A typical preserved wood retaining wall? Is this wall built correctly?
This retaining wall lacks tie-backs, and is of poor design. We will see movement is a short period of time.
A patched hole in the basement floor slab. What can this mean?
A core hole has been drilled to remove samples of the backfill to test for Pyrite. Pyrite has caused problems in some areas of the province. We know that the test results should be mentioned in the owner's declaration.
This is a horizontal crack in the foundation wall. What is causing this crack to occur?
A number of conditions could be causing the problem: Expansive soils, poor backfilling and AdFreesing are examples. The actual cause would have to be investigated further.
In this confusing configuration we are actually looking at an electrical problem. Can you see it?
Some of the copper water supply pipes have been changed to plastic tubing. The electrical system is normally grounded to the copper pipe. The continuity to actual "ground" has been broken by the plastic pipe. The ground wire should be reattached to the copper pipe closer to where it passed through the floor slab
What has the plumber done wrong?
The notching of the floor joists has reduced the load capacity by 75%. Catastrophic? Not until you put your piano on the floor above!!!! Actually this can easily be remedied.
A simple crack in the foundation wall? A sloped lot requires that the foundation be specially designed.
The footings of the foundation walls need to be below the frost line. With "stepped" foundations, extra care must be taken to ensure the backfilling and terracing is done to maintain the correct depth. Adding more earth around the foundation walls is a simple solution in this case.
This is a chimney cleanout. What does the debris on the bottom tell us?
The chimney requires a flexible stainless steel liner. The humid exhaust created by the new gas fired boiler is causing damage to the old terracotta liner. Large pieces of terracotta could wedge and block the chimney. Exhaust fumes are alright outside, but indoors they are deadly!
This is the inside of an electrical panel. Why are we concerned about what the home owner has done?
We see triple and double lugging into single breakers. This is a fire safety concern and tells us the recent improvements in the home did not include updating the size of the electrical panel.
A normal joint in a brick wall. Should we be worried?
This type of brickwork is actually an important structural element of the building. Any movement causing cracking or seperation is serious and can be costly to fix
Can you see problems with this beautiful wood stove?
It is not a certified appliance.
The clearance to the rear and side walls is inadequate
The carpet floor in front
is not protected from sparks by a non-combustible coverings.
The clearance to combustible materials is inadequate. Notice that the wooden door has no knob. It probably got too hot to handle so it was removed!!!!!
This flue pipe has a nice three tone color scheme. Someone lives near a scrapyard and visits often. Why should he stay home?
Galvanized flue pipes are toxic when subjected to the high heat of a wood burning stove.
A light bulb with wings? Are those hanging wires a concern?
This is a low voltage installation and does not constitute an electrical hazard.
Why is this crack in the basement floor slab of such concern?
Pyrite, used as backfill for basement floors in some areas of Quebec, swells and causes star shaped cracks in concrete slabs. It will eventually have to be removed.
The numerous repairs to the brick in this area tell us a story. Can you guess the ending?
The repairs have been on-going and joints keep opening up. There is movement in the foundation. In the end, the foundation problem has to be corrected.
Concrete blocks can be used as structural support. So why are these blocks a problem?
Concrete blocks have good compressive strength. But the orientation of the blocks in this case is wrong. The hollows must sit vertically.
This type of wiring was typical 60 years ago. What is it?...
Knob and tube wires were a standard for electrical wiring 60 years ago. These wires have two wires, one neutral and one hot. The knobs are used to
clamp the wires to the structural member, and tubes passed through the structural members.
