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Now onto the blog! Nashville Tennessee Home Inspection - Attic Stair Mount - What's Wrong With This Picture?
HINT: Take a walk with me on the wild side and let's go up the attic stairs. Let's stop at the top of the stairs and admire the view.
At the top of the attic stairs every Home Inspector should pause to check the fasteners holding the stair system to the frame. Look closely at the device inserted into the hole of the metal staircase mount.
Answer: That is a drywall screw! Most staircase manufacturers require that the attic stairs be fastened to the attic staircase opening frame with approved steel nails inserted to the limit. NOT partially inserted drywall screws, which have very little shear strength in their cross-section. Drywall screws are commonly used to temporarily hold the stairs during construction to make sure the alignment is correct. But once that is done, the screws must be removed and replaced with the approved nails. This is dangerous. And guess what. It's a brand new home!
Thank you,
Richard Acree
Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, and contributing members of the Active Rain Real Estate network, and are intended to educate and otherwise assist home owners, sellers and buyers, building owners, sellers and buyers, realtors, real estate investors, property managers, and lenders in the process of owning, buying or selling homes or commercial buildings. HABITEC is a residential (home) and commercial building inspection company serving Middle Tennessee including Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Mt. Juliet, Hendersonville, Dickson, Belle Meade, Columbia, Spring Hill and more! In addition to building inspections HABITEC offers Environmental Services for mold assessments, radon testing and water quality analysis. Additional information about HABITEC can be found on our website at http://habitecinspections.com, or call 615-376-2753.
Richard Acree is the author of the HABITEC Home and Building Inspections Blog and founder of the ActiveRain Group Tennessee Home and Building Inspectors. All are welcome to join and see more blogs like this one.
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