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Defective House Framing
When a house is a few years old, signs of defective framing can be detected visually. One sign is bulging exterior walls, which can best be seen by standing at each comer of the house and looking along the wall. Another method is to make a plumb line out of a key and string and hold it against the wall. If the ridge line sags in the middle, trouble is developing.
Window sills that are not level are a sign of settling, defective or original sloppy carpentry.
A careful house inspection should include the opening and closing of every window. Sticking windows settling or defective framing.
A sure sign of trouble is a large crack developing on the outside of house between the chimney and the exterior wan. Other tip offs to framing am cracks running outward at an angle from the upper window and door frames.
Sagging and sloping floors may be detected visually or by putting a marble on the floor and watching to see if it rolls away. This may be sign of defective floor framing.
Cracks in the walls other than those discussed previously should cause of concern but in themselves are not conclusive evidence of problems. All houses settle unless they are built on solid rock. Rare is house that does not develop some minor wall and ceiling cracks. An owner become concerned when these cracks are accompanied by some of the signs of defective framing.
Sheathing
Exterior walls should be braced by a suitable sheathing horizontally or, preferably, diagonally to the framing. The diagonal of placing sheathing is preferable to the horizontal because strength and stiffness may be provided by 1‑inch by 4‑inch members set the outside face of the studs at an angle of 45 degrees and nailed to and bottom plates and studs. Moreover, where wood sheathing board applied diagonally, let‑in braces are not necessary. In either case, sheathing should be nailed to sills, headers, studs, plates or continuous headers gable end rafters.
Wood sheathing is preferred by many builders because it provided it is nailed, stapled or glued to the frame. Other materials used as sheathing include fiberboard and specially fabricated gypsum panels that often the sheathing paper and exterior finish incorporated into them.
Sheathing Paper
Weather tight walls are provided by covering the sheathing on the outside with sheathing paper that may be either asphalt‑saturated felt weighing not less than 15 pounds per 108 square feet or any other impregnated paper with equivalent water‑repellent properties but which will not act as a vapor barrier. Starting at the bottom of the wall, the sheathing paper should be applied by lapping it 4 inches at horizontal joints and 6 inches at vertical joints. Then, strips of sheathing paper about 6 inches wide should be installed behind all exterior trim and around all openings.
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Diligent
Inspection Services