Arizona Home Inspection & Construction Blog ACSI

I sometimes write about people failing to meet the standard of care. It may be a builder that performed in a unworkmanlike manner, how building inspectors fly through a home and miss many defects or how a home inspector failed to identify issues. Today is different, today I want to praise someone for taking pride in their work and doing the job right.

I am frequently retained by home buyers to perform construction phase inspections. The builders all walk the home as well as the subcontractors and the municipal building inspectors looking for defects. However, I have yet to inspect a home where I did not find several issues that needed to be corrected even after all of the other inspections are complete. I recognize that we are all human and we all make mistakes, but if we are tasked with the job of finding others mistakes and looking out for the well being of the workers and end users of a building, I believe that is exactly what we should do.

Today I looked at an Ashton Woods home that is under construction. I must first say that while I perform expert witness work on a regular basis, I have never had a case against Ashton Woods. I have made several trips to this property and found that the work performed on this home is generally better than others I have inspected. Today is the first time I met the superintendent and the first time he became aware that I was performing random inspections on this property. This leads me to believe that this superintendent actually takes some pride in his work and has the knowledge to back it up. I pointed out a few issues and he addressed them appropriately. I am frequently asked who the best builder is and my normal response is; “Most of the builders use the same subcontractors so their quality is the same, the difference is who your superintendent is”. What I am about to say should not be construed as an insult to Aston Woods, in fact after seeing their work I would feel more comfortable recommending them than many other production home builders.

While we were at the site the Town of Gilbert building inspector arrived. I have been in the construction industry for years and have seen more inspections than I care to recall. Some inspectors will perform a framing inspection in a few minutes others will take a little longer. Some inspectors pay attention to the details on the plans, however I have seen as a rule, many just walk through and look for common construction practices. I had never met this inspector before and he introduced himself as Erik Zavala. He took the plans and went to work. He was at the site for well over an hour and he paid attention to the details. He was through, he found several issues that need to be corrected however he was also polite and professional. If more municipal inspectors performed their duties the way Erik did, it would no longer be a question of who is the best builder or superintendent, but who was the building inspector on this project. After seeing him work I would feel more comfortable purchasing a home in Gilbert than most other jurisdictions.

For the record, I have not always felt this way about The Town of Gilbert. I have fought with their permitting process a few times. I have had good inspectors and some that were not so good. I have seen building inspectors assigned over 30 inspections in a day. Yes I said 30, that means in an 8 hour day they need to perform one inspection every 16 minutes and that doesn’t include drive time or time to do the paperwork. That was not the case today. It has been 10 years since I have seen an inspector that paid this much attention to detail.

I commend The Town of Gilbert for having a person like this perform building inspections. The people of Gilbert can sleep better knowing a person of Erik’s caliber is inspecting their homes.
I know this is not my typical post, however I feel if you are going to criticize people for not doing their job, you must also compliment those that meet or exceed your expectations. Today Erik and therefore the Town of Gilbert did just that.

Lately my job stinks.

I am not talking about the economy (however that may that is part of it) I am not talking about my boss (I’m self employed) I am talking about odors. The kind of smells that make your nose hair curl.

I have been called out on several cases lately that have to do with odor, here are some examples.

1. Moisture causes mold and mildew in a custom home and it stinks. They hired someone to remove the damaged material and perform repairs but they forgot to stop the moisture. Now the smell is back (so is the mold)

2. Office space that has moisture coming up through the slab, they have plastic chair mats at the desks that prevent the carpet from drying and the mildew smell will turn your stomach, for some reason people don’t want to work in this environment.

3. A preschool that has sewer odor entering the building to the point that the City actually closed the place one day this year due to hydrogen sulfide levels. The owner of the building keeps applying band-aids to the problem instead of identifying and fixing the issues.

4. A Arizona Home Inspection where the 4 year old water heater has been sitting and the sulfur smell (rotten eggs) is so bad that when I turned on the hot water the agent ran out the door and refused to come back in.

What do all four of these places have in common? (No I don’t mean the fact that they stink)

All of these issues could have been addressed with proper planning, all can be repaired easily with a simple process, Identify the source , (Mold, bacteria, etc) Identify the cause, (Moisture, sewer vents, anode rod in a water heater) plan repairs that address the cause and the source.

This is where most people fail, they treat the symptom and not the cause of the problem, then the problems come back. Honestly, many times the reason they take this short cut is to save a few dollars. I need to tell you that doesn’t work. Not when you figure that the problem will return, you will be paying to fix it again, these issues tend to get worse with time and you lose valuable time dealing with the issue over and over.

Many time the problem comes down to building science, how do the different building components work with each other. For more information on that see our blog on Building science.

Over the years I have learned lots about building science as well as home and building construction and inspections but this is the first time I can remember where I can honestly say my job stinks.

Over the years people have broken a home into the different components and/or systems. It’s only natural, we tend to do it all the time. In medicine doctors used to ask lots of questions and then base their diagnosis on the answers along with the symptoms, but now if you neck or back hurt you go to a chiropractor, if you feel ill you take a pill, we just don’t seem to focus on cause and effect any more. The neck ache or upset stomach could both be symptoms of something else, the same is true with buildings.

Think of a building like a body, it has different systems just like your body, For example:

The Electrical system is the nervous system
The Plumbing is the circulatory system
The HVAC is the respiratory system
The Framing is the skeleton
The Exterior cladding is the skin

When something penetrates the skin it can attack the other systems, you can get a virus that grows inside you.
When moisture penetrates a building you can have mold. Simply treating the symptom without identifying how the problem entered will not solve the problem.

So how does this relate to buildings?

When you turn your clothes dryer on you are drawing 400-600 cubic feet per minute (CFM) out of your home, heating it and blowing it out of your home through the dryer vent. Your bathroom fan, stove hood, and central vacuum systems all take inside air and blow it outside. The problem is that while you are operating those appliances the air has to be replaced inside the home, otherwise your home would deflate and crush like a little kids juice box that is sucked dry.

Professional competent home inspectors do more than just look at the different systems in the house, they look at how the systems work with each other.

When the fans are on, does the gas water heater back draft and pull carbon monoxide into the home, does the air come down the chimney? These negative pressures can pull hot, cold, wet, dry and or polluted air into your home. That’s right, moisture, odors, radon, pesticides and more can enter your home because of the negative pressures caused by the home owner.

These are things that are considered by the best home inspectors but overlooked by many. These issues are more than just energy saving issues, they can create life safety issues.

You don’t have to wait until you buy a home to get it inspected. If you are having comfort issues or notice that you feel better outside of your home than inside, you may want to consult a professional home inspector that has had some building science training.  They may suggest thermal imaging or blower door testing and these items typically cost more than a normal home inspection but you may want to consider them. It could bring a whole new meaning to having a healthy home.

For more information about home inspections or thermal imaging visit http://acsillc.com

In today’s market there are lots of bank owned homes on the market. Several people have decided to purchase some of these homes and fix them then flip them. Most of these people  are not licensed contractors and are just people with little to no experience or they hire people with little to no experience to do whatever work need to be performed to make the home look good, not necessarily function well.

Many Arizona Home Inspectors are performing home inspections for people purchasing these homes and finding significant issues with these homes. The Arizona state law says people do not have to be licensed to work on their own homes however there are exceptions.

§32-1121 Persons not required to be licensed;

A. This chapter shall not be construed to apply to:

5. Owners of property who improve such property or who build or improve structures or appurtenances on such property and who do the work themselves, with their own employees or with duly licensed contractors, if the structure, group of structures or appurtenances, including the improvements thereto, are intended for occupancy solely by the owner and are not intended for occupancy by members of the public as the owner’s employees or business visitors and the structures or appurtenances are not intended for sale or for rent. In all actions brought under this chapter, except an action against an owner-occupant as defined in section 33-1002, proof of the sale or rent or the offering for sale or rent of any such structure by the owner-builder within one year after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy is prima facie evidence that such project was undertaken for the purpose of sale or rent. For the purposes of this paragraph, “sale” or “rent” includes any arrangement by which the owner receives compensation in money, provisions, chattels or labor from the occupancy or the transfer of the property or the structures on the property.

(emphasis added)

This means that if the person is planning on living in the home for 12 months or more, then they can do the work themselves or hire handymen to do the work (as long as the total construction cost labor and material is under $1000)

Otherwise all work would need to be performed by a licensed contractor.

Since many of these homes have been stripped by the previous owners, it is very doubtful that cabinets, counter tops, flooring and painting can be performed for under $1000. It is even more unlikely that these people are going to be occupying the home for 12 months.

They even took the kitchen sink

If you are purchasing a home that has been recently flipped, I recommend asking the seller for copies of all receipts from licensed contractors and receipts for all materials.

I am currently working on several cases where a home was flipped and they concealed damage, some of these items were missed by home inspectors and some were not able to be identified until the home was occupied again.

This is definitely a buyer beware issue.

Home Buying tips:

Hire a licensed Realtor, not just a real estate agent

Hire an ASHI Certified home inspector. This person will have passed a written exam, performed over 250 home inspections, has a code of ethics they must adhere too and they are required to get a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education every year.

If there are items that need to be repaired after the inspection make sure the work is performed by licensed contractors.

Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified Phoenix home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has 9 years construction experience and has performed residential and commercial property inspections for over 8 years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 4 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College, for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He has served as District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate. If you need an Arizona Home Inspector, he is your guy.

Lately I have been getting lots of calls about moisture issues. Everybody seems to have different issues and they all want to know how to handle them. The funny thing is most of the people are more worried about repairing the damage than actually fixing the problem. Lets face it there are several ways moisture enters your home. Every plumbing fixture is a potential leak. Other potential sources are the roof, condensation, vapor, cooking, breathing, showering, leaks at walls or windows, water heater leaks, and the list goes on and on.

I suggest if you are serious about addressing the moisture in your home, start by hiring an experienced home inspector. They should be able to identify most if not all the areas where problems exist. If the inspector has a thermal imaging (infrared) camera that could be even more beneficial. Thermal imaging (if done properly) can identify insulation issues, moisture and more. I recently inspected a home with 3 leaking windows and 5 leaks in the attic, however the home owners were not aware of any of the leaks as they had caused only minor damage so far. You may be in a similar situation.

A professional home inspection should identify the issues and give you guidance on how to properly address the issues. (Hint, caulking window and roof leaks is a band-aid, not a repair)

Patch vs. Repair
They are different terms because they mean different things. There are many products on the market that are designed to be a patch, until you can get the item repaired. Understand the difference. If you had a garden hose that had a leak, you might wrap some tape around it until you can get to the store and either buy the parts to repair it or replace it. I don’t think you would consider the hose repaired, since the next time you used the hose the tape would likely fail and you would have another leak. The same philosophy applies to your home.

Roofing
There are scores of so called roofers out there that will gladly charge you $200 to put a bucket of mucket on your roof and claim to have fixed the leak. Don’t believe them. Most roof repairs will require something more than a little plastic roof cement to repair the roof. You see plastic roof cement is a great product to patch a leak but to repair a leak the damaged materials need to be replaced.

Windows
Windows are a frequent area where leaks occur. Make sure the bottom of the window frame drains properly. Maintain the sealant around the window frame. If you have stained window sills or bulging baseboards under a window, you likely have an issues that caulk is not going to repair. You likely have a siding issue or a window flashing leak. These issues will require a qualified contractor to perform repairs.

Water Heaters
The water heater is probably the most neglected appliance in your home. Almost all of the new water heaters now require a pan be installed under them, however many people do not install pans. The strange thing is some people wont install a pan even after the unit leaked and caused damage. I suggest you inspect the fittings and valves on the unit and look for leaks and/or corrosion. If there is corrosion present, I suggest contacting a plumber to perform repairs before the situation gets worse.

Moisture Vapor
Understand as long as people are breathing in a home there will be moisture vapor in the home, however steps can be taken to reduce the amount of vapor. Open a window or turn on the exhaust fan when bathing. That is what the fan is there for. Yes it does help remove odor when that certain someone uses the bathroom, but its real purpose is to help control moisture. The same is true when you are cooking. Turn on the exhaust fan. Unfortunately, not all stove fans vent to the exterior. if this is the case in your home try cooking with a lid on the pan for as much as possible, the moisture condenses on the lid and drops back into the pan instead of adding more moisture to your air.

Basements
The best way to keep your basement dry is to prevent the water from getting to the outside of it. Gutters, and downspouts that drain at least five feet from the home are recommended. Check the grading around the home and make sure it drains away from the home. Don’t plant items that require a lot of water next to the home. I honestly can not count the number of times I have seen foundation damage caused by watering plants next to the home.

There are many other items I could discuss however I think the best recommendation I can give you is to simply hire a experienced professional home inspector. They can provide you with the information you need to make the corrections on your home.
To find a professional home inspector in your area go to www.ashi.org

MOISTURE IN CONCRETE SLABS POURED ON GRADE IN ARIZONA

You bought a new home, ordered your options and moved in. A year or two go by and you start rearranging the furniture. That’s when you noticed the odor. You lifted the protective mat under your desk chair and the smell made your eyes water or maybe you smelled it when you opened a closet door or an unvented room. Did you order a light colored vinyl flooring for your kitchen but now the floor has a darker color coming through? Maybe it has a gray or green tint, maybe it has a purple or orange hue or maybe it has bubbled or lifted off of the floor. Did your Arizona Home inspector miss something? Did you have an Arizona Home Inspection? Is this something a phoenix home inspector even looks for? NO.

These problems and many others are caused by moisture vapor coming up through the concrete slab. This condition is occurring more frequently here in the Phoenix area and there are a few factors that contribute to the problem. Before we cover those factors, let’s look at the problem a little closer.

The Issues

Moisture vapor coming up through a slab can cause wood floors to warp, delaminate swell and promotes mold growth. The moisture can cause the mastic that holds tile to the floor to fail, this leads to the floor tiles sounding hollow and lifting off the floor. The vapor frequently passes through carpet and other floorings unless there is some type of vapor barrier. Vinyl flooring creates a barrier by itself; other examples of barriers could be a chair mat, floor runners with a non-slip backing or anything else that prevents the moisture from escaping. The bottom line is, if moisture can’t pass through the flooring, then it is trapped under the flooring. That leads to the next question, where does the moisture come from?

The Source

The moisture typically comes from two sources. The water in the concrete mix slowly dries by traveling to the top of the slab and evaporating. This process can take six months to completely dry a properly placed slab. The other source of moisture is from the soil beneath the slab. Moisture evaporates and once concrete is placed on the ground,
the evaporation of moisture in the soil is severely restricted. The moisture in the ground is rarely viewed, discussed or even considered an issue during construction since the slab is still in the drying process and there is not a large temperature difference above and below the concrete. However, this changes once the home is completed. Now the air inside the home is conditioned and the temperature change and pressure change along with the difference in relative humidity between the air above the slab and the soil beneath the slab causes a vapor pressure difference. Simply put, moisture travels from heat to cool. The moisture under the slab is drawn to the cool, dry, air conditioned concrete slab. Concrete is porous, it is not water proof and the moisture vapor rises to and passes through the slab by capillary action and vapor diffusion.

The Cause

Moisture under a slab wasn’t an issue in the desert a few years ago, but today is a different story. Today’s construction techniques are a little different, contractors are flooding building pads to address issues with the soil like compaction and expansiveness. Homes are also being constructed on properties that used to be agricultural land.
This land may have been a dairy or a farm field that used to be irrigated frequently. Soils tests are commonly performed before the land is developed. Recently these soils tests results indicate moisture levels of 20% to 50% in the soil anywhere from two to 10 feet down. (It is rare that soil samples are taken below 10 feet deep)
It takes a long time for moisture to rise to the top of a concrete slab from 10 feet down, maybe even years.

Sometimes the grading and drainage of the property directs moisture into the soil below the foundation. (This is something an Arizona home inspector looks for)
This, in effect, can recharge the moisture source under the slab. There is also the possibility of an underground plumbing leak or the landscape system adding moisture to the soil under the slab. However, homes are built on moist soils all over the world, why do we have a moisture problem in the desert?

Construction Issues

The moisture is drawn up to and through the slab by capillary action, vapor diffusion and evaporation. The quickest way to prevent the moisture from migrating through the slab is to stop these actions from occurring.

One of the things that need to change is the aggregate base course (ABC) that is being used in the desert. Currently the ABC is a sand/stone mixture, however sand promotes the capillary action and therefore makes a poor choice as ABC in an area where there is elevated moisture content in the subsoils. Using a stone as ABC would help eliminate the capillary action.

Another way to reduce the moisture is to provide adequate grading and drainage. This should include controlling roof drainage and diverting it at least 8 feet away from the foundation. The landscaping plumbing and control valves should also be located several feet away from the foundation as the control valves have a tendency to leak and the further away that moisture is from the foundation, the less likely it it is that it will have an impact on the foundation.

The most effective way to control the moisture is with a vapor barrier. This is a thin plastic sheet placed on top of the ABC before the concrete is poured. Previous construction practices would place the vapor barrier below the ABC or place a thin layer of sand on top of the vapor barrier so that moisture could escape through the top and bottom of the slab, however the moisture still migrates up through the slab. Placing the barrier below the sand or ABC creates a reservoir for the water that drains from the wet concrete and capillary action prevents moisture from draining by gravity through the sand.

It may interest you to know that a vapor retarder is required by the International Residential Code (IRC) in section 506.2.3, however, it may be omitted if the local building official approves the omission due to local site conditions.

So how is the issue corrected?

Correcting the Issue

The best way to get rid of the moisture in the slab is to prevent it from getting there in the first place. Check the moisture content of the soil, use ABC that is ½ inch or larger and install a vapor barrier above the ABC and below the concrete If the home is already built and you own it then you need the help of professionals.

Have a calcium chloride test performed on the floor slab to determine the rate of vapor transmission through the slab. If floor coverings are present they will need to be removed before and during the testing. Testing commonly takes 24 to 60 hours. There are many different flooring companies that can perform this test for you, or contact the engineer you want to assist you with this project.

Check for moisture sources around the home including grading, drainage, irrigation, roof downspouts, and swimming pools. Have the supply and the waste plumbing checked for leaks. If you still have not corrected the issue, then consult with professionals. Expect them to core through the slab and determine if a vapor barrier is present and investigate the conditions of the soil and ABC under the slab.

Methods of repair are limited and should be considered fully before proceeding. The slab surface can be sealed. This will reduce or even stop the vapor transmission temporarily. A good sealer may last ten years, inexpensive sealers may not last a year. Before sealing, all floor coverings and furnishings will need to be removed from the slab.
There are other methods of venting or draining the slab that are available, some involve forcing air under the slab or drawing air from under the slab. Another method is to install a drainage system that gets the moisture away from the slab.
All of these repairs should be reviewed by an engineer before they are implemented, and the work should be performed by a contractor experienced in this area.

Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a
dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified Gilbert home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has 9 years construction experience and has performed residential and commercial property inspections for over 8 years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 4 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College, for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He has served as District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for
both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

Defective Construction Dispute Resolution

Your new home has cracks in the walls, the roof leaks and the doors and windows don’t close. You call the builder and they rush out only to look at the property and say, “Well your landscaping caused the problem. We will fix the cracks even though we don’t have too because we pride ourselves on customer service.” They perform repairs to the walls and adjust the window and leave. You call your landscaper and he tells you that there is no way the landscaping could have caused the issues since it is just colored rock. Then 6 months later the cracks start showing up again. You think the sky is falling and the builder says it’s not our fault and the battle begins.

In my line of work I see problems with homes on a daily basis. Some are easy to fix and only on rare occasions is it cheaper to tear down and start over than to repair.

There are hundreds if not thousands of attorneys that practice construction law and there are almost as many (so called) experts. These attorneys and experts are able to point out what’s wrong with the home (so are you, that is why you called them) however, many of these self proclaimed professionals are inexperienced when it comes to determining the cause of the damage and what needs to be done to repair the home.

There are some builders that will take the initiative and try to find the problem but with the residential construction market crashing, many simply don’t have the money for repairs. So your home doesn’t get fixed or only gets patched and the contractor goes away. When the problem returns you look for professional help. You hire an attorney and/or a construction expert. The attorney sends a letter to the builder spelling out all the defects. The builder turns the case over to their insurance company and the insurance company contacts their attorneys. Then after a few letters are exchanged the builder’s inspections are performed by their team of experts. The battle turns into what law is applied and how that law is interpreted instead of what is wrong, how do we fix it, who is responsible and how much will it cost.

Have a plan

At this point I feel I should point out that the only people that make money in lawsuits are the attorneys and the experts. Typically both sides end up paying for these services out of pocket and while you can always ask for attorney and expert fees and costs in a lawsuit, my experience is you rarely recoup 100% of those costs even if you win.

The truth about the attorneys and experts is many of them help each other make money. Since the attorney typically recommends the expert, some of the experts attempt to, shall we say, view things differently. The plaintiff’s expert must have scratched glasses because everywhere he looks he sees cracks while the defense expert looks at the ceiling and then states he didn’t see any evidence that the foundation has moved and he saw no cracked floor tiles. Usually the truth is somewhere in the middle. (Recently a local engineer stated that even though the floor in a building had sunk 7 inches, it wasn’t moving when he looked at it so it is no longer a problem.)

The fact is these types of experts don’t help the case they slow it down and that, along with the attorneys bickering, results in increased costs. The builder’s insurance company pays then increases their fees the following year and the builder has even less money. This is one of the many problems with builders using the insurance company is their own persona warranty company

Good News: Not all builders, attorneys or experts behave that way. I have had the pleasure of working on the opposite side of some experts that actually know what is wrong and want to see the home repaired properly. This really is a win win. The home owner gets the home fixed, and the builder is able to salvage their reputation. (Not to mention the attorneys and/or experts get paid.)

Both sides can and should do several things to help control costs.

Photo document everything. I don’t care if it is the foundation steel or the cracks in the walls. Use a measure of some kind. If you don’t have a tape measure simply place a dollar bill net to the defect you are photographing for a size reference. Take several photos of everything from different angles and document the day the photo was taken and by whom. These photos can reduce the number of trips to the property and if taken during construction or repairs, may prevent, or reduce the amount of destructive testing that needs to be performed.

Interview your team. Find out what their experience is and what type of success they have resolving the issues. (This is different than settling the case). What other experts do they know and work with? Have they worked on other cases like yours? What are their fees and how do they bill?

Try to find a construction expert that will work with both parties to resolve the issue before you hire the attorney. If you are going to hire an expert anyway, why not give them the chance to work with both parties to resolve the issue first. If they are successful, you saved the attorneys fees, if they are not, you will already have the information needed so it can expedite the process.

Inspecting the property and putting the pieces together

Find someone that can put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Have the home professionally inspected before you purchase it. Take photos of the entire home interior and exterior and save the photos with your inspection report. If the damage existed when you bought the home, it will be documented, if it occurs after the purchase, that will be documented s well. Gathering evidence is one of the most expensive costs in a case. Taking photos or video of the entire home during construction, at the time of purchase, at the time of any repairs, and any other time can help your case and help keeps costs low.

For more information feel free to contact us.

Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has 9 years construction experience and has performed residential and commercial property inspections for over six years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 4 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. Scott is also a member of the International Code Council (#5095644). He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He is an instructor for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School. He has served an District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

With all the rains we have been having across the country, roof leaks are not hard to find.
But how should a roof really be repaired. To you simply run to the local hardware store and buy some roof patch? Do you call a roofer and pay them to go on the roof and apply a bucket of mucket? What should a real repair entail?

To answer this question we need to look at what issues are caused by roof leaks.

1. It leaks. Duh, there is water dripping from the ceiling creating a slippery surface below. So a repair must stop the moisture from getting in. But is that all?

2. Insulation looses its R-Value when it is wet. That’s right, if the roof leak soaked the insulation before it made it to the ceiling to drip on the heads of unsuspecting people, the insulation might as well not be there at all, in fact, no insulation would be better than wet insulation.

3. Wet insulation deteriorates materials it is in contact with. If your roof is wood or metal,the wet insulation will cause decay and or rust, effectively reducing the life of the entire roof.

4. Moisture trapped under the roofing can and will turn to moisture vapor and find a way back out of the roof, often causing additional areas for moisture to enter at a later date.

So what should a roof repair entail? In my opinion the repair should include removal and replacement of wet insulation and any damaged building materials.

To often, the entry point of the moisture is not even located. Someone makes a guess where the moisture is coming in and spreads some stuff on the roof, collects a check and leaves.
Wow, no leaks, (until it rains again)

Thermal imaging can be performed on many roofs to locate areas of moisture under the roofing. The wet areas change temperature at a different speed than the dry areas making it possible to locate problem areas and mark them for repair.
Here are a few examples:

What you see on the roof

What the Thermal Imager sees

The the top photo is what a roofer or inspector sees simply looking at the roof. Notice that there are several patches visible, but was the roof actually repaired?

Thenext image is what the thermal imaging camera sees using infrared technology. The red and yellow areas indicate a difference in the temperature, This area is then scanned with a moisture meter to determine if this a moisture issue.
Moisture is trapped under the surface and is holding the heat, thereby making it visible to the thermal imaging camera.

Here is another example:

Evidence of patches on the roof

Wet area under roof shown with Infrared camera

The top photo shows that someone has tried to patch this area of the roof before.
The image on the bottom shows the temperature difference caused by the moisture trapped under the roofing. This moisture can turn to vapor when heated by the sun in the summer or your furnace in the winter. The vapor will dry to rise up and can cause blisters on the rood surface as well as weaken or even separate seams of the roofing materiel.

The moisture trapped under the roofing will also damage the building materials it is in contact with.

Think of this the insulation is like a sponge, it absorbs moisture until it can not hold any more, then the moisture drips down. If you had a leak under your sink would you dry out the area under the sink? I would hope so. As an inspector I have seen lots of shelves under sinks that are damaged or have been replaced due to leaks.

I have also seen lots of roof sheathing that has been damaged from roof leaks that someone simply patched. If there is no insulation against the roof deck then most of the time the deck can dry. If the insulation is against the roof deck and gets soaked, damage can and will occur.

If your building has a flat roof that is fairly new, I suggest finding someone experienced to perform a thermal roof scan. If the roof is older and has a history of leaks, I strongly suggest having the roof scanned and making the needed repairs now before more damage occurs from the moisture trapped under the roofing material.

If your in AZ, contact us to perform your roof scan. If your in a different part of the country, you can still contact us and we may be able to assist you in finding someone in your area.

We can be reached at www.acsillc.com or 480-283-3392
Scott is an AZ Home inspector with years of experience in the Arizona Home Inspections industry. He has taught Phoenix Home Inspectors, Gilbert home inspectors and professional home inspectors across the country.

The hard truth about infrared (Real Estate Agents Read This)

I recently had a real estate agent ask me if infrared was a good thing and should she recommend it to her clients, my answer was a definite maybe, here is why.

Every few years a new trend comes along that affects the home industry. These trends include mold, lead, radon, asbestos, moisture meters, microwave leak detectors and now infrared or thermal imaging. These trends come with the homeowners protection in mind, however there are always people there trying to make a quick profit from the latest trend.

Allow me to start by saying I am a home inspector and many of the home inspectors that read this will be very upset with me because they feel that the proper training and programs are not necessary, I will let you decide. I will also state that I believe mold, lead, radon, and asbestos are all items that may need to be checked, however any testing needs to be performed by a trained professional and not someone that bought a sampler and attended a eight hour class and now calls themselves “certified”.

Anyone in the US can purchase a thermal imaging device for a price starting around $3,000 but most quality units start in the $7,000 range. These units are incredible; however, just because you can buy a camera, does not make you a thermographer. Real training is needed to properly operate the thermal imager and to interpret the images. (this is why inspectors charge more for this service.)

Limitations

Like any tool these units have their limitations: They only measure surface temperature. (They can’t see through walls) There may be issues in a wall like moisture or missing insulation that effect the surface temperature of the wall and the thermal imaging device may detect those differences but infrared is not an X-Ray.

Missing or disturbed insulation viewed with infrared

Insulation is missing. 10 degree difference in an 18 inch span

Many surfaces are reflective and if not properly addressed can provide false readings. For example the heat from ceiling lights can be viewed on a wood laminate floor, Glass and ceramic tiles have a mirror effect when scanned with a thermal imaging device.

The units are so sensitive that they can measure 1/10 of a degree F. This leads the inexperienced operator to spot items that appear to be major issues, only to discover later that there was a temperature difference of <1°F. I have been called to many projects where someone had an infrared camera and called out issues. When a contractor is hired to address the issue they are told “everything is fine, I couldn’t find a problem.” That is when I get called in. I will look at the pictures from the first person and try to recreate the conditions preset when they did their work, then determine if there is a real problem. Most f the time the problem is the previous operator.

Training

Here is the short version. Most people with infrared cameras have had some training and many will call themselves “Level One thermographers”, however even they don’t understand what that term means. A true “Level one certification is a single component of a Thermography program Standard that follows the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) guidelines for certification. That program needs to be overseen by a Level three thermographer. If someone tells you they are “Level One Thermographer” simply ask them who the level 3 thermographer is in their program; If they don’t have an answer than they are not meeting the ASNT standards. You also need to be aware of the certification stamping companies. Some are no more that a pay and be certified, some provide minimal training but there is no one there to verify who took the training or if the student can field demonstrate how to use the thermal imaging device.

There are also ASTM standards on how to use thermal imaging to perform different inspections, for example, there is a standard for an insulation inspection on wood framed buildings. That standard requires several things like recording the interior and exterior temperatures and making sure the difference between those temperatures meets the standard. The inspector needs to measure the wind speed and direction, the solar conditions, The building construction, levels, orientation, surroundings etc. If your inspector is not recording this data then they are not meeting the standard of care set up by ASTM.

A qualified and ethical inspector will also understand building science and apply that knowledge while performing the thermal imaging. Simply put the infrared unit will not see moisture if it is not there so if it hasn’t rained in two weeks, it may not find the leaks. If the interior and exterior temperature are the same (very common in the spring and fall) then it is likely the camera will not be able to identify insulation issues.

Now I return to the agents question: should she recommend it to her clients?

Yes if the person performing the thermal imaging is properly trained to do so and you are aware of the conditions needed to properly conduct a thermal imaging inspection.

If If your inspector is charging extra for scanning walls with infrared and it has not rained for a month and all of the windows of the home are open, then it is time to find someone else..

Scott Warga, is the Qualifying party for ACSI American Construction Specialists and Investigations LLC,(ROC216772) a dual licensed residential and small commercial contractor. He is also a qualified home inspector certified by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (#38062) and was appointed to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration’s Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has 9 years construction experience and has performed residential and commercial property inspections for over six years. He has specialized in forensic inspections, investigating failed, damaged and defective construction for over 4 years. He is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, (#205826) and currently sits on their board of directors. Scott is also a member of the International Code Council (#5095644). He has been an instructor of home inspection at Mesa Community College and Arizona Sun-Tech Home Inspection School. He is an instructor for Inspection Training Associates, a Kaplan Professional School. He has served an District Chairman & Vice President for the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and an approved instructor for both them and the Arizona Department of Real Estate.