What most of us know in the real estate industry is that homes have under gone many changes over the past few hundred years. The impetus for the various changes I believe can be due to one or both of the following reasons;
1. A better way and or materials has been found to do the job and or
2. The previous way was found to be dangerous or potentially unsafe to the occupants
Safety I would have to say is what drives the majority of changes in building techniques. As a Connecticut home inspector I find many older building methods in the homes I inspect. Of course that is because many homes are older. Some of these methods would never be allowed in a newly built home today.
One of the more common and potentially unsafe things I see is the garage open directly into the house attic. Many times the opening in the garage is the only access for the attic. For many years now a new house has been required to be protected from a garage fire. What this means is that common walls and ceilings must be shielded with an approved fire resistant material, most usually gypsum board.
The reason for the requirement is first of all a garage has all types of volatile stuff inside. Chemicals, cleaners, fuels, you name it. So when a fire starts there it can be nasty, often spreading quickly. If there is a direct opening into the house from the garage it becomes a chimney pulling the fire swiftly into the home.
When I find an opening like the one shown I make a point of explaining to my clients that it is a fire risk, but that was the way the home was constructed. Further it was not considered a problem at that time, but today we know that building a house and garage in this way creates a fire hazard. I go on to describe that a contractor can install gypsum board over the opening and where ever else it would be needed.
This is one of those items in older homes that a buyer should be aware exists. The buyer should also understand when buying an older home stuff like this will be present, kind of like lead paint. However the potential danger can be significantly reduced with a small amount of work.
James Quarello
2010 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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