Atlanta Inspection News! Consumer information: July 2008

More than a million decks are built and replaced each tear in the united states.While decks are a popular feature of many homes,the construction and safety of decks have come to be a big concern in the building industry.Improper deck building has resulted in a growing number of deck failures and related injuries and death.

In September 2006, a voilent deck collapse occurred.The potential purchasers,a family of five, were doing a final walkthrough on a single-family house in a quiet,older subdivision in larenceville,Georgia.The house was on a lot that slope away from the street.The back slding door was 12 foot above grade.There was a well built and well maintained 12' by 15' deck overlooking a wooded backyard.When the buyers walked out onto the deck,it pulled away from the home..but it didn't just fall down.As the deck pulled away from the house, the deck swung underneath,struck the outside support columns,and landed upside down.The Buyers were traped and injured.

There is no source on how many decks there are in the United States,how many are being bult annually,or by whom.The NAHB estimates nearly 2 million.Decks are included in a third of all new homes being built today.800,000 decks were constructed in 2005 only.More than 60% of all ne homes either came with a deck,or incorporated the opportunity for out door living space.

While decks are required to meet certain code standards and local capacities,there are around 40 million exiting decks, that only half will probly be code compliant-and around 20 million decks needing replacement or repairs.
Decks must be designed to  to adequately resist certain stress like a home and support the weight of people and objects placed on them,as well as lateral and uplift loads that can act on the deck as result of wind or weakness.

The international residential codes states:
"The construction of a building and the structures attached shall fall into accordance with the provisions of this code shall result in a system that provides a complete load path that meets all requirements for the tranfer of all loads from their point of origin through the load-resisting elements to the foundation."

The complete or continuous load path refers to solid connections to the structure and load transfers through its frame to the ground supporting the structure.This is acomplished by creating load paths at structural connector and fasterners to connect the members together.
THE LIFE OF A DECK:
The life expectancy of a deck is 10 to 15 years.Decks are exposed to the eleaments,which can cause damage.It is important that you have your decks properly inspected.Maintance plays a big role in the condition and longivity of a deck.

Slab Foundations

A slab foundation is a foundation built directly on the soil with no basement or crawl space. Slab foundations are common in areas where soil conditions are not suitable for a basement, and are the most common foundation found in warmer areas such as Florida, Arizona, California and Texas, Georgia or anywhere where the depth between the soil and stable underlying rock is very shallow. Slabs are the quickest and cheapest foundation because they require less labor, skill and materials cost. They consist of a concrete slab that is typically 6 to 8 inches thick. Embedded within the slab is a grid of supporting ribbed metal rods known as "rebar." Even in locations where basements are prevalent, slab foundations are typically laid to serve as the base for structures like garages, pole barns, and sheds. Slabs are the least expensive of the three main foundation types but provide no storage or utility space, as the home actually sits directly on a large platform of solid concrete. Slabs have the disadvantage of being difficult and expensive to repair when they settle and crack, and plumbing lines that protrude from the soil upward through the concrete can also be expensive to repair. In areas where the underlying soil is thick or prone to excessive expansion and contraction, cables are embedded which can be tightened to provide better horizontal support and minimize the width of cracks.


Crawl Space (Pier and Beam) Foundations

A pier and beam foundation consists of either vertical wood or concrete columns (piers) that support beams or floor joists above the ground. The areas between the soil and the bottom of the house floor is known as the crawl space. These foundations are built either at ground level or over a shallow excavation that varies in depth, but is commonly about 36 to 40 inches deep. The best crawl space foundations have a load-bearing concrete perimeter wall and concrete or steel piers, both having footings below the freeze line of the soil, along with a good barrier over the soil to keep moisture under control. Less expensive versions have no load-bearing perimeter walls, piers with shallow footings, and no moisture barrier at all over the soil. Crawl spaces that enclosed by a wall or by skirting must have vents on every side to allow air to circulate and help keep the soil dry under the home. These vents must be configured to prevent the entry of rodents and snakes. Crawl space foundations are most often used in areas where there is heavy clay content in the soil that can severaly damage (crack) slab foundations, or in waterfront or flood prone building sites where the necessary floor height to prevent water penetration of the living space must be higher than a slab can normally provide. The primary advantages of crawl space foundations are that plumbing lines are readily accessible for repairs, and foundation settlement problems are easier and less expensive to correct than with slab foundations. A primary disadvantage occurs when these foundations are not properly maintained or are constructed without adequate ventilation, allowing water or pests to cause damage. Crawl space foundations without adequate insulation applied to the bottom of the house floor can be very energy inefficient in a cold climate.

Basement Foundations

A basement is a type of foundation which includes an accessible space between the soil and the bottom of the first floor of a home. This foundation provides living space below the home, below the ground elevation. It is basically a slab foundation with walls and a floor. Basements are most often built in cold weather climates such as the Northeast, Midwest and Rocky Mountains, and in places where the cost of excavation is not prohibitive. Basements start with a hole approximately 8 feet deep, however, some homeowners will opt for a 9 or 10 foot deep basement wall to increase height and volume of useable space. The floor and walls are built, then the house itself is built over that. Basement foundations have the advantage of providing useful space for utilities, mechanicals systems, and storage not available in the previous two types of foundations. The primary disadvantage of basements is that because they are mostly below ground level, they are vulnerable to leakage, mold formation, and flooding. Basements in wet climates must always have a working drain and pump in the floor to combat flooding.

                                              "WE GO BEYOND THE BASIC WALK-THROUGH"

                                                          www.findmeaninspector.com

Why talk about residential fires?

According to the National Safety Counsel, fire was the fifth leading cause of unintentional death due to injury in the United States in 2004 Fires and burns also rank as the third leading cause of unintentional home injury and death for children under the age of 15.

About 82 percent of all fire deaths in 2004 resulted from home fires. A disproportionate share of fatal fires occurs at night when people are likely to be less alert. Half of home fire deaths in 1999-2002 result from fires reported between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.Most structure fires are preventable, including arson fires. Half (51 percent) of the people arrested in 2003 for arson were under 18 years of age. With education and counseling, firesetting behavior can be prevented or deterred.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in the year 2004, home fires killed 3,190 people in reported home fires in the United States-roughly nine people per day. In addition, thousands of people were injured, many of them hospitalized for severe burns, and some disfigured for life. Fatal victims are disproportionately young children or older adults. Onequarter of the fire-related deaths of children under age give resulted from children playing with fire.

Asphyxiation kills two to three times as many people as burns. Fire consumes the oxygen in the air, while increasing the concentration of deadly carbon monoxide and other toxic gases in the atmosphere. Inhaling carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness or death within minutes.

The heat from a major fire exceeds anything to which a person is normally exposed. A fully developed room fire has temperatures over 1,100° F (593° C).

How can I protect myself from residential fire?

The most effective way to protect yourself and your home from fire is to prevent a fire from starting. Identifying and eliminating fire hazards in and around your home are your first line of defense.

If a fire should start in your home, smoke alarms can be the difference between safety and catastrophe. Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. Make sure everyone knows the sound of the smoke alarms. For best protection, install interconnected smoke alarms in each bedroom and throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound. The risk of dying from reported fires in homes without working smoke alarms is twice as high as in homes that have working smoke alarms. Most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not as a result of burns. Half of the deaths and injuries caused by fire occur in fires that happen at night while

It is imperative that all members of a household be thoroughly familiar with what to do in case of fire. Fires produce thick, dark smoke that irritates the eyes and breathing passages and can cause confusion. People who have become disoriented in fires have been found in closets,stairwells, and laundry rooms, thinking they were exits. It is impossible to navigate through such smoke, so fire escape routes should include at least two exits from every room-a primary route and a secondary route to use in case the primary route is blocked. Planning escape routes and physically practicing before a fire can save your life.

How Do You Say "Efficiency"?

Heating and air conditioning systems have a language all their own...

• If you're referring to furnaces and boilers, it's"annual fuel utilization efficiency," or AFUE.

• For room air conditioners, it's"energy efficiency ratio," or EER.

• For central air conditioners and heat pump cooling, it's "seasonal energy efficiency ratio," or SEER.

• For heat pump heating, it's "heating seasonal performance factor," or HSPF.

Being an energy-smart consumer means getting the most from the energy you use.

• Shade your room air conditioner from direct sun. This will reduce its workload. Clean the filters monthly and replace as necessary to save energy and reduce dust and pollen in the air. Lower the setting when you go out to reduce operating costs.

• Vacuum air vents, baseboard heaters and radiators regularly to remove dust that reduces heating efficiency. Move furniture, carpet or curtains that restrict their operation. If your baseboard heaters have movable deflectors or vents, open them in the winter and close them in the summer.

• Schedule annual tune-ups for your heat pump, furnace or boiler. Check to see if your utility company provides this service.

• Hire a professional home inspector to ensure that the airflow distribution system serving your heating or cooling equipment is operating at peak efficiency.

• Check your attic, attic stairway, attached garage walls and basement to ensure that you have proper insulation between conditioned and unconditioned spaces.

• Open your foundation vents each spring if your home has a crawl space under it. Close the vents in the winter.

• Prune back shrubs that may block airflow to your air conditioner or heat pump.

• Consider installing ceiling fans. The air circulation promotes cooling in the summer and heating efficiency in the winter.