I saw this a few weeks ago while inspecting the neighbouring property. I couldn't resist taking a shot of it. The selling agent noticed and told me a fireman owned the property and was fixing it up, renovating it in his off time. Her tone and attitude to this told me she thought this was admirable and she was 'wowed' by this industriousness. That's all fine but as a home inspector and understanding structure a well as I do, am somewhat less impressed. Yes, the joists are cantilevered but … (21 comments)
This is under the basement stairs of a nice looking home less than 2 years old. There are a few things wrong in this photo. Can you spot all five structural defects? Here are a few hints; 1 - The riser of the last tread and one joist do not a double trimmer make. 2 - Toe nailed joists do not carry weight, Forever or for long. 3 - Nails are pins to hold framing in place. Weight bearing framing has to be … (16 comments)
The original exterior stairs of this flipped property had only 2 stringers, but they were bigger and longer, which allowed for a more generous tread width. The slots in the concrete pad (C) show us that and being imbedded in the concrete likely is what led to their needing to be replaced. The treads (D) were probably thicker or there would have been a center stringer (B). We don't see a slot for that. At (A) we … (9 comments)
structure: Believe It Or Not, It's Just "Hanging In There".
- 10/21/12 10:10 PM
Believe It Or Not, It's Just "Hanging In There". Yes believe it or not this is rot. Ordinary wood rot is the process of decay due to the breakdown of the wood fiber components as they are exposed to mold, micro-organisms, insects and water. This is a complete ecology with the mold eating the wood and other things feeding on the mold and weakened wood and others feeding on them, etcetera, etcetera.
It can occur right before your eyes, as in this case, as well as in hidden locations. Primarily all that is required is the relatively frequent recurrence or … (23 comments)
structure: What's Wrong With This? Doesn't Look Too Bad, Right?
- 04/29/11 05:46 AM
SO what's wrong with this? Doesn't Look Too Bad, Right? The cantilevered structure of the balconies are fine. There's some blistering paint on a nearby wall but thats just paint work. The balcony iron work is in good shape, firmly attached and no rust. Caulking could look neater but it's doing its job. All the balconies on the street side are like this, no rotting wood. The rear balconies are another story however. Did you notice the garage doors? They are roll ups but they have man doors build into them. They haven't been used for cars for years but … (19 comments)
Usually I'm presenting an aspect of home maintenance, value improvement or 'how too' instructions to feature best practice ways to do things around building and property issues.
Some times it's building tech history or how thing came to be as they are, the back story on terms, expressions and phrases.
I keep track of the strange, the unique, the special and interesting things I get to see, including the dangers. These are filed as OMGs. OMGs always have photos, so I share the file with you from time to time.
The rest come out of thin air. More than once I start writing a comment on someone else's blog and end up inking a whole new blog. Am I inspired or am I ranting? You can decide.
Do You Really Want To Live In A Fireman's' Reno?
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