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Many things can cause damage to a building and it's components. But, there are two that can cause severe damage in a short amount of time if not checked. Those two things are water and termites. Atlanta Georgia and Metro 404-755-9556 West Georgia 770-252-6700 Email: info@ppinspect.com Home, building Inspections in College Park, Stone Mountain, Smyrna, Peachtree City, Brookhaven, Stockbridge, Midtown, Roswell These are some of the best protection measures I've seen in 35 years (1).There should always be a complete seperation between wood and masonry using a termite shield and or treated lumber. Even walls and ceilings should have seperation from masonry (2). Any wood materials (floor joist, seals, beams, girders and supports) should be 24 inches from the soil in the crawlspace (3). Any type of stucco has specific concerns: (a) window and door openings allow water in at the crack between the wood and stucco and water intrusion combined with stucco in contact with soil will allow termites to travel up into the home, caulk all cracks at windows and doors, maintain a water tight seal (b) synthetic stucco and scratch coat stucco should not contact soil, it should be 6 inches from the soil also. If your stucco is contacting soil on hard surfaces there are ways to correct the problem. (4). Try to keep the soil moisture content around and under the home below normal. I don't promote chemical termite treatments because of GREEN BUILDING but this is a choice. Water, is the other destroyer of homes and buildings. Whenever a customer calls my remodeling company Atlanta House Surgeons to repair and replace wood damage caused by water, the four common water problems are roof leaks, plumbing leaks, water intrusion at penetrations like doors or windows and gutter malfunction. The cost to make repairs to these components are low compared to the structual damage and cost of professionals to make repairs. Also, clogged, improper or damaged gutters have been identified as a main cause of settling foundations, cracking in walls and brick veneer. In a good apple you sometimes find a worm – Proverb. Why is there suddenly a rash of defective building products? Do manufacturers "just not build 'em like they used to," sacrificing quality for profits? Are lawyers dreaming up building product claims to fatten their purses with class action lawsuits? Are homebuyers more aware or just more picky? Georgia Association of Realtors
![]() Depending on the materials and design, a home, structure or building can last a hundred years. There are buildings and structures from the past and built today that are designed to last 1000 years. You can see this in many existing structures and buildings. Sometimes you can find very old buildings at the center of an original downtown area or city limits. Plantations and farmland are also locations that have very old buildings such as below.
![]() Many types of buildings and structures become historical sites because they were built professionally by craftsman, maintained correctly over the years and stood the test of time. These buildings have good foundations on stable and well drained soils, exterior coverings that protect all windows and doors, properly flashed penertrations thorugh walls, floors and roofs, and quality framing elements.
Whether the home is a large estate, townhouse, single family cape cod, contemporary or ranch style, they all have the same building requirements and principles. They can have the same defects, conditions or problems 1.SITE GRADING AND ELAVATION: Lots should be graded to drain surface water away from the structure. The soil should also slope away from the foundation walls and shall fall a minimum of 6" within the first 10 feet. The code requires all drainage to be diverted away from the yard. Surface drainage shall be diverted to a storm sewer conveyance or other point of collection. 2.FLASHINGS AND WEEP HOLES: Flashing is required above all doors, ledges, deck floors, roof-wall attachments and windows installed in brick and siding which prevent water from getting behind the brick or siding and into the wall and floor systems. Weep holes in brick walls should be above all doors, above and under windows, at floor level of porches and control joints in brick veneer to drain the water or moisture to the outside and allow airflow at the airspace between elements. Flashing and weepholes are required at all brick shelf angles over all doors and windows. 3.EXTERIOR WOOD PROTECTION: Non-treated siding and wood members must be painted or stained for protection.All exterior wood members and components have open joints and pours which may allow moisture to enter and cause decay or rot. Proper primer, caulking and several coats of paint are required to protect wood. 4.LATERAL WALL BRACING: All exterior wall corners should have proper lateral bracing to reduce racking or swaying. All exterior corner walls shall be braced at each corner and at least every 25 ft. using a minimum 48" width approved structural sheathing. 5.SOIL CONDITIONS: Soil under footings and concrete slabs shall be compacted and have no top soil. All vegetation must be removed from the footing bed. Fill soil that support footings and foundations shall be designed, installed and tested in accordance with accepted engineering practices. 6. VAPOR BARRIERS: Missing moisture or vapor barriers may cause moisture or humidity problems in the basement and living spaces. A 6 mil (0.006 inch; 152 ěm) polyethylene or approved vapor retarder with joints lapped not less than 6 inches (152 mm) shall be placed between the concrete floor slab and the base course or the prepared subgrade where no base course exists.
8.CAULKS AND SEALING: Caulking and sealing the building envelope provides energy savings, prevents house air leaks, drafts and moisture intrusion. All exterior joints in the building envelope, that are sources of air leaks, shall be caulked, gasketed, weather-stripped or otherwise sealed in an approved manner. 9.CHIMNEY CONCERNS: A chimney can be a potential fire hazard in the walls, attic and at the roof line if improperly installed. Missing chimney caps, spark screens and improper metal pipe connections are all concerns. Defective or deteriorating mortar in masonry chimneys is also an issue. All chimneys shall extend 2’ higher than any portion of roof within 10’ and at least 3’ higher than the roof penetration. 10.ROOF ISSUES: Roof shingles can be damaged in several ways. Foot traffic in hot weather can damage the shingle surface. Toe boards or safety boards used by roofers can be a life saver when working several stories up on a steep roof. These boards are fastend to the roof deck and frame. There are holes left in the shingles when the equipment is removed that may not seal causing a roof leak in the future. Shingles with damage or holes shall be sealed or repaired with a asphalt base sealant consistant with the same grade roof covering material. Roof shingles shall provide a barrier against the weather to protect its supporting elements and structure beneath. 11.ROOF-WALL FLASHING: Some flashings at vertical wall, deck and chimney connections are lengths of L-shaped crimped galvanized steel normally in 10 feet lengths. There is another flashing in 6, 8 and 10 inch widths call step flashing. Flashing prevents water from entering at wall and roof intersections. Step flashing is the prefered flashing at masonary and wall-deck connection. Flashing against a vertical sidewall shall be the step-flashing method. 12.SOIL FOOTING BED AND FROST LINES: All soil footings must be below frost lines and local code should be checked to verify local area depth requirements. Different regions have shorter or longer winter or cold seasons. Colder regions where the soil stays frozen all year have shallow footings and regions with partial winters where soils freeze and thaw are required to be deeper. Regions with clay soils and regions with sand and gravel or rock have different footing requirements also. Heaving or bulging is one result of freezing and thawing under a slab or wall. All exterior footings shall be placed at least 12 inches below the undisturbed gound surface. 13.GUARDS AND RAILS: 2x4 handrails are no longer allowed as main handrail system for grasping and guards must be spaced less than 4-1/4. wide Handrails shall have either a circular cross section with a diameter of 1 1/4" to 2", or a noncircular 14.EXTERIOR DECK FLASHINGS AT WALLS: Flashing prevents water from entering behind the deck and into the wall system. Flashings are required where decks attach to wall or floor components. Exterior balconies, decks and porches shall be flashed in accordance with Section 703.8. 15.RAFTER PEARLINS: Purlins should be one 2x6 turned upright to the rafters which are stronger than flat double 2x4s. Purlins shall be sized no less than the size of the rafters they support. 16.ROOF FRAME BRACING: Additional post bracing systems are required to properly brace and support the purlin system. All rafter purlins must be braced every 48 inches to a load bearing wall or support. Support members are not allowed to be spliced without additional support installed. All purlins should be spliced directly above a support post. Purlins must be continuous between braces. 17.LOAD BEARING ELEMENTS: All load bearing beams must be supported with braces bearing on wall top plates and all splices must be braced. Roof framing shall be capable of supporting all loads imposed and shall transmit the resulting loads to its supporting structural elements. 18.ATTIC FLOORS AT PULLDOWN STAIRS: Incomplete or improper attic floors create hazardous travel and it is unsafe when there is missing flooring at the stairs or leading to the furnace. All attics must have an unobstructed, floored passageway 22" wide and a head room 30" high to the furnace. 19.ATTIC INSULATION CERTIFICATION CARD: This card is required to verify the attic has proper amounts of insulation in the attic floor. The insulation installer shall provide a signed and dated certification for the insulation installed, listing the type of insulation, the manufacturer and the R-value. One thickness marker is required every 300 s.f. of floor area. The thickness of roof/ceiling blown insulation shall be identified by thickness markers. Sometimes attic insulation settles over time and is not deep enough. The insulation installer certifies the minimum thickness of the insulation". 20.FIRESTOPS OR DRAFT BLOCKS: A chase is an opening in the attic floor or any other floor that could allow a fire from the story below to rise to the next level above or enter the attic. All openings in attic floors, house walls where pipes pass through need sealing with drywall or other approved materials and rated caulks. Firestopping is required at each floor, at the attic floor and at all roof penetrations. Firestopping prevents a fire from spreading to different parts of the structure. Firestopping is required at all openings around vents, pipes, ducts, chimneys and fireplaces at ceiling and floor levels, with noncombustible materials. 21.NATURAL LIGHT, EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND VENTILATION: All bedrooms shall have an operable window with a sill height no more than 44" above the floor. The minimum clear opening height is 22" and minimum width of 20". The required clear opening must be 4 square feet. 22.FIREPLACE FRONT CLEARANCE: Wood can be no closer to a fireplace opening than 6 inches. Any closer could be a fire code violation. Woodwork or other combustible materials shall not be placed within 6 inches of a fireplace opening. Combustible material within 12 inches of the fireplace opening shall not project more than1/8 inch for each 1 inch distance from such opening. 23.STAIRS, STEPS AND LANDINGS: These are potential trip hazards. The maximum allowable step height is 7 3/4". The minimum allowed depth of the tread is 9". (2006 International Residential Code R311.5.3). Different step heights or widths may be a trip hazards. Risers (heights) and treads The maximum allowable overhang or nose is 1 1/4". 24.GARAGES AND GARAGE FLOORS: Water heaters and furnaces in garages shall be 18" off the floor. Flammable vapors and liquids could be ignited by the appliances in the garage. The area of the floor used for parking of automobiles or other vehicles shall be sloped to facilitate the movement of liquids to a drain or toward the main vehicle entry doorway. 25.ELECTRICAL: Any electrical outlets in the bathrooms, kitchen counter level, unfinished basements, garages or on the exterior of the building that can be reached from the ground, must be GFCI protected. 26.ZONE HEATING AND COOLING: A two story building with a single heat and air conditioning system, may have difficulty balancing the heat and cooling. If this is the case or you have a older home make sure proper air registers and air returns are in the appropriate locations on both floors and increase or lessen the airflow manually by closing or opening each register as heat or cooling is needed. 27.HOUSE AIR SPILLING: Sometimes air is loss at plenums and ducts. All ducts must be sealed with mastic and mesh tape at the furnace and at the register boots. All joints shall be securely fastened and sealed with welds, gaskets, mastic adhesives, mastic-plus-embedded-fabric systems or tapes. 28.IMPROPER OR MISSING SERVICE FLOOR IN FRONT OF FURNACE: This makes it difficult to service the furnace system or change a filter. A working platform, 30" deep with a clear headroom of 30" high, is required along the control side of the furnace. 29.ENERGY LOSS AT ATTIC STAIRS AND OPENINGS: It is recommended that an insulation batt cover the attic stair as well as rubber or foam weatherstripping around the perimeter of the doors. All attic crawlspace doors should be solid core or rated and have weatherstripping. Unconditioned attic air can enter the conditioned space. Any opening from a conditioned space to a non-conditioned space must be weather-stripped and or sealed 2006 International Residential Code IRC
![]() In most cases, a home located on well drained soil, no roof, gutter or plumbing leaks and a basement or crawlspace well ventilated should provide first-level protection. Georgia has a high termite infestation rate. Georgia also has a high wood rott classification. A location with constant rain-sun cycles is ideal for causing damage to unprotected wood products. All exterior wood components should be protected with oil, latex or acrylic paint or sealers and stains. The constant wet dry process causes decay. PARIS PRESSLEY REAL ESTATE INSPECTOR We provide Certified Home, Commercial Property And Building Inspections in Metro Atlanta | Home Inspection In Stockbridge | Home Inspector In Stone Mountain | Home Inspector In Peachtree City | Home Inspector In Midtown | Home Inspector In Georgia | Home Inspector In Smyrna | Home Inspection In Roswell | Home Inspector In College Park | Home Inspector In Stockbridge | Home Inspector In Roswell |Home Inspection In Smyrna | Home Inspection In College Park | Home Inspection in Stone Mountain | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Return Home | Inspection Services | Prices/Fees | Inspection Process | Inspector Info. | FAQ Page | Contact Us | Sitemap | |
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