updated my Macbook Pro to Mountain Lion today. Should have listened to the reviews and never done it.
I think it is because you are trying to post more of that weird stuff, Kenton…:p:D
Actually, I was going to post some photos of a really beautiful home I went through in Mexico, but I guess that’s not going to happen.
That can’t be right Larry, who ever finds wierd stuff during a home inspection?
By the way, here are a few shots from my last inspection. That’s a solar thermal (hot water) system. The black tank is a diesel fuel tank from a truck, which is supported by part of an old peddle sewing machine frame. Lower left is the porcelain and steel uplift preventer. I think the seller liked to sit up there and listen to music while he re-read his old love letters.
It was the back up for the water heater, which didn’t have a TPR, but it did have a two-story PVC disharge pipe. Obviously the installer was not thinking clearly or he would have terminated the discharge pipe into the diesel tank, increasing the efficiency of the hot water system.
The home had no hot water at the time of the inspection although there were three people living there.
And just to make triply sure they got electricity. The home had three meters. According to the architect who came along for the inspection, each of those three conductors also has a neutral in it. No ground for the meters (or service) though.
Just like every other home in this neighborhood, water was supplied by the city… two days a week. It filled an underground cistern. A pump moved water up into a tank on the roof and all plumbing fixtures were gravity-fed. Very, very common here. Didn’t measure but water pressure must have been about 5-10 PSI.
Mosquitoes are bad here but I kill them with a battery-powered electric tennis racquet with steel strings.
WOW! ;)