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habitec building inspections: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture? 7.24.11 - 07/28/11 08:37 AM
Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture?
HINT: Hairy wood is rarely a good thing.
ANSWER: Everything! What you are looking at is a piece of wood that supports a porch. So you are looking from below the porch and the grey material at the bottom of the picture is the concrete foundation wall. What you are also looking at is some white fungal growth (that's the nicest way I can describe it) in different forms. There is the white powdery stuff near the top of the wood, then there is the creepy angle-hair stuff hanging down from … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: HABITEC Inspects Commercial Retail Services Building - 3.15.11 - 04/14/11 03:08 PM
HABITEC Inspects Retail Services Building
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, is pleased to announce the completion of a Commercial Building Property Condition Assessment of a 5000 square foot single story retail sales building! This 60 year old building has been renovated and increased in size several times since the original construction. Currently it is used as a retail sales building and office space.
Services contracted by the Client included Field Notes and Photographs, a Mold Assessment, a Radon Test, an Americans with Disabilities Act Tier II Survey, and an Executive Summary. Richard Acree was the Inspector of Record for … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Home Inspector - Service Conductor Intrusion - What's Wrong With This Picture? - 3.22.11 - 03/23/11 08:50 PM
Nashville Home Inspector - Service Conductor Intrusion - What's Wrong With this Picture? 3-22-11
HINT: Electrical power and vegetation should not share the same space.
ANSWER: It is seldom a good idea that vegetation and power lines share the same space. This vine grew up from below and seriously encroached on the electrical power mask. Movement of the vine can damage the insulation on the wires and make electrocution and serious power malfunctions a possibility. See the insulation that has worn away below.
This should never have been allowed to happen, and getting the vine out of the wires is no easy, or amateur, … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: HABITEC Completes PCA of a Professional Medical Clinic - 01/09/11 09:06 PM
HABITEC COMPLETES PROPERTY CONDITION ASSESSMENT OF A
PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL CLINIC
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, has completed a Commercial Building Property Condition Assessment of a Professional Medical Clinic. This unique, one-story medical clinic is composed of numerous interior spaces including patient waiting lobbies, patient examination and treatment rooms, laboratories, Nurse's station, offices and a Clean Room.
The building is complex in design consistent with the purpose of the building. Eight Heating, Air Conditioning and Ventilation systems are incorporated to control temperature and humidity. One of these systems is specialized to support the Clean Room.
The Electrical System … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: HABITEC Inspects 10 Music Circle South, Music Row, Nashville - 11/10/10 10:58 PM
10 Music Circle South, Music Row, Nashville, TN
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, recently completed a Commercial Building Property Condition Assessment on 10 Music Circle South, Nashville, TN , also known as Sound Stage. This unique, two story music recording studio located in Music Row was purchased by Black River Entertainment. The Sound Stage studio has a rich history and tradition in the recording industry where artists including George Strait, Alan Jackson, Michael McDonald and Sheryl Crow have recorded many hits. Sound Stage is home to many notable recording studios including Front Stage, Back Stage and The Drive Thru.
… (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Tennessee Building Inspections - Roof Penetrations Gone Wild! - 9.9.10 - 09/09/10 09:46 PM
Tennessee Commercial Building Inspections completed by HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, can include a inspection of the roof, if accessible, and any roof penetration we may find there. Sometimes we find some very interesting ones. Look at the picture below. What happened here?
HINT: Roof Penetrations Gone Wild!
The pic below is a closeup of the fungal growth that has developed under this penetration flashing.
ANSWER: This is a strange case involving a loose roof membrane that allowed water and debris to collect near and under the roof penetration flashing. The fungal matter appears to have grown so much that it … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Tennessee Building Inspections - ADA Compliance - Entrance/Exit Doors - 9.9.10 - 09/09/10 04:31 PM
Tennessee Commercial Building Inspections completed by HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, can include a Tier II Abbreviated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Survey as part of the Property Condition Assessment. Among the many components of this Survey one of the main components is the entrance(s)/exit(s) to the building. Look at the picture below. Does this entrance/exit looks like it complies with ADA guidelines?
HINT: Think about turning a wheel chair around in a circle.
ANSWER: The answer is NO, this entrance/exit does not comply with ADA guidelines. When there are two main entry/exit doors mounted in a series, as these are, … (1 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Tennessee Building Inspections - Missing Brick Mortar, Where Did It Go? 9.5.10 - 09/05/10 10:26 PM
Tennessee Building Inspections completed by HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, involve inspecting the exterior surface of the building. Sometimes brick or stone exterior surfaces have missing mortar. Where did it go? Look at the pic below. What's could cause mortar to fall out?
HINT: What's that pipe to the right for?
ANSWER: Missing mortar in a close pattern like this is usually a sign of water damage. The pipe on the right is an abandoned downspout. Water from the roof is simply running down the side of the building and has for years. This vertical river has eroded the mortar out … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Tennessee Building Inspections - Roof Drainage Systems - 9.2.10 - 09/02/10 11:09 AM
Nashville area building inspections completed by HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, involve inspecting the roof drainage systems. These systems are critical to maintain the condition of the foundation and avoid issues with mold. Look at the pic below of a downspout to extension system at a Church. What's wrong?
HINT: Two things need to be mentioned to the Client.
ANSWER: First, it should be apparent that the downspout-to-plastic extension connection has separated and should be repaired. Failure to do so will allow water from the roof to be deposited at the foundation wall. This defect is known to cause foundation movement and resultant … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Building Inspection - Parking Lot Stop Barriers - 9.1.10 - 09/01/10 10:04 PM
Nashville area building inspections completed by HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, sometimes involve parking lots at commercial buildings. Look at the pic below of a parking stall at a parking lot. What's wrong?
HINT: Think about pedestrians?
ANSWER: Where will the car stop based on the barrier? Right at the end of the sidewalk for the pedestrians. Look at the photo below to see how that turns out (same lot, different location). And that car could have pulled forward another 2 feet.
What is unfortunate is that sometimes the obvious is not enforced. In this apartment complex, the pedestrians were … (2 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Building Inspection - Single Phase or Three Phase Electrical Power - What's the Difference? - 08/26/10 11:02 PM
How can you tell if a structure has single phase electrical power or three phase? And what is the difference? And what is a phase anyway?
Hint: If its three, its one. And if its four, its 3! See the pic below.
Answer: Look at the electrical masts near the center of the picture. There is a smaller one and a larger one. Look closely at the smaller mast and you see 3 wires entering the mast. This is a single phase system. Three wires, single phase. Now look at the larger mast on the right. Again look closely and you … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Home Inspection - Closet Light Bulb Clearances - 8.24.10 - 08/24/10 11:02 PM
Light bulbs in a closet can be very helpful. So what's wrong with this picture?
HINT: Light bulb temperatures can reach 150 degrees!
ANSWER: Incandescent light bulbs in closets should be enclosed in a protective bulb and maintain minimum spacing to combustibles. Failure to do so has been blamed for a tragic fire that killed 5 people in the Seattle area recently. In that situation a foam mattress is believed to have come in contact with a light bulb. Notice how close the pillows are to the light in this closet. Too close. The surface glass of a 60 watt incandescent … (0 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Ground Zero Rising - 08/22/10 10:46 PM
If you get a chance to go the New York City you might want to stop by Ground Zero to see what's going on. Below is a pic of one of the new buildings going up on the site of the former World Trade Center. This is what can be seen above the ground. There is a large portion of the underground components of the new World Trade Center that is difficult to see when walking around the site.
Below is what the main building will look like when it is out of the ground at the site. This building is called the Freedom … (4 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Home Inspection - Where is the wall at Wall Street? - 08/21/10 08:40 PM
At Nashville Home and Building Inspections, LLC, we are frequently involved in the process of inspecting walls of a home or building. So one day on a recent trip to NYC, I went looking for one of the most famous walls in the world, the wall that gave Wall Street its name. Hence the blog - Where is the wall at Wall Street?
If you ever go to Manhattan you might want to take a walk down Wall Street. Long the center of the financial world, Wall Street looks like many other streets in New York City. Large and very tall buildings lining … (2 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Nashville Home Inspection - Roof Material - What's Wrong With This Picture - 7/24/10 - 07/31/10 10:54 PM
Nashville Home Inspection - Roof Material - What's Wrong With This Picture? 7/24/10
HINT: Compare the slope of the roof to the fence line in the distance.
ANSWER: The lowest slope for a roof with composite shingles is 2:12. This roof is almost flat. When measured, the slope was slightly less than 1:12. So it should have been covered with a rolled roofing material. Water can back up and go under shingles on roofs with less than 2:12 inches slope.
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home … (4 comments)
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habitec building inspections: Tennessee Building Inspections - Should Apartment Buildings Be Inspected? - 07/30/10 09:45 PM
Recently HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, inspected an apartment building to determine the need for periodic maintenance. During the Inspection several discrepancies were identified and brought to the attention of the landlord. In the photo below was an area of mold-like growth in one of the unit attics.
In the next photo the electrical panel was manufactured by FPE, a known source of fires.
Both of these issues are significant threats to safety and should be dealt with by professionals. Unfortunately the apartment owner and management company chose not to make repairs.
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments … (0 comments)
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Richard Acree - Nashville TN Home Inspections
Nashville,
TN
More about me…
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC
Address: PO Box 413, Brentwood, TN, 37024
Office Phone: (615) 376-2753
Email Me
Home and Commercial building inspections, mold assessments including inspections and mold sampling, radon testing and water quality analysis in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
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