Patio Cover, unsafe, found during Burbank Home Inspection

Описание

http://www.burbankhomeinspections.com

Another area to be watchful of when looking at houses to buy.

Here is a link to an excellent deck building manual if you intend to build it yourself, the information applies to attached patio covers as well - http://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/dca/AWC-DCA62012-DeckGuide-1405.pdf

Transcript:


Things are not always as they appear. Some things are worth a closer look before trusting them to be safe and stable. This is something you can look for before you even put in your offer.
When I first saw this patio, I thought - What a nice play area for the children...
Then when I was inspecting the roof, I saw this, but, hey, no big deal, just put a new covering on it, it'l be fine.
Next I started taking a closer look at the structure and noticed the whole thing was sagging a couple of inches at the outside edge. One or more support posts has apparently sunk into the ground or decayed.
See how the walkway concrete was placed around the posts? Wood in contact with concrete on the ground is bound to rot. The concrete acts like a sponge drawing moisture from the ground and keeping the wood constantly wet. Even a post resting on top of the concrete is at risk.
Now for a closer look at the attachment to the house, where half of all this weight is supposedly suported. Like a deck, there are very specific methods that must be followed to make sure this structure is sound and stays put.
Nope, this is just not right. The joists are attached with metal connectors, that part is good. It's what they attach to that makes the whole thing unstable. That's a fascia board. It has been end nailed into the roof rafters as usual. Unfortunately, the nails may just simply withdraw if there is sufficient side to side movement, like in a strong wind or earthquake. The nails were only intended to hold up the board, not some additional load and certainly not this much weight.
Now here's the kicker, the frosting on the cake. The owner had decided to attach two child swings to the patio cover. These will act like a pendulum. So what force gets applied to the patio cover when a couple of, say 35 pound weights - children - swing back and forth? You got it, side to side stress.
I had to tell the man to take down the swings immediately, and that the patio cover was not safe to stand under, much less allow children to play under. There is just no predicting if or when this structure will collapse.
Please, if you are going to add something like this to your house, take out a permit with your city building department and get it signed off when you're done. It's the smart way to protect yourself and others.
If you already have a deck, balcony or patio cover and you're not absolutely sure it's safe, have it inspected by a professional.
Thanks for watching.