Thread: what do you think?

Study this pic carefully then share with us what you would report as a home inspector.

Enjoy!

The ash-pit cleanout access should be lower and made of fire-resistant material.

- BOB

Bob, your photo is too small for me to determine if that window meets fireplace emergency egress? Help me out.

Looks like the wash/parge coat on the sloping sides is stained.

I'm not loving the power supply to the added rear dormer sent up the exterior wall. It appears the cap at chimney is darker at the rear indicating boiler use but flue clearances between window and flue are unknown.
Is this Jerry's house?

Is that Cinderella's room?

The windows on the right side were obviously not preshrunk to manufatuter specs.

Is it me or has the chimney been rebuilt above windows on second floor.
Improper cap. Any lintel above window? Will window effect strengh of chimney structure?

Bob,

Appears that the Fireplace has been removed....

Is the Furnace / Boiler Flue still contained within that Chimney?

My report may read something like this...
__________________________________
"Do not lean on or touch window... window may spontaneous combust with little or no notice!! If the lower level window glows after having a fire in the fireplace, be sure and remain calm until the firetruck arrives...

Additionally, this home may have been prominently featured in an Ammityville featured film. If the window does not spontaneous combust, the front door may inexpectably be pushed outward.

In either case, a priest will be needed."
_____________________________________

Rich

Sesame Street Inspection: "Which one of these doesn't belong?"

Hey Bobby, come'on back and tell us more about this "fun-house".

I'm interested to hear the real story... did the door every break outward??

Rich

It does not appear that fire-rated caulk was used around the window.

Wutt?? I don't see nothin' wrong with that! and Bob, how did you get a picture of my house anyway?

Seriously, would love to see what it looked like from the inside.

Me too! This was a drive-by. I'm going to stop and get a closer shot. Anybody notice something about the mortar color?

So, all joking aside, just how would you write this up? Quote your reference that this is not acceptable.

It appears that the firebox was removed and a window installed, rendering the rest of the brick chimney potentially structurally unsafe.

From that photo, and that distance, "it appears" to be such, but for all I know, 'there could be' a vent in there going up one side and around the window, but might not be.

Regardless, the chimney looks like it could fall down on it own, thus it needs help 'falling down' so the timing of its fall will avoid injury to persons and the direction of its fall will avoid damage to the structure.

Assuming that the fireplace/flue had been completely disabled and the chimney served no function, then I'd probably focus on the construction of the window opening to try to determine if a lintel had been installed. I'm assuming that is stone and not some kind of faux stone that doesn't weigh anything.
I'd be looking all over it for evidence of current failure and then report as to what I found and why the possibilities for future failure were present. I'd probably wrap it up by suggesting that they have a qualified professional design appropriate support for the stones above the opening or that they remove the chimney, irrespective of how it looked at the time of inspection.

The photo is actually too small (for me <---needs magnifying glasses to see any detail. If no lintel that is easy to write and find code. Was the window properly flashed? The new opening properly flashed? Was there an engineer document regarding structural capabilty and retrofit requirements? Many questions I would have but not being able to really see the window I couldn't narrow it down from here.

Look at the irregular pattern and sizes of the stone, except for that portion over the window. Even looks like a metal lintel may have been installed. (superman glasses)

That is stucco siding, correct?

(BTW Bob - get the articles?)

Obviously, this is a contractor’s house. Note that no two windows are the same size. This means that this house was built out of surplus material from other jobs. The window in the fireplace was added as indicated by the upper pane design.

All joking aside, this was the first see-through fireplace ever built. It is located at the corner of Dumb Ave. and Puck Street in Uburnem Pennsylvania. It is well known tourist attraction. It is also known as the Dumb Puck residence.

Actually, this was one of the first prototypes of the appliance that we all know now as a direct vent fireplace.

Well, I tried to be serious. Does that count?