FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES, INC.

Transcription

1 FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES, INC. TERRY FINEGAN 76 WEST FOSTER MAINEVILLE ROAD MAINEVILLE, OHIO PHONE FAX - fuse.net CLIENT: 1/14/08 Mr. BUILDING LOCATION As in all inspections, this report is based on visual observations of the buildings. The inspection was made without removing any existing covering surfaces or materials. If an area of the building is inaccessible, it will not be inspected. There is no warranty implied as to the value, life expectancy, fitness for particular function, usefulness, or merchantability, and therefore, FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES, INC. assumes no liability on those items. NOTE: This inspection was conducted as a visual inspection. There were no invasive tests on any part of the building or building components. The items listed were noted at the time of the inspection using only a visual inspection approach. There may be items concealed inside walls or inside mechanical equipment that were not observed. The inspector and the Inspection Company have no liability for these items. All observations are noted as the inspector faces the front of the building for purposes of mutual orientation. This inspection was accomplished on January 3, 2008, between 9:10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

2 SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS The building was observed to be a framed structure with a full basement and a stone, wood siding and brick facade. There were no detached structures on the property. The building appears to have a cast in place foundation and interior wood stud framing. The roof structure is composed of a wood truss and rafter components with a wood roof deck and standard composition shingles on the gable roof surface. The building is approximately 45 to 60 years old. There are no structural items that appear to be problematic. The floor, wall and roof systems are in good condition with an average volume of wear on the surfaces. There were modification needed to some of the various building components but there appear to be no major structural issues that were observed at the time of the inspection. This firm conducts over 1200 inspections per year. Of those approximately 100 are commercial inspections of buildings similar to the structure at 7250 Beechmont Ave. In the opinion of this firm, the construction of this building is of good quality with the majority of modifications being cosmetic. The most pressing issues appear to be with the roof, plumbing and the breezeway. The report will be divided into the following sections: 1). Roof Systems & Gutters 2). Exterior Walls 3). Site Conditions 4). Attic system 5). Mechanical systems, (plumbing, interior electric systems) 6). Interior of the building Each section will attempt to detail the condition of the components that make up the section as well as provide repair techniques if any are needed. Any recommendations for the repair of the visually inspected sections that will improve its existing condition, and/or bring it into a safety or building code compliance will be mentioned and shown in highlight and bold print. 1). ROOF SYSTEMS There was a wood deck over the rafter system on the main roof. The rafters were inspected and there were none found to have any visual defects in the materials or the components that compose the trusses. There were no engineered drawings used to make this determination, only the experience of the inspector s 20 years of inspection truss systems. On the exterior surface of the roof deck there was one layer of standard composition fiberglass shingles that were a three tab profile on the roof surface of the building. The roof pitch was approximately a 7/12 pitch. There is a low slope roof surface on the second story area. This surface was covered with a single layer of shingles. 2

3 A** There were some shingles that have pulled off of the left rake line area that need to be re-secured. The installation of a drip edge flashing at this line is needed so that there will be no future wind lift. Trim each shingle top at this location An alternate plan would be to take all the shingles off of the rear upper dormer and install a single ply membrane roof on that surface. It would be superior to the shingles now in place. B** At the front and rear valley areas of the roof surface that is above the breezeway there were shingles that were installed without out the necessary cut at the tops of the shingles that terminate in the valleys. All shingles in these valley areas need the tops cut in a 45 degree angle at the leading edge. The gutters were functioning and noted to have been replaced at some point within the past 6 or 7 years. All were properly sized and functional. The careful cleaning of these gutters every few month is advised so that there is no water access in the future. **C). A problem with the gutter system drainage is the termination point of the downspouts. Presently the termination point of the front downspouts misses the conductor lines that are next to the foundation area of the building. All downspouts need to be directed into the conductor lines. ** D). There is a copula weathervane on the top of the former garage that is now converted into office space. The exterior will need some 3

4 wood replacement and a repair of the copper in the near future. In the following photos the water damaged sections of the weathervane are shown. The wood here is very soft and moisture damaged Copper peak is rusted through. Needs to be sealed E). There are 2 chimney systems on this roof. The front left chimney is noted to have a crown wash that is cracked and some moisture has accessed into the bricks as a result. The repair of the crown is needed soon by a professional. It is advised that when the cracks are repaired then the crown needs to be sealed. The left side chimney was in good general condition. The rusted vent flue cover needs to be painted 4

5 2). EXTERIOR WALL SURFACES The exterior walls were noted to be brick, stone and wood surfaces. There were some cracks in the stone mortar but the brick and siding were observed to be in good general condition The entire structure was inspected and there were no settlement cracks in any location. The building exterior walls were in very good condition. There were a few items that need to be modified on the walls and the trim on this building. All will be noted here. A). There are some wood shutters on the front wall that will need to be rebuilt. There is some rot noted on 3 of the shutters. One appears to be missing. B). As noted above, there is stone on the front bay area. The stone was noted with gaps between the stones in the mortar. This condition can lead to moisture intrusion into the framing over time. There were no invasive tests conducted to determine if there has been water infiltration in this area, but there were some moisture stains on the sub floor area below the exterior walls of this bay. There must be a tuck pointing of the mortar in this area. There should also be mortar installed between the cap stones on the skyward facing surfaces of this stone façade. The installation of some new window frame bottom glass pane stops is also needed at this bay area. There is rot now in these locations. Several gaps in the mortar around this bay wall. Tuck pointing needed Rotted glass pane stops at all bay windows C). At the front gable of the far right former garage, there is rot noted on the drip edge and the wood trim frieze board below. The repair of both is needed. A head flashing is also needed at the horizontal surface in this location. 5

6 Replace the rotted boards here and add a Z flashing on the skyward facing surface of this horizontal trim surface D). The base of the same area where the garage doors were originally located, has some softness to the base trim. Lifting the trim up and off the direct contact with the concrete and adding a base flashing behind and below the trim is advised at that location. E). There is a window on the right wall of the former garage and one in the rear gable that were noted to need modifications. 1). The right side window should be made functional,( order a new one that is the correct height) and then trim around the unit. 2). The rear window in the garage gable was noted to be open. Have it closed and made to stay closed or replace it with a vent panel. F). The rear stairs into the former breezeway should be updated to have proper handrail and the existing guardrail at the walk up stairs from the basement needs to be made more secure and a gate at the open end will lower potential fall or injury. The stairs down to the basement door need to have a light above and a handrail down the steps. The bottom of the stairs is a drain for surface water. It is clogged with leaf debris at this time. A small roof or awning over this stairwell would keep most leaf debris and water out of the bottom drain 6

7 Clean out this area Add a handrail here Better handrail needed here G). The rear faucet is an old type. It is recommended that it be replaced with a frost free type that is less susceptible to freezing. 3). SITE & GRADE There was proper slope of the soil away from the foundation on the front, left and right sides of the building. The rear of the building will need to have a better soil pitch away from the foundation and/or drain tile. This should be done simultaneously with the installation of the rear parking lot. A). The landscaping bushes are cut back and away from the walls at this time. B). The left side of the property has a swale and a drain system. The right side of the property, in the parking lot and driveway. The installation of a drainage system where there is now a grass surface in between the future parking area and the rear foundation. 4). ATTIC The attic was accessed via two access holes that were cut into the side wall of the former garage area and also in the second story drywall ceiling. Neither of the holes has a insulation cover for the scuttle opening. A). There was no observation of moisture accessing into the attic from the roof area. The missing shingles on the upper rear dormer roof need to be repaired so that the roof system stays free of water intrusion B). The insulation levels are about R-30 which is normal for a building this are. To get the most energy savings another layer of R-30 batts is recommended on top of the existing. That will provide maximum cooling and heating energy savings. C). The rafter system was in good condition. There were no locations where broken or damaged rafters were observed. The roof sheathing was also in good general condition. 7

8 5). Mechanical Systems There are 2 HVAC systems in this building. One is an air handler in the attic of the former garage and a gas furnace and air conditioner for the area of the original home. A). The furnace was tested and has proper heat rise across the heat exchanger. There were no gas leaks and no trace of monoxide detected with the detection equipment. The furnace is a 90% efficient type and appears to be outputting about 88% of BTU output at this time. The unit is getting older and should be monitored yearly in the future. A monoxide detector in the building in a few strategic locations is advised. The furnace unit should have about 4 to 7 years of life span based on the normal life expectancy of these types of units. B). The air handler inside the attic of the former garage of the building is a few years old. The air handler and the exterior unit were noted to be not properly functioning at the time of the inspection. The exterior unit for the garage was not operating and so the only hear being produced is via the electric resistance heat coils that are located inside the air handler. As luck would have it the HVAC repairman was scheduled to service and repair the heat pump system at the same time as the building inspection. He found that the internal wiring for the thermostat was incorrect and causing the heat pump to run only on resistance heat. The wiring was then modified and the heat pump began functioning as intended. C). The humidifiers on the basement unit was noted to need service. It was not properly functioning at this time. The replacement of the water panel is also advised on a yearly schedule. D). There were some plumbing items that are needed: 1). The water heater in the basement was noted with missing screws in the metal flue connections. A few sheet metal screws in each section connection are needed. 2). The shut off valves to the water supply lines to the first floor bathroom are also very corroded and should be replaced. 3). There was significant corrosion on the waste lines near the rear cast iron plumbing tree in the back of the basement. The volume of corrosion shows that the lines are due for replacement with PVC. 4). Where the metal pipe connects to the PVC there must be a special fittings installed at the connection points. These allow for expansion and contraction differential between the two pipes. 5). The second story bathroom has a very slow drain at the sink as does the 1 st floor bathroom sink. The drain traps were corroded. 8

9 6). There were some cracked and deflected floor joists found in the basement. One was near the main electrical panel the other is near the door to the exterior. Both need to be lifted slightly and a 5 gusset installed on each side of the cracked joist. This will re-support the floor sag in these areas. 9

10 6). ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS The electric systems were checked and found with a few modifications needed. A) In the basement there were a few junction box connections that were noted without cover plates. All should be properly installed. A cover plate in the ceiling near the water heater has a broken cover plate that should be replaced. B). The kitchen counter needs to be updated and a GFCI circuited outlet installed near the sink. There is a loose switch at the countertop near the sink. C). On the front wall of the basement a junction box was open and a live wire was noted to be exposed. Have these boxes sealed and the live wire covered. D). The stairs to the basement need a light and a handrail. E). The main and HVAC electrical panels and sub panels were all checked and found to have no problems with the wiring or the materials in the boxes. The breakers and bus bars were all in good condition. The electrical systems were in good condition. Of course most of the wiring is hidden in the walls or below the insulation levels, but there were no errors discovered in any area on the building in terms of workmanship or material failure. There were a random outlets tested around the building with a tester. All were properly functional and none were a problem. 10

11 INTERIOR The interior of the office building was in good condition with most woodwork, drywall, doors flooring and other interior items having below average amounts of wear. There were a few doors that need adjustments of the hinges or latch systems. This is a normal item on most buildings. Some latches need adjustments, some painting and trim repair will be needed, typical of any office space. The fireplace in the far left wall was checked. It was a masonry unit with moderate soot in the fire box and smoke chamber. There were no damaged sections observed with the fire box or the damper. After a good cleaning and inspection by a certified fireplace professional the unit can be used as desired. In the bathrooms the tubs, showers were not used and consequentially functioned but not very well. The termination of the supply and waste lines to the shower and tubs is advised. The house was constructed when lead paints were used. The sanding of any painted wood is not advised. If a trim section were to be resurfaced, the careful removal of the trim and having it dipped by a professional is advised. In general there were no interior items discovered during inspection that were of significance in terms of major cost or of import to the overall function of the building. Thank you for using Finegan Inspection Services, Inc. Please call if there is anything we can assist you with in the future. FINEGAN INSPECTION SERVICES INC. by Terrence P. Finegan 11