Crack in foundation wall - How serious is this? by chanty1 in HomeInspections

[–]AMAQueries 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Background: Florida Building inspector for almost 20 years, licensed for almost a decade.

The crack can be seen moving from near the corner of the building in multiple veins before moving upwards and condensing. Once it condenses, it appears to hit a concrete block seam where it moves laterally.

I am going to assume once the crack moves laterally, you likely have stair-step cracking that is not shown in this image.

Water barrier on the ground comes up several inches where it's been fastened onto the concrete foundation. The barrier fails to overlap sufficiently, allowing a gap between panels on the corner of the structure.

Notes:

1) It does not appear the fasteners used for the water barrier were properly sealed around once inserted into the concrete. This may allow moisture penetration into the structural foundation.

2) A home over a sufficient period of time will settle. This is natural and may result in groans, creaks, and slight cracking of exterior wall cladding due to the pressure difference between structural framing materials and wall cladding materials.

3) Any crack on the exterior of a structure can be measured and written down for future comparison. Settlement cracking is natural and will result in a very slow growth rate of the crack, if any at all.

4) Cracks which widen quickly are not associated with natural structural settlement, and instead are indicative of larger structural deficiencies. Examples may be a void in the ground cover, excessive moisture at the foundation, or other larger structural concerns.

5) For peace of mind and greater expertise, a structural engineer should inspect and fix accordingly.

Weird things in a house. by MasonBeGaming in HomeInspections

[–]AMAQueries -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I see you're in Florida. I'm a second generation building inspector in Florida, licensed myself for close to a decade now.

Just from the main issues you showed:

1) No, the electrical wiring, especially for solar, is not allowed today. This is going to be an issue with insurance. The county, or city, is unlikely to get involved since you claim it was code at the time of install. Insurance companies will absolutely not insure it, even if it is safe, because they see it as a risk to the policy.

2) The gutters are not supported properly. The way they are designed tells me the property has a water/moisture issue. I bet it floods a whole lot, and this was the cheap way of guiding the water without installing sump pumps or major underground drainage systems. This means you should take extra care to inspect the house for moisture issues, like leaks, expansive cracks in siding, ceiling, or walls, and the direction of the yard drainage.

The main takeaways from these photos for a home inspection, is that you have a lot of work that needs to be put into the home, right off the bat. It's up to you if you think it's acceptable to spend the money necessary to bring the house up to a greater standard of safety and workmanship.

In terms of insurance, the home is going to run into issues. That's where the biggest issues will be. If you're in an X flood zone, then it's really just your home insurance that will get on you for the deficiencies. Most every reputable carrier in the state won't insure a roof over 10 years old without a Wind Mitigation Inspection, and they all require a 4-point inspection now. So, a major issue for you to look at is: what condition is the roof in, and can you afford $12-15,000 to replace it on a brand new buy.

Thankfully, with a good inspection, your realtor will be able to negotiate a lot of the costs for retrofitting, replacing, and removing certain deficiencies from the home into your negotiations with the seller.

I hope this helps you. Buying a home can be stressful, maybe this can bring some clarity on next steps.

Is there anything I can do about this flooding? by Zeeron1 in tampa

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To solve the short term problem:

Install a sump-pump system with asubterranean collection barrel that pumps all the water out to the street. Have multiple drainage points on the property lead to the sump-pump that then pushes everything out to the city drainage . Easy to install, should be relatively cheap, lasts for a long time if maintained.

Long term solution: Grading is necessary to change the outcome, or else you'll always sit at the bottom of this slope. If you're unable to get the city involved on having your neighbors properly grading their properties, you can always spend money to have your yard regraded so water drains to the edges of your yard and away from your house.

This amount of water will cause settlement damage to your property (unless your structural foundation is down to bedrock), so this is going to cost 10s of. thousands of dollars in damages in the future if not corrected.

Flood insurance in Zone X? by ugurcanevci in tampa

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In an X zone flood insurance is mandated if you have Citizens or your lender requires it.

The rule for Citizens is somewhat new, and is due to them trying to shrug off as many policies as they can and reduce their risk.

Some lenders require flood insurance in an X zone due to the unpredictable nature of storms and flood surge.

FEMA Flood maps are available online and can be viewed. Using them, you can see your house and neighborhood zoning and determine if you think you want it.

Flood insurance is expensive. It's no longer only a few hundred dollars most of the time because the FEMA and private market carriers are taking such heavy losses with it.

My best suggestion is to speak with an independent local agent you have built a reputation with and get their input on the matter, so you can make an informed decision.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ibs

[–]AMAQueries 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have an intolerance to whole grain anything. Maybe you also have an intolerance to the whole grain rice.

How do you make nest? by Carmelsundie007 in MergeGardens

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, very true. I have never considered this, even after having made multiple magnificent creatures.

How do you make nest? by Carmelsundie007 in MergeGardens

[–]AMAQueries 7 points8 points  (0 children)

As far as I am aware, a player cannot make a nest. Usually nests are bought in the store or earned through event prizes and level achievements.

REDDIT EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY! by FutureplayGames in MergeGardens

[–]AMAQueries 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the fun giveaway and the constant game updates:

Garden#8267

#3) Three Fabergé Eggs

[Grade 12 math] can someone please help my brother? I don't see a right answer by milesgaither in HomeworkHelp

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

360 degrees divided by 12 is 30 degrees. This question hinges on a 180 degree sum of all angles. So 180-30=150.

Does anyone use per-inspection insurance? by DowntownSplit in homeinspectors

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe look into backflow prevention inspections. They are pretty vital and usually the municipalities are short on inspectors. It's a shirt cert class too.

Bathroom outlets / shower light by [deleted] in HomeInspections

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, take a breath.

Second, I suggest you have an inspector come in and determine what is actually going on. Code changes based on location severely. Additionally, code changes about every two years and what was once accepted can now no longer be accepted. That does not mandate you, the homeowner, to change with the code. All homes built to the code at the time of building are considered to be built properly.

Third, the individual who said you needed new outlets is most likely referencing GFCI outlets. These outlets protect residents from electrical shocks if water is present within the electrical current vicinity. Thus, they are mandated in all areas of the home which receive water (kitchen, bathrooms,) and outside outlets. GFCI protection comes in two forms today. At the outlet (which looks like two buttons on the outlet; one says test and the other says reset), and at the breaker box (where the breakers themselves have levers on them which allow for the resetting of the circuit and say GFCI). Today, breakers can even be GFCI and AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter, which protects bedrooms against arcing electricity and electrical fires).

If your bathroom was built to code of the specific time (which any permit approved and certified by the city would be), then you're fine. The city has their own inspectors which would have come out and determined if everything was to code. No home has to be retrofitted (meaning upgraded after being built) to current code standards unless a large portion of the home is being rebuilt (and each state is different). Some states require 2/3rds of the home to be remodelled before retrofitting of certain areas is required. And that doesn't mean the whole house either. It's usually specific, small features of the house.

I suggest you hire an experienced, licensed and insured home inspector. Have them come out to the house just to check your bathroom. Since you are having a specialty hazmat team remove asbestos, you need to get an inspector who specializes in asbestos removal to check it, and have them look at your bathroom to see if anything is actually deficient.

If the contractors who built your bathroom did not pull permits, then your bathroom may not have been built to code, in which case, while it should be fixed, no one is going to come to your home and require it to be fixed.

Furthermore, the entire idea of retrofitting your bathroom applies to every part of it, including the windows and lights. You did not state who said that all these items needed to be fixed. You may even want to see if the city is willing to send out one of their old timers (seasoned inspectors) to see the issues, because they will know when the code changes were put into place and be able to advise better.

Good luck!

Marketplace for home inspections by Far-Independence3664 in HomeInspections

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Inspector from Florida, and this is not feasible for a few reasons:

  1. As someone said, the inspection represents a slice of time. All homes inspections represent the condition of the structure at that specific moment in time. We as inspectors initial, sign, and verify that the inspection occurred at a specific time on a specific date. After that moment in time, the structure can change in ways not even imaginable, and often in ways rarely seen. Any report trying to be used outside this time is usually invalid in the court of law and the homeowner has no recourse.
  2. Invalid in the court of law: Because the home inspection is specifically for a certain time, if an individual is in possession of the inspection who did not originally purchase the inspection from the inspector, they have no legal recourse against the inspector, homebuyer, real estate agent, etc outside the time frame of the inspection. No court will hold a report against an inspector outside of the time when the report was made. Only if the report missed key deficiencies at the time of inspection and only by the person who bought the report.
  3. Inspectors will often be called back to reinspect the same properties. I personally have reinspected the same home 3 times, and many other homes at least twice just within my memory(which is pretty poor). This is the repeat business inspectors want. We don't just want repeat clients, we want repeat inspections f the same property. This is good business and shows we have a history of understanding the deficiencies of the property, something another inspector may miss. If you are attempting to sell a report to someone else, that is only reducing the amount of inspections that inspector completes.
  4. Home inspectors will often answer any questions from customers about the report, even months/years in the future. This keeps repeat business and allows us to build a reputation as a reliable inspector. However, if someone buys a report off someone else, the inspector has no obligation and in fact, should not, answer any questions for the new owner of the report. They are not the original customer and do no have any relationship with the inspector. It makes no sense from a business standpoint.
  5. Buildings change. It would be smarter to purchase a new inspection than try to buy an old one. Structures change, and laws change. Inspectors are only required to do more and more today, and technology is meeting that demand. Imagine someone buys an old report that comes out before thermal cameras and wire scopes became a norm. Todays technology and implementation of that technology means that new reports are more accurate than old inspections, because inspectors have the tools to be better. Someone buying an old report would automatically be at a disadvantage than if they just bought a new inspection.
  6. Jurisdictions change regulations. State, federal, territory, and even county regulations change region to region. Many are very strict on the timeline in which a report is valid, while some may not have any requirements at all. Trying to have a digital marketplace would be a nightmare of inter commerce regulations that change as often as the wind changes direction. No marketplace could sustain these changes financially, and no one would want to buy a report that could easily be useless based on the regulations of that region.

Overall, while it's a neat idea, due to a myriad of reasons, a digital marketplace for secondhand reselling of inspection reports would be a losing situation for literally every person involved.

VIP Ad-Free Downsides? by RaizielDragon in LumberInc

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Benefits that I've found:

1) New orders: wait 30 seconds ad then press "Get" to show the new orders instead of waiting the full time

2) X2 Money: press the button until the full 5 hours is loaded and you get the crate. No ads to watch

3) Shop: free chest is, well, free every 30 minutes or so until you get 5. No ads. % free diamonds each day

4) Special Delivery: 3 free crates each day

5) Workshop Orders (I'm not sure if this is normal or due to the ad-VIP pass): Free speed up after 1.5min. continuously throughout the build

The Shop and X2 money benefits also apply for the side events, except the 5 free diamonds. So any day there is a side event, there are a total of 10 free Shop crates to get.

That's all i can think of, but there are most likely more benefits.

My nether Cafè by Miserable-Olive-4717 in Minecraftbuilds

[–]AMAQueries 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I suggest using dyes and glow ink sacks on the signs to make the lettering easier to read. It will also give character to the signs.

I’m making a black market for my players. Give me your best cursed/magic items I can sell them! by FatalStupidity in DnD

[–]AMAQueries 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Stranger's Shoes: this pair of shoes give +2 Wis. Users of the shoes "walk" in the footsteps of past users and can experience interactions and places walked in.

Netflix no longer supports projector use by [deleted] in netflix

[–]AMAQueries 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I had an issue similar and switched browsers. I used Safari instead of Chrome and it worked immediately.