It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! As you read this I will be somewhere in the middle of the great state of Wyoming. It seems that my client has been struggling with a water entry issue for over 10 years now and they are about to tear down the addition on their home. Before they do, however, they thought it would be a good thing to figure out where the water entry has been coming from so that when they recreate the addition the same mistakes will not occur.
I have asked you before just how far will you drive for an inspection? This is usually followed with the typical answer, "It depends on how much they are willing to pay." This response makes us sound like "Ladies of the Evening" in that we will do anything for money. I have found myself in this same situation with the Wyoming clients. If you want to see where I am traveling, just pull out your AAA Road Atlas and follow Interstate 80 east across the state of Wyoming. Half way across the state, you will find a little town called Rawlins...... Wait a minute, here are the directions directly from the client via e-mail.
Please don't be thinking that this will be an easy ranch to find. My cell phone stands no chance of working and the property is located 5.5 hours away from my front door. What do you think my chances of finding the "XH Land and Cattle Company" sign are? I am always leery of country boy directions given by the people that live there. The locals are so used to the landmarks that they generally don't think like a stranger and they forget important details. I remember the directions to a family reunion a few years back..."Go to the house that used to have the pioneer wagon wheels in the front yard and turn right." What a joke! How was I supposed to know which house USED to have pioneer wagon wheels in the front yard?... But I digress.
So why am I heading far across Wyoming for a 3 hour, onsite water entry evaluation with 11 hours of driving time involved? "I'm not sure why," is the answer. I don't know if it is greed, curiosity or just a stroke to my ego that I was even sought out for the challenge. I do know that it will make for an interesting edition of the MMM next week and that may be motivation enough. I'll let you know what the real motive is as I ponder the issue during the 5.5 hour drive to get to Saratoga.
Walter Jowers really hit the head on the nail. It seems that Sucker Lots really are available all over North America. Richard Grisham shared.....
Michael: In the desert, the water table can be as much as a couple thousand feet (depending on how high in the desert you all are talkin' about), but for the most part, just about everybody gets away with putting up a house with a concrete pad foudation and sloping it away at about 1/4" per foot. I'm sure that there are some sucker lots because Las Vegas means "the meadows" in Spanish and I have seen unbelievable volumes of water come gushing down our main thoroughfares on its way to the Las Vegas Wash & ultimately to Lake Mead. Knowledge of this local characteristic has educated almost all of the architects & builders to prepare ahead of time for these inevitable floods of water.
Some people that buy homes are not as aware of this and make modifications that will let the water "get past" the berms and swales originally put there to prevent flooding and direct the water that does get in, back out again. There are some houses (very few) with basements, and there are some houses (a few) that have crawl spaces. I have inspected a few that showed signs of water intrusion, but for the most part that has been a plumbing condition and not from exterior flooding. One house had a leaking sprinkler control valve in a sprinkler box, over which a wooden deck had been built. (That one took me a long time to track down to its source.) Anyway, after reading Walter Jowers' article I will certainly be more on the look out for them!!!! Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
I have inspected maybe a dozen "sucker lot" homes. Walter Jowers description is right on target, brief, and funny. His description fits the lots I have encountered very accurately. After my first few "Sucker Lots" (that I wrote up very poorly), I fell into a routine wording that goes like this:
This house has standing water (---or puddles of water---) in the crawl space. There is no visible evidence of plumbing leaks. There is negative grade---(and I describe it as best I can in a few words). It may be possible to cure this problem with surface grading or a french drain or a sump pump system under the house. The matter should be referred to a drainage contractor for recommendations.
I know of at least two houses that were cured (hopefully) by putting in a sump pump system, with the discharge piped off to a low place or to a storm sewer. Steve Jordan - Lincoln City, OR
Here in Medford, Oregon, we have expansive clay soil on the Eastern side of the valley, moderate clay soil in the center of the valley, and decomposed granite on the Western side of the valley. I have seen most sucker lots in the East and center areas. Standing water in the crawl space is an all too common condition, especially during years with normal rainfall. This year has been a drought year and the water situation is noticeably less than it normally is.
One of the most difficult items of inspection reporting is to explain in writing that the crawl space is currently dry but will likely support aquatic life come next winter when normal or above normal rainfall returns. The first question that is asked is "How much water?" It really does not matter if the soil is wet or has six inches, the vapor is still enough to cause dryrot and induce insect habitation. The amount of air movement is the key factor that determines damage amounts in our area.
When this condition is reported for a newly constructed home, the builder usually states that it passed code inspection and has a certificate of occupancy, therefore it is not an issue. The local code inspectors won't take any responsibility for incorrect grading or foundation drainage systems being correct, so the liability becomes the home inspector's complaint if a lake forms under a home that was inspected by them. In the areas of expansive soils it becomes a double issue. Wet is better than dry for stability. It is easier to keep soil evenly wet than evenly dry.
Homes are built on uncovered soil and begin life sitting on 'FAT' soil. As the soil drys out (from now being covered), it shrinks and settles. I have recommended installing drip irrigation lines along footings and pier pads many times and with good results for achieving a stable structure that has working doors year around. Sounds crazy, but it works. It is really difficult to report accurately about POSSIBLE conditions in the future when you must honestly report all the possibilities and then be accountable to the home buyer for the next millenium of time. Besides incorrect exterior siding installations, foundation drainage is the biggest builder's boo boo that I see. Out of site--out of mind.
Sump pumps work but require water to do so! You need a sump full of water and so you have an excessive amount to some degree. Adequate gravity drainage is great as long as it is in a pipe or remains under a vapor barrier so the effects of vaporization and condensation are eliminated. The bottom line is that this particular condition is common to my area and very few builders address it with the same expertise as they use in building the structure.
I am continually amazed that many new homes are still being built on inadequately prepped sites with absolutely no drainage that works. The unfortunate home buyers that think, or are told, that a home inspection is not needed for this "NEW" home all too often face a major expense when they go to sell a few years later. By then, no one is accountable. New home inspections are a must. More and more Realtors are realizing this fact. Planners and builders need to address these conditions seriously before the home is built, but we all know that that involves dollars that are not cosmetically productive. Nuff Said. Reggie Ayres - Medford, OR
In the southern California area, we have many hillside lots. The hillside lots are almost as disasterous as the ones in a bowl. Seldom is there fall from the uphill side of the structures. More than that, the cut into the hill to provide the pad for the structure sometimes intercepts underground water flows. These flows now have no place to go except under the structure. This causes wet crawl spaces and more disasterous - the cracked slab! At least one in four structures in this area suffer from drainage challenges. The plus for hillside is that there is usually a way to control and dispense the collected water. This is not true with the bowl condition. Also, remember that sump pumps are not allowed when there is FHA financing - except in certain conditions one of which is not dispersal of surface and sub-surface water around the structure. Tom Walther - Vista, California
Your Name:City: State:
Please include your name or else I don't know who it is from.
For Immediate Release April 25, 2001 Release # 01-134
Contact: Jane Francis or Ken Giles (301) 504-0580
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning flood victims that all gas control valves, electric circuit breakers, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), and fuses that have been under water must be replaced to avoid explosions and fires. Even if these safety devices appear to function after being submerged in a flood, they are unfit for continued use and cannot be repaired. They may eventually fail, causing explosions or fires. Other parts of gas and electric appliances that have been submerged such as fans, motors, electric circuits, and venting systems should be evaluated by a qualified technician for continued safe operation. Entire appliances may need to be replaced.
Gas control valves on furnaces, water heaters, and other gas appliances that have been under water must be replaced. Silt and corrosion from flood water can damage internal components of control valves and prevent proper operation. Gas can leak and result in an explosion or fire. Gas control valves that have been under water cannot be salvaged; they must be replaced.
Electric circuit breakers, GFCIs, and fuses that have been submerged must also be replaced because water and silt inside the devices prevent them from performing properly as safety devices. Flood water and silt trapped inside circuit breakers or switches can cause electrical shorting or mechanical malfunctions. The only safe action is to discard and replace circuit breakers, GFCIs, and fuses that have been under water.
CPSC also recommends that consumers replace smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms that have been submerged.
Last week I shared....... Then came the surprise response from Walter Jowers in Nashville, TN..... Y'know, that ain't brick. That's terra cotta block. I've seen whole houses built of it. Some stuccoed. Typically 1920s-30s. The worn-out holes into the channels give it away. Walter Jowers
That's a new one on me..... I can't wait to learn more about this terra cotta block.... Stay tuned.
Walter Jowers went on to say..... It's like a flowerpot, only made in cubes. (Well, probably made stronger than flowerpots, but you get the idea.) I don't know how they made it, but it looks like maybe it was extruded, and put together in halves. (Maybe one of the engineers can guess). All the spalling issues, as far as I know, are the usual stuff. Unlike bricks, you can bust this stuff up with a baseball bat. You might do a web search for "architectural terra cotta" and find out more... Walter Jowers - TN
Richard Grisham shared...... Michael: As you probably know, I am also a CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist) and do ocasional commercial inspections for Health & Safety at the jobsite (mostly I just sell my signature for 50 to 100 and let others do the work). Last week I had occasion to visit a modern mini-brewery, restaurant in which the floor in the brewery area was tiled with clay (terra cotta) tiles instead of ceramic tile. They were afraid of mold, because the tiles had come loose and revealed excessive moisture underneath, etc. One of the things I wrote in my report was that "the tiles leading to the drainage trough are unglazed and permit water to diffuse through if wet for extended periods of time. We recommend complete tear-out and replacement with glazed ceramic tile as a permanent solution, followed up with a waterproof sealant and regular maintenance (grout, mastic, sealant, mortar or whatever it takes to keep water from getting under the tiles). Anyway, they were not worried about freezing and spalling here, but understandably, they were worried about mold and mildew since the airborne contaminants might have put an end to the delicate culturing that they do to make the beer produce the correct alcohol and flavors. Hope you find this of interest and thank you for the many kind comments you have made in the past. I must get back to work right away, hospital and Doctor bills arriving pretty regularly now! More on Betty's condition later (mostly good!) Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
I received the hot tip from Tony Devine about a great Terra-cotta explanation. I was fascinated to learn more about this process, and I am also aware that the information presented here is not critical to your inspection. The Inspector would be completely accurate in his reporting that "The masonry is deteriorated on the upper rows of the chimney. There has been spalling and deterioration to the brickwork. Repairs are needed by a Mason to the chimney's crown and brickwork. It is recommended that a level 2 evaluation be made to the chimney by a certified Chimney Sweep and fully assess the scope of needed repairs. These repairs are often relatively expensive and obtaining bids immediately will help determine your course of action." Now one could argue that the inspector's comments are not accurate because the brick are not brick, but that they are Terra-cotta blocks, but I think that is just semantics. But for those of you where both brick and Terra-cotta are used, it would be nice to be knowledgeable enough to know the difference.
Greg DeVault from the Seattle area shared...... It's not uncommon here in the Seattle area. I've always called it clay blocks as opposed to brick. Mostly for chimneys but I've seen houses built out of the stuff, too. Because of our mild climate, it usually does OK although I have seen it spalled similar to the picture. Greg DeVault - WA
Tony Devine sent the following link...... http://www.oldhousejournal.com/notebook/npsbriefs/brief07.asp
NOTE: If you inspect older houses, I highly recommend you subscribe to the Old House Journal. This is one of my top 5 Home Inspection-related periodicals.
The Preservation of Historic Glazed Architectural Terra-Cotta de Teel Patterson Tiller
I would suspect a roof leak or a ceramic tile shower surround on the other side of the wall that has not been properly maintained and sealed. Nathan Buckley Klamath - OR
It is obvious that I threw everybody for a loop on this apparently vague photo of a stain on an upper wall. I have to share with you that I am a little bit disappointed that there was not correct identification by those local Utah Inspectors who attended the recent Meth Lab presentation by the Salt Lake Sherriff's department. That's right, when you see a seemingly unexplained stain high on a wall it very well could be the signs of a Meth Lab. In this case there were no plumbing fixtures on the wall behind, it was an interior wall and there were no evidences of leaking in the attic above the area.
Please include your name or I don't know who it is from...
Steve Dansby shared the following photo gem. He shared the feature highlights.....
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What do you think of his creativity???
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