mgbinspect

I appreciate that, Jim! Yes, Facebook definitely has far more negative aspects than positive ones. Best wishes.

Thanks Marc. You as well.

I too, John, am very guilty of getting entirely too busy to return to TIJ as much as I'd like to . I hope to return here more myself. So, you're not alone at all. Best wishes for a safe, productive and profitable 2018.

Thanks Mark! Yep, I tell folks basically the same thing regarding brick veneer: It's just an incredibly durable super high PSI rated facade - a siding. Relax!

@Big Tool, If you have a few more pictures to post of both the steel and the openings, I can probably shed some light on the construction - if you're interested. Regarding the work of lintels in general, in most cases the hardest a window or door lintel ever works is the day that it's loaded with green masonry (all dead and completely saturated weight). If a steel lintel is going to deflect it will be that day. Sometimes undersized lintels will merely twist outward in the center causing a belly in the brickwork. And on rare occasions the lintel would twist enough to literally dump the masonry on the catwalk before it ever set up. (Architects or Builders are notorious for selecting undersized lintels.) It's helpful to understand that steel within a masonry system almost never deflects after installation. It can't without massive "tell-tale" cracks in the masonry. (Masonry does have some flex thanks to the mortar, but it's not as flexible as steel.) With all this in mind, you will most often notice that most bulged brickwork on twisted steel shows little or very minor cracking - because it all happened while the world was green. Once the masonry IS set up. The lintel could be removed with no immediate consequence whatsoever as long as there is substantial masonry above. The half bond pattern carries the weight across the opening in a matter of courses leaving only a small triangular area directly over the opening more hanging from the masonry above than supported by anything below. Masonry is so durable. Just picture the bombed out buildings in Europe after WWII with 1/3 of the masonry blown away and still standing. What appears to be flat steel might be a "hung-plate" attached to the underside of an I-Beam. Or the masonry might actually be laid on the bottom flange of an I-Beam. In these cases, steel is flexible and masonry not so flexible. Cracks are inevitable. More pictures would make it a little easier to decide what's really going on. All the best!

I find the entire thing frightening. There are more attorneys per ca pita in the US, than any other country. And, if someone has their mind set on suing you, they can easily find an attorney ready, willing and able to follow through, whether it is right or wrong. Justice doesn't always come out of the courtroom. We all know of too many cases where the system fell down miserably. As a father of five, I feel for the parents who lost a child. I just can't help but wonder if the home inspector is anything more than a scapegoat. Very sad indeed.

I agree with Kurt. There was some form of ornate finish there at one time that is no more, and the mortar wash was applied to cover rough masonry - not intended to be seen.

One would think that if it was stress from differential movement, the glass would more likely shatter, than simply crack. I lean toward Mike's assessment - thermal expansion - quick change in temperature maybe?

"and not thinking about myself, which seldom happens,... " OK, John - That was funny. I literally busted out laughing. I really need to stop in here more often... Priceless... [:-hspin]

I usually give them my price, and without any pause, offer all of my years of construction and inspecting experience (1972 - present), and tell them, "Be sure to ask everyone you call what they're experience and background is." Usually, after a momentary pause they say, "Well, when are you available?" It's pretty funny that if someone is about to have heart surgery, they want the best doctor in town, but when they go to make the biggest single investment of their life, they want the cheapest home inspector and never even think to question an inspector's credibility or qualifications. BRILLIANT! [:-banghea

Richmond, VA has a ton of homes ranging between the mid 1800s and early 1900s with plaster walls and ceilings over wood lath. Any time moisture intrudes for a long period of time through plaster, efflorescence is the end result. I can't think of a time I observed it being the result of high humidity. It is typically a roofing/flashing issue or missing mortar in solid masonry walls.

Translation: Alright everybody - break it up and go home.. []

But, Mark (and Chad I guess), I am not grasping how that explains stresses able to separate the sealed tabs from the shingle below, well after installation. It seems there has to be some un-checked expansion and contraction going on - possibly exacerbated by the racking?

Apparently, more stress is being applied to the single tabs than intended, which causes me to return to the suspicion of inadequate or improper fastening. The surface is moving more than it's supposed to?

Could it be a material defect? It seems that the shingle tabs have never properly sealed down. Shingle tabs don't easily release once they have sealed.

Yeah, not only is it more prone to rust, etc., but structurally speaking, it is supposed to be well into the concrete to work properly in harmony. I hated reinforced steel concrete construction - not fun, and I've got some wicked scars from being lacerated by it in merely walking by.

Not to mention rebar is never supposed to be closer than 1.5" to the surface of concrete - a sloppy installation doomed from the start.

A lack of proper fastening can cause this. Many times when you see long lines of vertical or horizontal cracking, it is the result of excessive expansion and contraction permitted by either high nailing (which often doesn't catch the top edge of the lowest row of shingles), or not nailing according to the manufacturer's nailing pattern (typically using less fasteners). High nailing can be particularly devastating. When I was working with home owner's insurance claims departments, I often saw shingles that were prematurely destroyed by the excessive expansion and contraction resulting from improper or inadequate fastening. If you return to the property, I'll bet you can lift shingles to find no nail heads in locations that there should have been nails.

The whole process was new to me, but very well thought out. The base was gravel covered by a layer of crusher run, which was all compacted with a plate tamper. Then, the pavers were laid into place - no worries regarding getting them to the perfect height because the entire installed system received three passes with a plate tamper. A few pieces would break during that process needing to be replaced. Finally, they came behind us and filled in the voides, to within about an inch of the top with soil and seed, and presto! It was the first part of a three phased project, and the pavers never settled or bbubuckled. It was pretty cool.

Believe it or not, they've been around for quite some time. I installed them for the first time at a Magnavox plant outside of Wahington DC., in the mid-eighties. Their original intent was to be a nice way to have over-flow parking, without suffering devastation of a lawn during the intermittent times that it became a parking lot. They are perfectly flat and as smooth as any concrete masonry unit, so they actually can be shoveled or plowed, without too much consequence. The voids, that turf grow up through are only a few inches, so it's pretty hard to catch an edge, as long as the shovel or plow blade is pretty flat and wide.

[:-thumbu] Isn't it a bit odd that it cracked there, with a control joint so close by?

That's impressive - clean as a whistle. I wouldn't have expected it to do that well myself. [:-thumbu]

Huh? Well, I received them anyway, but am under strict orders not to release 'em. I don't think Bain will mind my saying they're pretty dang hot though... [:-hspin]

I must take a moment to thank all of my fellow home inspectors and friends, here at TIJ, for all you do. We each have our strengths and weaknesses. It's priceless to have a place where we can come to learn from our peers and share what we know. And, I can't think of any other site where the brain-storming and comradery happens in such a civil and gracious manner, seasoned with a lot of mutual respect and good humor. 2011 has been an interesting year, and I know a lot of you have been through some fairly rough times. But, hard times are far better for us than comfort. It's the tough times that force us to discover who we truly are and come to understand what we really want and need. In that respect, the last few years have probably blessed us all beyond our ability to measure or truly appreciate. And, I'm sure that each of us can make a dollar go twice as far as it did a few short years ago. That alone is a significant mile post. Please know that I appreciate EVERY home inspector here, and consider each of you a great and valued friend and invaluable consultant. I wish all of you the best year you've ever had. [:-party] Happy New Year, brothers! [:-party]

[:-snorkel