Thread: green house ajacent to the building

There is a green house adjacent to the building, brand new, under the deck. I do not know how to evaluate this. I found condensate on the pane. It must be High RH. I am worry about the high RH & structure. Whom should I refer to for specialist inspection? Gardener?

Thanks

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I would have thought an exhaust fan on a humidistat would have been installed to keep humidity levels in check.

There appears to be a ceiling mounted forced air electric heater.

There are operable sliding windows, if there is no exhaust opening the windows a crack to get some cross ventilation may work.

Sorry Raymond but the issue is not how to get rid of the excess moisture, the plants in a green house need the moisture (at least some plants).
The issue to me seems to be "can the building tolerate the excess moisture". It should not be a problem if the interior of the greenhouse walls, ceiling, and floor are treated like the exterior wall of a building in a wet climate. WRB, durable siding, corrosion resistant fasteners, etc.
I would be looking for any sign of mold, rot, or other deterioration.
I don't know who you could defer this to, but then I am not a big fan of deferring things to someone else.

I would tell my clients to have it all torn out. That room was built for a person that loves tropical plants. It is useless to most people, and will just lead to trouble if neglected.
That is what I'd put in my report, tear it all out.

Thanks all, the following is what I followed up the buyer & agent. I blame myself for ignoring this part at inspection.

"I did not find access to this space. Only the basement window can be accessed. Normally there must be a door to get in. Therefore I suspect this is added on after city inspection. Please ask seller if this is approved, which means drain, ventilation & moisture barrier are accepted. "

You may want to consider the following next time:
The outside flower bed - is there drainage either in the bed, as in a ground drain or drain holes along the front of the wall; is there a water proof barrier between the dirt and concrete walls; does this are have its own irrigation as well
The interior plant room -
- check for operable windows and ease of getting to them
- I think you are saying there is no door, if so, report should recommend installation of some sort of reasonable access
- exhaust fan, on a controller; humidistat and/or some type of stat to monitor temp and humidity so one knows whats going on in there
- the room looks to have in ground irrigation and a high drain of some sort, how is the irrigation controlled, a timer for time or water volume;
- what is under the dirt, obviously there better be some waterproof something
- what are walls and trim made of, can the handle the high humidity?
- ceiling in this case looks like Poly'ed pine or something; any areas look dark from moisture
These are all things you can look for to get a decent idea of whats going on and provide the client with relevant and important information. Granted some of these things you won't be able to ascertain for sure. That's why you put in the report:
"Ask Seller to provide documentation of how green house area was installed, what types of components or water proofing systems were used, product manuals, any contractor contacts and warranty information".
On atypical stuff like this always put something in your report that tells the client they should be asking the seller to provide documentation. That way you are giving the client a good piece of advice, the client will or will not get info, etc. If the Seller can provide info, great. Now everyone doesn't have to wonder so much. If the Seller can't provide info then obviously the Buyer has to make a decision. Either way you've provided a good helpful service that should keep you safe from issues.
Hope that helps

great, Thank you Markus

The following is builder reply. Which trade would be the specialist or contractor for greenhouse?

The greenhouse was completed prior to final inspection and all has been passed by the city.

The ceiling has insulation and vapour barrier and the wall of the house is actually an exterior wall and finished in the same way as all exterior walls.

There is another access via a window on the east side of the greenhouse (2' x 3' opening). Soil is sitting on a filter cloth on top of gravel (covering entire greenhouse floor).

Under the gravel is a 4" perferated pipe connected to the sump next to greenhouse. There are also two large 4" drains exiting from the structure.

1 - Mason, concrete foundation contractor and/or landscape architect
2 - That's great Mr. Developer! Please provide my client with a copy of the permit signed off the by Muni inspector, any correspondence or notices between you and the Municipality regarding this issue and a copy of the approved Plans
3 - Insulation and vapor barrier - That's great!. Please provide my client with written confirmation as to what specific products were used and according to what standard they were installed. Exterior walls were finished in the same way as all exterior walls?
What exterior walls? The ones from 1920 that have no barrier along the outside, the ones poured in freezing weather that don't cure properly, the ones that are slapped together by guys who sort of know what they are doing but not really, OR the ones that are installed per Plans per an established standard?
4 - 2x3 window, better hope your client doesn't eat too many donuts;
Once again, sounds good Mr. Developer. What type/brand filter cloth did you use, how thick a gravel bed, what type of gravel, coarse, pee, what. By the way, who designed the drainage system? You by guessing, your contractor who doesn't speak english or an actual landscape architect?
5 - is the cloth sufficient to keep dirt from leaching into the sump pit, did you check the sump pit for condition?
And the two 4" drains are what? Holes in the side of the wall or actual pipe. Not to be too picky here Mr. Developer but did you happen to install rodent prove screens on these 4" openings? I mean 4" openings from the outdoors into a nice cozy, irrigated greenhouse sound like a big neon 'Welcome' sign to local rodents.
I don't know how much service you provide to your clients or your continued involvement in the deal. However, something along these lines would be my response for my client. A bit more or less snarky depending on how the developer is acting.
"Keep your eye on the ball". Even though I am a bit snarky, the point here isn't to be a jagoff. The real issue is to help your client get as much information about this installation as possible. Granted everything could be relatively fine and not a big deal in coming years. On the other hand, if this was done poorly, this could end up being a huge problem.
Even something as simple as a rodent invasion through those 4" drains could cost a whole lot of money, grief and anxiety.
Hope that helps.

This is a brand new house.

And your point is what?

Originally Posted by Markus Keller

And your point is what?

Have it removed

Just turned down the developer invitation to talk to on site.

I don't see the big deal. Area should be made accessible for qualified person, ( greenhouse specialist) to enter and determine if it was built according to plans and client should be provided with paperwork on that inspection and proper inspections by local building department. Evaluating the quality or condition of workmanship or materials installed behind finished surfaces is beyond the scope of a normal home inspection.Recommend a proper access door installation for safety. Such and Such inspection company will hold no liability over damages that may occur in the future due to problems caused by this room. Evaluating the quality or condition of workmanship or materials installed behind finished surfaces is beyond the scope of a normal home inspection. Looks better than most basements I see

I would point out that the space has limited access. Recommend adding more acceptable access as required (might not be a big deal to buyers, or it might be a huge deal). I would focus on any apparent issues/problems that I can see (non invasive). Just because something is A-typical, doesn't mean they should rip it out, or that something is wrong. Adress the issues, if there are any. If there are none, then dont create any. Perhaps you might recommend something to address the excessive humidity/moisture in the room. Greenhouses will have have high humidity and moisture levels, so I would simply notify them of that, and that the area may need more frequent preventative maintenance, then I would report to monitor the conditions as described.