Weathervane Home Inspections, LLC

Spent yesterday just outside Kansas City attending the InterNACHI Heartlands regional chapter seminar. It was great meeting up with other Kansas home inspectors and brushing up on inspection topics such as decks and stucco/EIFS exterior wall claddings. Never stop learning and improving!

Notes from the field.

Deck defects are going to be a common theme that we visit. This photo is from a demo home for a local builder. What we're looking at is a 4x4 post with partial bearing on its concrete footing. The argument can certainly be made that this deck may last through its anticipated service life without encountering issues related to this defect, but that is not a guarantee anyone can make - what is for certain is that this is not proper installation. And it is carrying the weight of not just the deck but the overhanging roof above it as well. This was not a client inspection, but my recommendation to a client would be to periodically re-inspect the footing, post, deck, and roof structure to detect any signs of movement or failure, and ensure an uninterrupted load path from the roof covering all the way to the ground.

Notes from the field.

So, this is not how to start your rooftop garden.

Ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM, also referred to as rubber roof membrane) roof coverings are widely used on both residential and commercial structures with low-slope roofs. There are plenty of benefits and advantages to this roof covering, but one disadvantage is its vulnerability to puncture damage. This is especially true towards the end of its service life, when shrinkage pulls the membrane tight as a drum instead of adhering firmly to the roof deck.

What we're seeing in these photos is a tear and displaced flap in the membrane, with the flap opening oriented towards the upslope of the roof. The significance of this detail is that rainwater running off the roof will catch this open flap and contact the roof deck beneath the roof covering (though to be fair, this water damage was inevitable regardless of the flap orientation).

The plant life growing through this tear was a nice touch, but the underlying condition is concerning. I deduced that there was significant moisture-induced rot of at least the roof deck sheathing in order for plants to find suitable conditions for growth, and walking this part of the roof was hazardous because of how poorly supporting, spongy, and deteriorated the underlying roof deck was. I would have put my foot straight through the roof if I applied my entire weight on certain areas.

My recommendation to the client was to bring in a roofer immediately to do a more invasive assessment of this section of the roof, and to be prepared for bad news that could include at a minimum replacing the roof covering and sheathing. I wouldn't be surprised if rafters or other structural components had also been compromised by water damage. It is so important to periodically inspect the roof in order to detect and correct roof covering defects, so as to spare the heartache of damage to this extent.

As an added bonus, the last photo shows a large rock holding down a corner of an improvised repair to the EPDM membrane. First of all, there are excellent adhesives available specifically for this exact application. Second, the front porch and sidewalk are below this roof. I don't think I need to explain why you shouldn't place large, heavy, unstable objects on roof slopes overlooking walkways...

Notes from the field.

Let's talk about decks and load transfers.

According to the North American Deck and Railing Association, an estimated 30 million of the over 60 million residential and commercial decks in the US are past their useful service life and need to be replaced. I didn't have injury data associated with deck failures immediately available, but I can say it is not an insignificant statistic. I do think that this particular deck is in danger of contributing to those statistics.

There were a number of deficiencies with this deck (I'll post those in the near future), but I'm going to focus on one of the four posts supporting a roof overhanging the deck. The post needs to be able to support the weight of the roof itself as well as the weight of precipitation on the roof, and this weight needs to be transferred to the ground (and preferably to concrete footings in the ground).

This particular post was resting on a 2 x 4 handrail, mid-span, with no other structural components to help bear this weight to ground aside from the balusters. The handrail will flex under this weight, and the roof will move with it. Ideally, a column or post would be secured to the roof structure and continue uninterrupted to a concrete footing. Associated beams and joists of the deck would be supported and/or secured with appropriate hardware to create a solid structure capable of resisting lateral and vertical forces. My recommendation to the client was to have a qualified contractor brought on ASAP to evaluate and repair (or replace) the entire deck.

Wife and I took some time off to hit up last Sunday's game against the Titans. We had a lot of fun, and it was a ridiculously good game! Go Chiefs!