home: Nashville Home Inspection - What's Wrong With This Picture? (2/12/9)
- 02/12/09 08:59 AM
Hint: Something is missing! You are in a crawl space looking at the end of a beam. What's missing?
ANSWER: The end of the beam is suspended in the air. A notch was cut or built out of the foundation wall to allow room for the beam to insert. But, someone forgot to install material under the beam to support it from below. What you cannot see is that the next support for the beam, a concrete block pier, is almost 10 feet away to the right. The "end" result is a beam that works better … (3 comments)
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home: Nashville Home Inspection - Radon and the Empty House
- 01/21/09 07:43 AM
RADON AND THE EMPTY HOUSE
Recently I inspected a large home with a foundation that consisted of a crawl space and a partial basement. The home was sophisticated in design and construction including a moisture extraction system for the crawl space. This system was active at the time of the inspection. Also, the crawl space moisture barrier was well done and in tact.
Like many houses for sale these days, this house had been on the market for approximately 8 months and had been vacant for most of that time. Wisely, in addition to the Home Inspection, my Client requested a … (11 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? (6/27/08)
- 06/27/08 12:59 AM
This is an excellent example of what can happen if a water management system component fails. In this case, the siding was allowed to deteriorate and water penetrated the seams. Once inside it soaked the insulation and from there the wood. Obviously a major expense.
Richard
Comments in this blog posting are the 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 … (2 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? (6/17/08)
- 06/16/08 10:54 PM
Maybe a better question is "What Are You Looking At?" The answer follows at the bottom of this blog.
Richard
Comments in this blog posting are the 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, … (14 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? - 6/8/08
- 06/08/08 05:05 AM
Notching, or cutting, a floor joist is allowed under very strict conditions. In general, notching of a joist on the bottom (tension side) is not allowed. This photo is where a joist was notched to allow space for a plumbing pipe. Unfortunately the pipe is now abandoned and the notch is no longer required. More important, the notch should have never been cut in the first place. Mistakes like this lead to uneven and sagging flooring. Also, in this case, as the floor/joist moves, the copper piping will start to move as well.
Richard
Comments in this blog posting … (8 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? (6/7/8)
- 06/07/08 08:52 AM
Fireplaces can penetrate directly through the roof or on the side of the roof/house. These penetrations present a water management challenge because of the large size of the penetration and the frequent use of flashing associated with them. This photo is where a chimney on the side of the house has leaked and the homeowner has made temporary caulk and kick-out flashing repairs. The repairs have obviously failed. The junction of the chimney to the roof, metal in this case, is difficult because the roof moves with temperature variations and the caulk will break up over time. Proper flashing by a … (6 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? (5/30/08)
- 05/29/08 06:28 PM
Flat roofs can be challenging when it comes to water management. In reality, flat roofs should not be flat but should have a minor slope to eventually drain water. With age a home or building may settle and flat roofs are not only really flat but may actually reverse the original flow of water and trap the water. Trapped or standing water is very hard on any roof surface.
Flat roofs usually require the use of rolled roofing or built-up roofing material. In this photo below the flat roof has settled to the point that standing water and age have caused significant … (2 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture??? (5/17/8)
- 05/17/08 01:03 PM
So, where do I begin? The electrical panel, the service conductors/hand rail, the toilet or the sink. I think I'll just let you make the point.
Richard
www.habitecinspections.com
Comments in this blog posting are the 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 … (14 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture? (5/12/08)
- 05/12/08 09:56 AM
So, is this guy retired Navy? One use to tieing things off to secure them? Or is this just the latest in water management? Or is it water management gone amok?
Richard
www.habitecinspections.com
Comments in this blog posting are the 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 … (5 comments)
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home: What's Wrong With This Picture?
- 04/19/08 02:11 PM
You get one guess.
Plumbers usually do not resort to wood braces to keep a bathroom sink in place. Nothing on the disclosure form either. So it must be OK?
Richard
www.habitecinspections.com
Comments in this blog posting are the 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 … (11 comments)
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home: Water Heater Breakdown - What To Do Now
- 04/07/08 01:48 AM
This is a true story blog about what to expect when your water heater breaks down and starts leaking.
It's 8:00 AM on a cool and damp Saturday morning and you walk down into your finished and carpeted basement to start your day. As you enter the main room you notice the carpet is discolored and odd looking. You stoop down to check out the stain and it hits you. This isn't a stain, it's a leak! One of the two 50 gallon water heaters in the garage is leaking aggressively and the water is running under the common wall and into the … (5 comments)
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home: Unwanted Visitors! Mind The Gap!
- 03/28/08 12:29 AM
At HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, we sometimes see gaps around the metal shrouds covering HVAC ducting that connects to exterior package units at homes and buildings. We flag this every time because of the negative effects that can come from these gaps. Gaps at the top of the shroud can allow in water and vegetation debris in such a way so as to create a "mold soup" that can cause mold to grow on or in the ductwork. Gaps at the bottom of the shroud provide a path for moisture, insects, rodents and other critters such as squirrels, and … (1 comments)
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home: Water Management System Components - Condensate Drains
- 03/24/08 01:06 AM
Experience at HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, has shown that Water Management Systems are a major source of issues in Home and Commercial Building Inspections. Failures of these systems can lead to more serious problems such as mold and structural failure. The purpose of this article is to discuss Condensate Drains.
Condensate drains are another source of water that may affect the foundation. Shown in this picture is the typical PVC dual pipe drain for a split system where a furnace unit with evaporator coils is located in the attic and a condenser/compressor unit at the outside of the structure. Notice … (4 comments)
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home: Mandatory Apartment Inspections?
- 03/15/08 02:21 PM
I know some will think I am feathering my own bed, but does anyone else think it may be time to mandate regular building inspections for apartments? Look at these pics and you can see some of what goes on in an apartment.
The pics above show loose electrical connections on the left and deteriorated/corroded plumbing fixtures on the right. Below is a Federal Pacific electric panel and StaBlock breakers on the left with missing grommets and paint overspray inside the electrical panel on the right pic.
Below is a large areaof mold-like material in the attic of one apartment. Below and to the … (12 comments)
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home: Water Management Systems - Plumbing Boots
- 03/07/08 02:59 PM
Experience at HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, has shown that Water Management Systems are a major source of problems in Home and Commercial Building Inspections. Failures of these types of systems can lead to more serious problems such as mold and structural failure.
The components of the Water Management System include the roof, gutter/downspout/extension subsystem, the exterior covering, windows, doors and gradient of the landscaping. All of these have in common the responsibility of moving water off and/or away from the building.
The purpose of this article is to remind all home and building owners about a maintenance item that we each need … (0 comments)
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home: Water Management Systems - Gradient
- 03/07/08 02:47 PM
Experience at HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, has shown that Water Management Systems are a major source of problems in Home and Commercial Building Inspections. Failures of these of systems can lead to more serious problems such as mold and structural failure.
The components of the Water Management System include the roof, gutter/downspout/extension subsystem, windows, doors and gradient of the landscaping. All of these have in common the responsibility of moving water off and/or away from the building.
As shown in the picture below provided by Code Check, the outside gradient system of a home or building should include a … (2 comments)
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home: Plumbing Wall Penetrations - Mind the Gap!
- 03/07/08 02:23 PM
At HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, we frequently see where plumbing drain/waste/vent systems penetrate the rear of a cabinet enclosure and the installation is poorly done. In the picture shown the installation basically involved simply knocking a hole in the back of the cabinet and working the piping through.
It is functional as far as the plumbing and the cabinet are concerned but the problem is this shoddy workmanship provides an easy path for rodents to enter the building. The hole for the plumbing penetration should be no larger than is required for the penetration and then a plastic or metal … (5 comments)
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home: Water Management System Failures - Skylights
- 03/07/08 02:00 PM
Experience at HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, has shown that Water Management Systems are a frequent source of problems in Home and Commercial Building Inspections. Failures of these of systems can lead to more serious problems such as mold and structural failure.
The components of the Water Management System include the roof, gutter/downspout/extension subsystem, windows, doors and gradient of the landscaping. All of these have in common the responsibility of moving water off and/or away from the building.
The roof includes the sheathing, roof covering, flashing, skylights, gutter/downspout/extension subsystem, and penetration boots. The purpose of this article is to talk about … (0 comments)
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home: Which Candidate is Best for the Real Estate Market?
- 03/02/08 03:03 AM
As we see the list of candidates for our next President narrow to 3 (Senator Clinton, Senator McCain and Senator Obama) and eventually 2, which candidate do you think would be best for the real estate market going forward?
I know there is a lot more to consider when choosing a President than just this issue; however, since the AR community is focused on real estate maybe we can look at this election in just that vein for a moment. So which candidate do you think would help the real estate market, how do you think they would help, and why do you … (9 comments)
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home: InspectorSpeak - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!
- 03/01/08 01:55 PM
As Home and Building Inspectors we have a responsibility to "tell like it is" when we are presenting our findings. But, I suggest that when we "tell it", there is a Good Way, a Bad Way and an Ugly Way!
The choice of words we use as Inspectors, what I call InspectorSpeak, can have a profound impact on the outcome of a real estate transaction and on the impression we make with our Clients. At HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, we try to use words like issues versus problems, deteriorated versus rot, conductor versus wire and column versus post. We are not saying that words like problem, rot, wire … (14 comments)
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Hint: Something is missing! You are in a crawl space looking at the end of a beam. What's missing?
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