The feature photograph shows a view of the ridge in an attic. Note the discoloration and biological growth on both slopes. Notice that the discoloration is worse on the slope left of the ridge than on the slope right of… Read More
Category Archives: Buying/Maintaining a Home
Does Ventilation Really Provide a Benefit in an Attic?
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Apparent Mold/Biological Growth, Attic Ventilation, Buying/Maintaining a Home, Winter Concerns | June 04, 2018
The clear surface on the underside of the roof deck around the three bathroom vent pipes shows that even a little bit of inadvertent air flow is capable of reducing condensation and the risk of apparent mold/biological growth. It doesn’t… Read More →
What is Efflorescence?
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Water Sources | April 23, 2018
Efflorescence derives from a French word that means “to flower out” (or so I’ve read). “Flowering out” is a good description because efflorescence is a crystal structure that appears and grows on the surface of concrete, brick, stucco, or natural stone… Read More →
Who Says, “You Need to Have a Gutter to Have Ice Damming or Icicles?”
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Attic Ventilation, Buying/Maintaining a Home, Roof, Water Sources, Winter Concerns | March 12, 2018
See those long, beautiful icicles and the ice dam? But wait – there is no gutter along the rear slope of this dwelling (see Figure 1). How can there be an ice dam and icicles? Just lucky, I guess. Note… Read More →
Shrinkage Cracking in Concrete
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Concrete, Shrinkage | January 30, 2018
Why Does Concrete Crack? There are many causes for cracking in concrete: overload; earth movements (settlement, frost heave, consolidation, soil shrinkage, soil expansion, landslide, etc.); material shrinkage; impact; etc. This article considers shrinkage. What is shrinkage in concrete? Shrinkage occurs… Read More →
What Causes That Fish Mouth Appearance in a Shingle Roof?
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Construction & Shortcuts, Roof, Shingles | July 10, 2017
Sometimes a shingle roof will exhibit a pattern of shingle tabs raised at their center, such as seen in the featured photograph. That is, the shingle tab is partially sealed at each end, but raised in the middle (Figure 1).… Read More →
A Primer on Basement Wall Distress (Encore May 1, 2017)
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Archive 2004 thru 2011, Basements, Buying/Maintaining a Home, Cracking, Foundations | May 01, 2017
So, you have found your dream home: perfect location, quiet street, great landscaping, room layout fits your life style, colors match your furniture. You can’t wait to relax on the screened patio or that swing on the large front porch.… Read More →
The Work of Hansel & Gretel?
Posted by Jerry Prugar in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Shingles | February 06, 2017
Remember the story of Hansel and Gretel? For those who aren’t, they are a brother and a sister who run away from home, get lost, and come upon a gingerbread house. Having become famished in their travels they start eating… Read More →