News & Resources

What is causing the cracking in my ceiling?

Posted by in Wood | October 12, 2015

We have looked at numerous single-family ranch style dwellings constructed in the 1960s where the ceiling exhibits cracking between the dining room and the living room.  It’s a crack that emanates from the corner of two walls.  Those of you… Read More →

Cleaning Lichens from Shingles (An Experiment)

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Roof, Shingles | October 05, 2015

While performing my annual pre-winter roof maintenance this fall I again noticed the moderate growth of lichens on parts of my roof.  The lichen growth is in areas that are heavily shaded (Figures L-1). I thought that this might be… Read More →

Shingles with Jen-U-Wine Hail Damage

Posted by in Roof, Shingles | September 28, 2015

We have evaluated a number of roofs this summer for hail damage.  We have evaluated more roofs than most years, but not as many as in some of the past years. And now, for your viewing pleasure, I now present a… Read More →

What Can Happen to Unbraced Wood Truss Web Members?

Posted by in Construction & Shortcuts, Structural terms, Wood | September 21, 2015

So, what happens when the web members of a wood truss are not braced laterally as specified by the truss manufacturer? When a wood truss is designed and constructed by a truss manufacturer, the manufacturer commonly provides drawings that show… Read More →

Buying a Home – Structural Considerations (Encore)

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home | September 14, 2015

Buying a home is probably the most expensive purchase a person or a couple will make in their lifetime. If one buys wisely, the home will not only provide shelter, comfort, and sanctuary from the rest of the world for… Read More →

Which wood framed structure would you expect to be stronger?

Posted by in Construction & Shortcuts, Structural terms | August 31, 2015

Which wood framed structure would you expect to be stronger? Number 1 or Number 2? Wood framed construction built in accordance with prescriptive framing methods. (Prescriptive framing methods are established upon rule of thumb guidelines that have developed from the… Read More →

Getting Ready for Winter (Attic Ventilation)

Posted by in Attic Ventilation, Buying/Maintaining a Home, Winter Concerns | August 24, 2015

THAT time of year is just around the corner.  The time when the temperatures drop and the airborne moisture in the attic condenses on the attic framing and the underside of the roof deck causing moisture staining, frost, excessive moisture… Read More →

What Can We Tell from This Photo? (Case Study 11)

Posted by in Shingles, Simple Forensic Methods, Winter Concerns | August 17, 2015

What can we tell from THIS photo?   This photo was taken at a valley on a shingle roof. The shingles on the left are less weathered indicating that they are not as old as the shingles on the right.… Read More →