Fairfield County, Connecticut Condominium Woes

[Jenny Tough]

Trying to better understand the big picture in a series of singular "gone wrongs" (sinks moving, floor boards raising, marble cracking, sheet rock nails pushing out.. 31314

[Brian Hannigan]

Hello Jenny Tough,

Welcome aboard. Enjoy your visit here at InspectionNews and if there is anything I can help you with just let me know.

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[Dom D'Agostino]

Trying to better understand the big picture in a series of singular "gone wrongs" (sinks moving, floor boards raising, marble cracking, sheet rock nails pushing out..

No idea what you're trying to ask, based on those photos.

You can clarify if you like.

Dom.

[Jack Feldmann]

Hire a local inspector. They would have about a 100% better chance of figuring out whats going on than asking on this forum, with just a few photos.

[Garry Sorrells]

Jenny,
I will take a wack at what your question may be.

The sump pump is not working. Interior drain tiles either not there ore not working. Water in basement.

There was a deck at the door. It has been removed. The grading at the door is such that water is being retained at the foundation wall and collecting in the basement. The water in the basement has caused a variety of problems from the excessive moisture raising into the structure above the basement. As you describe "sinks moving, floor boards raising, marble cracking, sheet rock nails pushing out". There is a proposal that changing the grading and then replace the deck will be the answer to the water in the basement. Or that hey are preparing to did out at the foundation wall, reseal and add drain tiles.

Am I close??????:confused:

[JC Warner]

Are those door hinge pins on the outside???:eek:

[Jack Feldmann]

Door hinge pins on the exterior is not automatically a problem. There are many doors that are designed to open "out".

[Dwight Doane]

Door hinge pins on the exterior is not automatically a problem. There are many doors that are designed to open "out".

These could also be bearing hinges where the pins can not be removed - Most commercial buildings use just this type of hinge not only for the weight but so you can not remove the pins

[Garry Sorrells]

The hindges are the least of the issues that may be going on, but Jenny seems to not be interested.:deadhorse:

[Raymond Wand]

Whatever the manufactures recommend; do they recommend to swing door outward?
Seems dumb, wind could catch it, hinges prone to deterioration from the weather? In high snow belt areas, doors should open in. Hinges may not be commercial. Simple fix to hinder hinge removal for security reasons.
Was the threshold on the outside of door or on the inside?

Door installed backwards? A testament to poor craftmanship?

[Rick Cantrell]

Out-swing door are not new or uncommon.
They have security hinges with pins (as do most all doors), so the door is locked in place (when closed) even when the pins are removed.
An out-swing door is more resistant to being blown in by high winds (Jerry can comment further).

They are just as weather-tight (maybe more) that in-swing doors.
They are not doors that have "Just been put in backwards".

[Garry Sorrells]

.............................

Door installed backwards? A testament to poor craftmanship?


Raymond,
Seriously, you need to get out more. Maybe it is a Canadian thing. Out swing and snow may be the reason they do not use them. Down south in the U.S. you would see them, not every day but not that unusual.

[Jerry Peck]

This is why outswing doors are not common where in locations where it snows ...

We just got back from a 10 day trip (5 days drivings, 5 days there) to northern New York - took our granddaughter to see snow ... no snow until the last two days, about 1 foot one day, then 2 feet the next day - in a place where even the old folks cannot remember the last time they did not have a white Christmas (they had 2 feet of snow at Thanksgiving, then none until yesterday and the day before ...

... and I got to drive in a snow storm for the first few hours driving back - I had not driven in snow since a winter vacation back around 1982 or so.

[Raymond Wand]

Its not a case of getting out more, its the exception to see an out swing door up here. However, just 3 weeks ago an out swing exterior door was reported to my client as not being installed correctly. The door swung out into a drive way, the hinges where on exterior and not security hinges, and the metal threshold plate was on the inside of the frame.


And of course the Realtor chimed in that there was nothing wrong with it.

[Rick Cantrell]

Here is a thread on outswing doors from a few years ago.

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/building-envelope-home-inspection-commercial-inspection/20207-exterior-door-hinges-outside.html