Summary Page
| Whole House Inspection | |
| Client(s): | Bill and Ann White |
| Property address: | 7450 Lower Miamisburg Rd Miamisburg, Ohio 45342 |
| Inspection date: | Wednesday, April 29, 2009 |
Inspector found rotted wood in half of the main wood support beams and many wood floor joists.
These will have to be replaced by a contractor who specializes in this type of work.
The cooling system's main electric was cut off at the air handler and will need replaced and then evaluated.
The water system was only functioning at the outside spigots.
A plumber will need to determine why/how water will flow to kitchen and bathroom.
1) General Information:
- One or more hornet, bee or wasp nests were found at the building exterior. These can pose a safety hazard. A qualified person should remove nests or exterminate as necessary.
2) General Information:
- Evidence of rodent infestation was found in the form of feces, traps, dead rodents in one or more areas including the crawl space, interior rooms. Recommend consulting with the property owner about this. A qualified person should make repairs to seal openings in the structure, set traps, and clean rodent waste as necessary. Recommend following guidelines in these Center for Disease Control articles:
http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/prevent_rodents/seal_up.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/prevent_rodents/trap_up.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/prevent_rodents/clean_up.htm
3) Grounds:
- Perimeter pavement sloped towards building in rear patio area. This can result in water accumulating around the building foundation. Recommend having a qualified contractor evaluate and make repairs as necessary so perimeter pavement slopes down and away from the structure.
4) Grounds:
- Rear patio had significant cracks, settlement, heaving and/or deterioration in one or more areas. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair or replace sections as necessary.
5) Grounds:
- Vegetation such as, shrubs and/or vines was in contact with or less than one foot from the building exterior. Vegetation can serve as a conduit for wood destroying insects and may retain moisture against the exterior after it rains. Vegetation should be pruned and/or removed as necessary to maintain a one foot clearance between it and the building exterior.
6) Grounds:
- Recommend resealing asphalt driveway.
8) Exterior / Foundation:
- Visible mold and ROT was found on floor joists, main supporting beams floor and insulation because of excess moisture [standing water] over an extended amount of time, most likely due to a malfunctioning sump pump. Recommend thorough remediation by a qualified trained environmental contractor after sump is replaced and a thorough dry out happens. Then replace all rotten wood,insulation under floor and ductwork where necessary. Inspector cannot verify the exact type of mold without a sample sent to a lab.
When remediation is complete an air quality sample should be ran to verify the abscence or presence of any possible remaining mold.
Inhalation exposure to mold indoors can cause health effects in some people. Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances or chemicals (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Mold does not have to be alive to cause an allergic reaction. Dead or alive, mold can cause allergic reactions in some people.
There are different types of people who can be affected by mold more severely and sooner than others. They are infants, children, elderly people, individuals with respiratory conditions and sensitivities such as allergies and asthma, persons having weakened immune systems (people with HIV infection, chemotherapy patients, organ transplant recipients).
Sensitive people should avoid areas that are likely to have mold, such as compost piles, cut grass, and wooded areas.
Allergic reactions to mold in buildings do occur for many sensitive people. However, there is no conclusive evidence that proves mold in a building directly causes human health illnesses.
There are many symptoms of mold exposure. Current evidence indicates that allergies are the type of diseases most often associated with molds. 4 An allergic reaction is the most common symptom that could include wheezing and difficulty in breathing.
Inhalation of fungal spores, fragments (parts), or metabolites (mycotoxins and volatile organic compounds) from a wide variety of fungi may lead to or exacerbate immunologic (allergic) reactions, cause toxic effects, or cause infections. 3
Repeated or single exposure to mold, mold spores, or mold fragments may cause non-sensitive individuals to become sensitive to mold, and repeated exposure has the potential to increase sensitivity. Allergic responses include “hay fever”-like symptoms such as headache; sneezing; runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Molds can cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. Fungi in buildings may cause or exacerbate symptoms of allergies, especially in persons who have a history of allergic diseases (such as asthma and rhinitis).3 In addition, molds can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of individuals whether or not they are allergic to mold. Other symptoms include nasal and sinus congestion; burning, watery, red eyes; sore throat; dry cough; and skin irritation.
These and other symptoms may be associated with exposure to mold. But all of these symptoms may be caused by other exposures or conditions unrelated to mold growth. Therefore, it is important not to assume that, whenever any of these symptoms occurs, mold is the cause.
The effects of mold exposure can be acute or chronic. An acute effect is an immediate, severe reaction to a large exposure. A chronic effect may take days, months or years to manifest and usually comes from small, repeated exposures.
If a person experiences these symptoms only when occupying a particular building, then that person may possibly be experiencing symptoms of mold exposure.
There are four important indoor allergenic molds. They are Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. Alternaria and Cladosporium are outdoor molds that can be found indoors if the doors or windows of a building are left open and the spores are carried by air currents.
9) Exterior / Foundation:
- Rot or water damage was found at one or more sections of the floor substructure, including joists, beams. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary. All rotten wood should be replaced.
10) Exterior / Foundation:
- Rot or water damage was found at one or more sections of siding, soffits, fascia. A qualified person should evaluate and repair as necessary. All rotten wood should be replaced.
11) Exterior / Foundation:
- Wood siding and/or trim was in contact with concrete or masonry in one or more wet areas. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects. A qualified person should evaluate and repair as necessary.
12) Exterior / Foundation:
- Standing water was found in one or more sections of the crawl space. Accumulated water is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects and organisms and should not be present in the crawl space. A qualified contractor who specializes in drainage issues should evaluate and repair as necessary. Typical repairs for preventing water from accumulating in crawl spaces include:
Ideally, water should not enter crawl spaces, but if water must be controlled after it enters the crawl space, then typical repairs include installing trenches, drains and/or sump pump(s) in the crawl space.
13) Exterior / Foundation:
- The floor insulation in some areas of the crawl space was fallen down, deteriorated. This may result in increased heating or cooling costs due to decreased energy efficiency. A qualified person should repair, replace or install insulation as necessary. For more information, visit:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation.html
14) Exterior / Foundation:
- Caulk was deteriorated around windows, at siding-trim junctions. A qualified person should repair or replace as necessary. For more information, visit:
http://www.reporthost.com/_docs/FPL_Caulking_Ins_Outs.pdf
15) Exterior / Foundation:
- The exterior finish in some gable trim areas was failing. A qualified contractor should prep (pressure wash, scrape, sand, prime caulk, etc.) and repaint or restain areas as needed and as per standard building practices.
18) Roof / Attic:
- Rot or water damage was found at one or more sections of the roof structure, including: soffits, fascia. A qualified person should evaluate and repair as necessary. All rotten wood should be replaced.
19) Roof / Attic:
- Roof repairs were needed because some composition shingles had the following conditions: missing shingles. Leaks may occur as a result. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary.
20) Roof / Attic:
- Ventilation was substandard in the attic. This may result in high attic and roof surface temperatures, reduce the life of the roof covering materials and increase cooling costs. High levels of moisture are also likely, and can be a conducive condition for wood destroying insects and organisms. Standard building practices require one square foot of vent area for 150 to 200 square feet of attic space. Vents should be evenly distributed between soffits, ridges and at corners to promote air circulation. A qualified contractor should evaluate and install vents as per standard building practices.
21) Roof / Attic:
- Extensions such as splash blocks or drain pipes for downspouts were missing, substandard. Water may accumulate around the building foundation as a result. A qualified person should evaluate and repair, replace or install as necessary
22) Roof / Attic:
- Some gutters, downspouts were missing, loose, leaking. Water may accumulate around the building foundation as a result. A qualified person should evaluate and repair as necessary.
23) Roof / Attic:
- All "rubber boot" flashings were torn, damaged, deteriorated. Leaks may occur as a result. A qualified contractor should replace flashings where necessary.
24) Roof / Attic:
- The ceiling insulation's R rating 15 was less than what's recommended for this area. R-40Recommend having a qualified contractor install additional insulation as per standard building practices for better energy efficiency. For more information, visit:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation.html
25) Roof / Attic:
- Debris had accumulated in one or more gutters. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects since gutters may overflow and cause water to come in contact with the building exterior or make water accumulate around the foundation. Gutters should be cleaned now and as necessary in the future.
26) Garage / Carport:
- Automatic door opener was malfunctioning. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair or replace opener(s) as necessary.
28) Electric:
- This property had a Federal Pacific Electric brand sub-panel that uses "Stab-Lok" circuit breakers (panel #B). Both double and single pole versions of these circuit breakers are known to fail by not tripping when they are supposed to. This is a potential fire hazard. Recommend having a qualified electrician replace any and all Federal Pacific panels. For more information, visit: http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm
If the Federal Pacific panel(s) are not replaced, then a qualified electrician should thoroughly evaluate the panel(s) and make repairs as necessary. Recommend installing smoke detectors above Federal Pacific panels.
29) Electric:
- Flexible lamp or appliance cord was being used for permanent wiring in crawl area. This wiring is not intended to be used as permanent wiring, and poses a safety hazard of shock and fire. A qualified electrician should evaluate and make repairs as necessary.
30) Electric:
- One or more electric receptacles at the following "wet" locations appeared to have no ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection: kitchen, bathroom(s), garage, exterior. This is a safety hazard due to the risk of shock. Recommend having a qualified electrician evaluate to determine if GFCI protection exists, and if not, repair as necessary. For more information, visit:
http://www.mikeholt.com/documents/nec/pdf/GFCI_requirement_page2.pdf
31) Electric:
- Based on the age of this structure and the appearance of existing smoke alarms, the alarms may be older than 10 years old. According to National Fire Protection Association, aging smoke alarms don't operate as efficiently and often are the source for nuisance alarms. Older smoke alarms are estimated to have a 30% probability of failure within the first 10 years. Newer smoke alarms do better, but should be replaced after 10 years. Unless you know that the smoke alarms are new, replacing them when moving into a new residence is also recommended by NFPA. For more information, visit this article: NFPA urges replacing home smoke alarms after 10 years.
32) Electric:
- One or more screws were missing from the cover to main panel and should be replaced. Because energized wiring may exist behind the holes with the missing screws, recommend that a qualified, licensed electrician replace these screws, or that care be taken to ensure that the new screws do not come in contact with wiring inside the panel when they are installed. Stock screws from the panel manufacturer should be used, or their equivalent.
33) Electric:
- Some wires are loose in the panel at the circuit screws which need to be tightened.
34) Electric:
- The legend for overcurrent protection devices (breakers) in panels was substandard. Recommend installing, updating or correcting the legend as necessary so it's accurate. Evaluation by a qualified electrician may be necessary.
35) Electric:
- One front and back porch electric receptacles appeared to have no power. Recommend asking the property owner about this. Switches may need to be operated to make some receptacles energized. If necessary, a qualified electrician should evaluate and make repairs as necessary.
36) Plumbing / Fuel Systems:
- The water service was operating only at the outside faucets during the inspection. As a result, plumbing supply, drain and waste lines, fixtures, and some appliances such as water heaters weren't fully evaluated. Recommend that a full evaluation of the plumbing system be made by a licensed plumber to determine why water was not flowing to the rest of the house.
37) Plumbing / Fuel Systems:
- The sump pump was malfunctioning. This is a conducive condition for wood destroying insects and organisms due to the risk of water accumulation. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary.
38) Water Heater:
- Significant corrosion was found at the supply pipes or fittings, water heater casing. A qualified plumber should evaluate and repair or replace as necessary.
39) Cooling / Heat Pump:
- The estimated useful life for most cooling systems and heat pumps is 10 to 15 years. This system appears to be near this age and/or its useful lifespan and may need replacing or significant repairs at any time. Recommend budgeting for a replacement in the near future. Mfr tag completely worn
40) Cooling / Heat Pump:
- This system did not respond when its normal controls were operated. Only outside compressor operated, and not the air handler [no blowing air]. Electric supply to AH was cut off.
As a result, the inspector was only able to perform a limited evaluation Recommend that a full evaluation be made by a qualified person when the system is hooked up again
41) Fireplaces / Stoves / Chimneys:
- Some masonry chimney terracotta flue tiles were cracked at location #. This is a potential fire hazard. A qualified contractor should evaluate and repair as necessary.
42) Fireplaces / Stoves / Chimneys:
- The rain cap for the chimney flue at location was missing and sitting on front porch. They prevent the following:
A qualified person should install or replace rain caps, or make repairs where necessary.
43) Kitchen:
- Severe crimping was found a hot water line to kitchen sink.
A qualified plumber should evaluate and repair as necessary.
45) Bathrooms / Laundry / Sinks:
- The toilet at Hall was loose. A qualified contractor should remove the toilet(s) for further evaluation and repairs if necessary. A new wax ring should be installed and toilet(s) should be securely anchored to the floor to prevent movement and leaking.
46) Bathrooms / Laundry / Sinks:
- The clothes dryer exhaust duct was broken, loose in crawlspace. Clothes dryers produce large amounts of moisture which should not enter structure interiors. Damage to building components may result. A qualified person should evaluate and make permanent repairs as necessary. For more information, visit:
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5022.html
47) Interior Rooms / Areas:
- Front exterior door was difficult to close. A qualified person should evaluate and repair as necessary.
48) Interior Rooms / Areas:
- The seal between multi-pane glass in sliding glass door off rec room appeared to have failed based on condensation or stains between the panes of glass. A qualified contractor should evaluate and replace glass where necessary.
The client should be aware that evidence of broken seals may be more or less visible from one day to the next depending on the temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. Glass doors or windows other than those that the inspector identified may also have failed seals and need glass replaced too.
49) Interior Rooms / Areas:
- Sliding glass door was deteriorated in living room noted by gaps and broken lock. A qualified person should evaluate and repair or replace as necessary.