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STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS & DEFECTS
ADVANCED INSPECTION METHODS
AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine
Basketball Mold Syndrome - BBMS
BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR
CRAWL SPACES
Crawl Space Dryout Procedures
Crawl Space Safety Advice
Crawlspace Mold Advice
Media Blasting for Mold Removal
Mold on Dirt Floors
DISASTER BUILDING INSPECTION & REPAIR SAFEY
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS
FLOODS IN BUILDINGS-priorities
FLOODS IN BUILDINGS-mold
FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
FIRST PRIORITIES
BUILDING ENTRY PROCEDURE
FLOOD RESPONSE CHECKLIST
SEPTIC SYSTEMS & FLOODS
SEWAGE CONTAMINATION IN BUILDINGS
Wind Damage to Roofs
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS
FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE
CRAWL SPACES
Crawl Space Dryout Procedures
Crawl Space Safety Advice
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES
FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL
FAILURES by FOUNDATION MOVEMENT TYPE
FLOOD DAMAGE TO FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATION DEFECTS OF OMISSION
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY
FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPORTS
FOUNDATION INSPECTION STANDARDS
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC
FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS
PIER or PILE FOUNDATIONS
SITE FACTORS AFFECTING FOUNDATIONS
SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS
Crawl Space Dryout Procedures
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
FRAMING DAMAGE, INSPECTION, REPAIR
FRT PLYWOOD
LOG HOME GUIDE
MOBILE HOMES
ROT, FUNGUS, TERMITES
SINK HOLES
SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
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Structural Defects, Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair. Rot & Insect Damage to Buildings
StructAPedia ©
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- Structural inspections, defects, repairs, residential
- Advanced home inspection methods
- Chimney inspections, safety, repairs
- Flooded building action plan, repairs
- Foundation crack, movement, or damage diagnosis, & foundation repair
- Mobile home inspections, defects, repairs
- Rot, fungus, termite damage inspections, damage prevention
- Sink hole detection, inspections, reports
- Stair and rail hazards
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
inspect-ny.com/appointment.htm.
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The articles at this website discuss the inspection, detection, diagnosis, and repair of structural defects on buildings and will answer most homeowner concerns.
We address foundation damage, leaning, buckling, bowing, and cracking, FRT plywood failures, chimney inspections and
safety concerns, causes and cures for rot, mold, and termites in buildings, sinkholes at building sites,
stair and rail fall and trip hazards, and also special inspection methods for mobile homes.
The sketch at left( courtesy Carson Dunlop) names the major structural components of a typical wood frame house set on a masonry foundation.
© Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
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Structural Defects, Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair. Rot & Insect Damage to Buildings
Structural Defect Recognition, Repair, Prevention for Building Structures, & Building Structural Failures
Most structural problems can be avoided by proper design and planning; but structural failures have been common for a long time, and sometimes are costly to
handle properly.
This photo of the leaning tower of Pisa was sent to us by our friend Tom Smith who knows a crooked building when he sees one.
Smith points out that the problems with the Tower have been known for generations and must have been apparent even during construction, as
the upper level was constructed with an offset to try to re-balance the structure. Modern reinforcement has permitted removal of cables
that used to be tied to the tower of Pisa. As Bernie Campbalik says about old buildings, "Yep, we had guys like that back then too."
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- Basketball Mold Syndrome - BBMS- sudden attention to old clues in buildings makes them seem brand new to some observers
- Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction - Steven Bliss Book Review by DJ Friedman
- Chernobyl Nuclear Plant this interesting document describes serious flaws in the construction of the Chernobyl Nuclear Facility, conditions which were discussed among Russian authorities long before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that occurred in the Ukraine in 1986
- Chimneys, flues, wood stoves & fireplaces: chimney inspection, defects, safety concerns
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Articles about Chimney Inspection, Collapse, Damage, Repair
- Flood Damage Control - FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
- Action Guide after Flooding: First Priorities of Action in Response to Building Flooding
- Cracks in Concrete Floors & Slabs, how to diagnose, evaluate, & repair slab cracks
- Flooded Building Mold Prevention how to respond to avoid mold
FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
FIRST PRIORITIES
BUILDING ENTRY PROCEDURE
DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY PURIFICATION
DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY SOURCES
ELECTRICAL SAFETY for Flood Damage Inspectors
Foundation Inspection for Flood Damage
FLOOD RESPONSE CHECKLIST
INEFFECTIVE MOLD PRODUCTS
FURTHER STEPS PREVENT MOLD
WHEN TO STOP LOOKING FOR MOLD
GENERAL MOLD PREVENTION
FLOOD DAMAGE RFERENCES
FLOOD VENTS
SEPTIC SYSTEMS & FLOODS
SEWAGE CONTAMINATION IN BUILDINGS
SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE
Wind Damage to Roofs
- Flooded Septic Systems Septic Systems what to do after a septic system has been exposed to flooding
- Flood Vents to avoid structural damage during building flooding, flood venting, flood ports, or flood gates on buildings
- Foundation Inspection, Materials, Defect Diagnosis, Repair Guide
- FOUNDATION CRACK BIBLE, how to inspect and diagnose foundation problems, in-depth diagnosis, and evaluation of all types of structural and non-structural cracks in residential foundations [Brick, Concrete, Masonry Block, Stone]
- Foundation Inspection Methods
- Site Factors Affecting Foundations
- Foundation Construction Materials how to identify different materials and types of foundation, how to recognize the effects of sequence of construction on building durability
- FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL
Common Foundation Failures
Poured Concrete Foundation Wall & Slab Defects
Pre-Cast Concrete Foundation Defects
Stone Foundation Defects
Brick Foundation & Wall Defects
Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking
Masonry Block Foundation & Wall Defects
Wood Foundation Defects
- FOUNDATION DEFECTS OF OMISSION how to recognize things that were left out, like footings, reinforcement, soil compaction, during foundation construction
- FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION how to recognize and diagnose different types of foundation cracks, movement, damage, by the size, shape, location, pattern of cracks
VERTICAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
DIAGONAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
HORIZONTAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT
Sinkholes & Building Damage
- SLAB CRACK EVALUATION how to recognize and diagnose different types of slab or concrete floor cracks and movement
- FAILURES by FOUNDATION MOVEMENT TYPE how to recognize an diagnose different types of foundation damage by the kind of movement which has occurred
- FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS a simple procedure for documenting the amount of lean or bulge in a foundation or other building wall
- FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC how to determine if foundation movement was a one-time event or an ongoing problem
- FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY some rules of thumb for deciding how much foundation movement requires further action
- FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPORTS how to report foundation inspection results and damage
- FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS a catalog of methods used to repair damaged foundations and masonry building walls
- Foundation Crack Repairs: How to Seal Cracks in Concrete a description of various products and methods used to seal or repair cracks in poured concrete walls, foundations, floors, & slabs.
- Foundation Crack Repair Using Polyurethane Foam to stop basement or crawl space leakage
- FOUNDATION INSPECTION STANDARDS a definition of scope of what a foundation inspector is required to observe and report
- Fire Retardant Treated FRT Roofing Plywood Failures inspection, detection, testing of defective FRT plywood roof sheathing
- Log Home Guide: a guide to inspection, diagnosis, & repair of log homes, antique or old log cabins, modern kit log homes, vertical log construction, horizontal log construction, log checking, log home leaks, log home rot, log home sealants, gaskets, and coatings.
- Mobile Home Inspections manufactured homes or "trailers" require special procedures
- Rot, fungus, termites, carpenter ants, powder post beetles, & other wood destroying organisms
- Sears Houses: How to identify Sears catalog kit houses photos and tips for identifying these interesting homes.
- Sink Holes: Can X-Ray Vision [Advanced Building & Building Site Inspection Techniques] Warn of Sink Holes? in Florida or elsewhere
- STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES - stair construction dimensions and specifications, stair codes
- Stairs and Railings: A Checklist for Stair, Railing, Landing Safety Inspections
- Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
- X-Ray Vision for Home Inspection: [Advanced Building & Building Site Inspection Techniques] - Developing your X-Ray Vision, Levels of Fear, and how to use them to find and report significant, hidden problems on Buildings or in the inspection of almost any complex system
- X-Ray Vision for Home Inspection: a Power Point Presentation© of the X-Ray Vision Home Inspection class detailed-text shown above.
Rot, fungus, Termites, Carpenter Ants, Powder Post Beetles, & other Wood Destroying Organisms
- The Sick House/Sick Building Information Website
Organized, un-biased, in-depth advice about mold, allergens, and other indoor contaminants: finding, testing, cleaning, clearance testing, and
preventing mold, mildew, wood destroying (rot) molds (fungi). Explains how to assure that testing for toxic or
allergenic molds is performed using valid field and lab methods. Advice and test procedures are provided for
odors and odor source detection, toxic gas testing and gas source identification.
- "House Eating Fungus"
Meruliporia incrassata (also called "Poria" the house eating fungus) in the U.S. or
Serpula lacrymans in Europe) can cause severe structural damage. Evidence of hidden "poria"
may be found by expert inspection methods which include tracing sources and paths of probable Building
leaks and moisture traps. Further, careful indoor particle sampling methods can often permit the presence
of this mold to be identified in the laboratory.
- Rot, fungus, termites, carpenter ants, powder post beetles, & other wood destroying organisms
Technical Content Reviewers for Foundation Crack and Movement Damage Evaluation, Diagnosis, & Reporting
- Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia TM Website
- Daniel Friedman - ASHI (1986-2006) - author of this website and article, building failures researcher.
- Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
- "Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
- Sal Alfano - Editor, Journal of Light Construction*
- Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and some of the foundation inspection photographs cited in these articles
- Terry Carson - ASHI
- Mark Cramer - ASHI
- JD Grewell, ASHI
- Duncan Hannay - ASHI, P.E. *
- Bob Klewitz, M.S.C.E., P.E. - ASHI
- Ken Kruger, P.E., AIA - ASHI
- Aaron Kuertz aaronk@appliedtechnologies.com, with Applied Technologies regarding polyurethane foam sealant as other foundation crack repair product - 05/30/2007
- Bob Peterson, Magnum Piering - 800-771-7437 - FL*
- Arlene Puentes, ASHI, October Home Inspections - (845) 216-7833 - Kingston NY
- Greg Robi, Magnum Piering - 800-822-7437 - National*
- Dave Rathbun, P.E. - Geotech Engineering - 904-622-2424 FL*
- Ed Seaquist, P.E., SIE Assoc. - 301-269-1450 - National
- Dave Wickersheimer, P.E. R.A. - IL*
- *These reviewers have not returned comment 6/95
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