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Chairman's Message — If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem… Anonymous In case you haven’t gotten it - CREIA wants your opinions, ideas and assistance to become all that we can be. CREIA Membership Committee has begun a state wide Membership Drive (for latest details click here members). The following are some prominent reasons why. As in previous downturned real estate markets many individuals have left the distressed construction trades and other professions to hang out a “Home Inspector” shingle. Inspectors that may be advertising “We meet and exceed CREIA Standards of Practice”. Many of us have found or heard of inspections being performed in “…half the time and for much less than you are charging. Why is that? There are too many Inspectors, throughout the State of California, that are not conducting a reasonably prudent inspection to a professional standard of care. Whether we want to admit it or not these inspectors are part of our competition. You may like to think that they are not, yet these individuals and their work product shapes the public and Realtor opinions about our profession. Some one told me today they have been seeing TV ads “You too can become a Home Inspector…" Why not, what could be so difficult with using a check list inspection report that practically guides one through an inspection? Unfortunately once an Inspector is conducting 20, 30, 40 plus inspections a month generating. How else could they be doing so many inspections for people that say they are the best if they weren’t good? No one becomes a good inspector quickly or by themselves. In my humble opinion, CREIA Members have lost market share and its time to take it back. Do you remember the first few CREIA Meetings you attended? I for one know I was a bit terrified. I had been in the inspection business for a few years longer than most (according to our most recent survey) before coming to my first CREIA Meeting. I had conducted well over a thousand inspections with a franchise company. Coming from a construction background I felt reasonably confident, before I entered the meeting. What a wake up call that was! I couldn’t believe how many things I wasn’t reporting on. I was verbally corrected by Bob Reeds and Peter Walker in front of the group. Having survived the ego shrivel I began an appreciation for CREIA which 17 years later I am writing to you about. This is one of the many reasons I will continue to say that I owe more than I could ever repay to our Association and Membership. For these reasons and more CREIA’s Membership Committee is asking you all to collect and submit the names and contact information for all Home and Real Estate Inspectors in your area. Our goal is to reach every practicing inspector in California with an invite to join us in our chapter meetings, chapter toolbox education and CREIA Road Show Educational Events. We will be sending them a few eNews also for them to get a real sense of what we are about. We are incentivizing Chapters and Individual CREIA Members to be apart of this drive. Chapter Officers and Members shall welcome our guests in a friendly and open manner. If you and your chapter are not having some good laughs and fun then something isn’t right. Who else is going to laugh at our jokes? With all that which may be wrong, there is still far more right about our Association. As hard as times have been we are very fortunate to be in our chosen profession. Our association with each other, within CREIA is something to be very grateful about. As always, I welcome any thoughts and feedback you have. I am truly honored to be writing this message. Bill Parker, CREIA BOD Chairman
This Issue ... CREIA Membership Drive Update (Members Only) Technical Article - Expansive Soils Versus Soil Settlement Off the Net - CREIA Inspector Finder Changing? Photos - Casey, O'Malley & Associates (COA) Las Vegas Convention
CHINESE DRYWALL UPDATE WHY WAS MY HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE CLAIM DENIED? While most homeowners’ insurance policies provide dwelling coverage on an all-risk basis, property insurers contend that coverage for Chinese drywall is precluded because of various exclusions contained in their policies. The most common exclusion relied upon concerns pollution - that is any loss caused by the discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape of pollutants (which term is usually defined to include any solid, liquid, gaseous or thermal irritant or contaminant) is excluded. However, the release of sulfur gases in an indoor environment (such as your home) arguably does not constitute the type of traditional environmental pollution contemplated by this exclusion. For this reason, along with several others, the pollution exclusion may not apply to losses caused by Chinese drywall. There are numerous other exclusions often relied upon by property insurers, including losses caused by faulty or defective construction or defective materials used in construction. Here too, there are reasons why these exclusions may not apply. While the courts have not yet decided these insurance coverage issues, it is important to bear in mind that it is the insurer, not the homeowner, who has the burden of proving the applicability of an exclusion and that any ambiguity will be interpreted against the insurer. Many homeowners ask whether they should file a claim with their property insurer even though it is a foregone conclusion that their claim will be denied. First, it is not a foregone conclusion as briefly discussed above. Second, without a timely claim, homeowners could lose their rights should the courts determine that Chinese drywall claims are covered. Check your policy regarding reporting requirements and consult an attorney to discuss your particular insurance policy. FEDERAL CHINESE DRYWALL LITIGATION UPDATE All Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal court have been consolidated for pre-trial and discovery purposes in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under Judge Eldon E. Fallon. In Re: Chinese Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2047. The consolidation of cases will enable a much quicker resolution of all cases, reduce litigation expenses, and help ensure consistent rulings. Towards this end, a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”) and Defendants’ Steering Committee (“DSC”) have been created, which will be responsible for such things as pre-trial motions, property inspections, profile forms, preservation of evidence, state/federal coordination and discovery. Inspections: On August 27, 2009, the Court entered a Threshold Inspection Protocol (TIP) to accomplish early property inspections and to facilitate prompt and efficient case management. The purpose of the TIP is to determine whether the property contains Chinese drywall and, if so to: Discovery: The PSC is in the process of drafting a master set of discovery to be served upon the Defendants, which shall be handled on an expedited basis. Trial: Recognizing the need for homeowners to get relief as soon as possible, Judge Fallon has fast-tracked the cases. Each side is permitted to initially select ten cases in which to conduct discovery. Each side will then select five cases for trial to begin at the end of this year. Each side will have two (2) vetoes so that six (6) cases remain. Five cases will be tried with one standby. These test cases should establish liability and set the framework for all remaining cases. TO REMEDIATE OR NOT TO REMEDIATE As there is no approved remediation protocol at this time and, indeed, some “remediated” homes remain reactive and/or problematic, homeowners should think twice before removing any tainted drywall as doing so may not solve your problem and could create an impediment to recovery (i.e., the Defendants will presumably argue spoliation of evidence). At a minimum, please consult with an attorney before attempting any remediation, whether on your own or in cooperation with your builder. Visit www.chinesedrywall.com to learn more about Chinese drywall. Please send your questions, comments or feedback to: help@chinesedrywall.com
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
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Chairman's Message — If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem… Anonymous In case you haven’t gotten it - CREIA wants your opinions, ideas and assistance to become all that we can be. CREIA Membership Committee has begun a state wide Membership Drive (for latest details click here members). The following are some prominent reasons why. As in previous downturned real estate markets many individuals have left the distressed construction trades and other professions to hang out a “Home Inspector” shingle. Inspectors that may be advertising “We meet and exceed CREIA Standards of Practice”. Many of us have found or heard of inspections being performed in “…half the time and for much less than you are charging. Why is that? There are too many Inspectors, throughout the State of California, that are not conducting a reasonably prudent inspection to a professional standard of care. Whether we want to admit it or not these inspectors are part of our competition. You may like to think that they are not, yet these individuals and their work product shapes the public and Realtor opinions about our profession. Some one told me today they have been seeing TV ads “You too can become a Home Inspector…" Why not, what could be so difficult with using a check list inspection report that practically guides one through an inspection? Unfortunately once an Inspector is conducting 20, 30, 40 plus inspections a month generating. How else could they be doing so many inspections for people that say they are the best if they weren’t good? No one becomes a good inspector quickly or by themselves. In my humble opinion, CREIA Members have lost market share and its time to take it back. Do you remember the first few CREIA Meetings you attended? I for one know I was a bit terrified. I had been in the inspection business for a few years longer than most (according to our most recent survey) before coming to my first CREIA Meeting. I had conducted well over a thousand inspections with a franchise company. Coming from a construction background I felt reasonably confident, before I entered the meeting. What a wake up call that was! I couldn’t believe how many things I wasn’t reporting on. I was verbally corrected by Bob Reeds and Peter Walker in front of the group. Having survived the ego shrivel I began an appreciation for CREIA which 17 years later I am writing to you about. This is one of the many reasons I will continue to say that I owe more than I could ever repay to our Association and Membership. For these reasons and more CREIA’s Membership Committee is asking you all to collect and submit the names and contact information for all Home and Real Estate Inspectors in your area. Our goal is to reach every practicing inspector in California with an invite to join us in our chapter meetings, chapter toolbox education and CREIA Road Show Educational Events. We will be sending them a few eNews also for them to get a real sense of what we are about. We are incentivizing Chapters and Individual CREIA Members to be apart of this drive. Chapter Officers and Members shall welcome our guests in a friendly and open manner. If you and your chapter are not having some good laughs and fun then something isn’t right. Who else is going to laugh at our jokes? With all that which may be wrong, there is still far more right about our Association. As hard as times have been we are very fortunate to be in our chosen profession. Our association with each other, within CREIA is something to be very grateful about. As always, I welcome any thoughts and feedback you have. I am truly honored to be writing this message. Bill Parker, CREIA BOD Chairman
This Issue ... CREIA Membership Drive Update (Members Only) Technical Article - Expansive Soils Versus Soil Settlement Off the Net - CREIA Inspector Finder Changing? Photos - Casey, O'Malley & Associates (COA) Las Vegas Convention
CHINESE DRYWALL UPDATE WHY WAS MY HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE CLAIM DENIED? While most homeowners’ insurance policies provide dwelling coverage on an all-risk basis, property insurers contend that coverage for Chinese drywall is precluded because of various exclusions contained in their policies. The most common exclusion relied upon concerns pollution - that is any loss caused by the discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape of pollutants (which term is usually defined to include any solid, liquid, gaseous or thermal irritant or contaminant) is excluded. However, the release of sulfur gases in an indoor environment (such as your home) arguably does not constitute the type of traditional environmental pollution contemplated by this exclusion. For this reason, along with several others, the pollution exclusion may not apply to losses caused by Chinese drywall. There are numerous other exclusions often relied upon by property insurers, including losses caused by faulty or defective construction or defective materials used in construction. Here too, there are reasons why these exclusions may not apply. While the courts have not yet decided these insurance coverage issues, it is important to bear in mind that it is the insurer, not the homeowner, who has the burden of proving the applicability of an exclusion and that any ambiguity will be interpreted against the insurer. Many homeowners ask whether they should file a claim with their property insurer even though it is a foregone conclusion that their claim will be denied. First, it is not a foregone conclusion as briefly discussed above. Second, without a timely claim, homeowners could lose their rights should the courts determine that Chinese drywall claims are covered. Check your policy regarding reporting requirements and consult an attorney to discuss your particular insurance policy. FEDERAL CHINESE DRYWALL LITIGATION UPDATE All Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal court have been consolidated for pre-trial and discovery purposes in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under Judge Eldon E. Fallon. In Re: Chinese Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2047. The consolidation of cases will enable a much quicker resolution of all cases, reduce litigation expenses, and help ensure consistent rulings. Towards this end, a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”) and Defendants’ Steering Committee (“DSC”) have been created, which will be responsible for such things as pre-trial motions, property inspections, profile forms, preservation of evidence, state/federal coordination and discovery. Inspections: On August 27, 2009, the Court entered a Threshold Inspection Protocol (TIP) to accomplish early property inspections and to facilitate prompt and efficient case management. The purpose of the TIP is to determine whether the property contains Chinese drywall and, if so to: Discovery: The PSC is in the process of drafting a master set of discovery to be served upon the Defendants, which shall be handled on an expedited basis. Trial: Recognizing the need for homeowners to get relief as soon as possible, Judge Fallon has fast-tracked the cases. Each side is permitted to initially select ten cases in which to conduct discovery. Each side will then select five cases for trial to begin at the end of this year. Each side will have two (2) vetoes so that six (6) cases remain. Five cases will be tried with one standby. These test cases should establish liability and set the framework for all remaining cases. TO REMEDIATE OR NOT TO REMEDIATE As there is no approved remediation protocol at this time and, indeed, some “remediated” homes remain reactive and/or problematic, homeowners should think twice before removing any tainted drywall as doing so may not solve your problem and could create an impediment to recovery (i.e., the Defendants will presumably argue spoliation of evidence). At a minimum, please consult with an attorney before attempting any remediation, whether on your own or in cooperation with your builder. Visit www.chinesedrywall.com to learn more about Chinese drywall. Please send your questions, comments or feedback to: help@chinesedrywall.com
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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Ethics- Maintaining Good Ethics in a Lousy Economy I began my inspection career in the early 90’s during an economic downturn. I didn’t know that at the time. I must admit I did not watch much news on TV and the purpose of the newspaper was to keep up with the 49ers (sorry Raiders fans) and to line our birdcage. Somehow, I did not get the memo that there was an economic downturn. I just knew I had a wife and two kids and failure was not an option. My concept of marketing was little more than driving a shopping cart in Safeway. Market was someplace you go to…so marketing must be something you do at the market. Okay, so I wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box. Over the last couple of years marketing (the for real kind) has become a subject I have become quite interested in. Part out of necessity (I got the memo this time around.), and part as kind of a hobby. As I have traveled to different parts of the country and interacted with other home inspectors I have discovered that there is a tension between business and marketing. Some of the tension is due to the location of your business. For example there are marketing practices inspectors use in some other states that California inspectors can’t use. There are states where inspectors can give gifts to Realtors® in the hope of getting business. There are states where inspectors can receive third party compensation for the referral of business to Realtors®. Practices such as these violate the California Business and Professions Code as well as the CREIA Code of Ethics. In California, practices such as these are viewed as creating conflicts of interest. The CREIA Code of Ethics states, “Home inspectors shall not…offer or deliver any compensation, inducement or reward to the owner of the inspected property, the broker, or agent, for the referral of any business to the inspector or the inspection company, or for inclusion on a list of recommended inspectors, preferred providers, or similar arrangements. “ Simply put you can’t give stuff to the owner, broker or agent for the referral of business. That is considered to create a “conflict of interest” or activity that will “compromise, or appear to compromise, professional independence, objectivity, or inspection integrity”. On occasion I am asked, “Can I give stuff to clients?” A marketing practice which is becoming popular across the country is the use of coupons. All kinds of coupons….. gas coupons, grocery coupons, airline coupons, travel coupons and restaurant coupons. Generally, the inspector buys the coupons in bulk at a steep discount and offers them to the client as a thank you for the clients business. Let’s take the restaurant coupon as an example. The inspector buys a block of coupons for a particular restaurant. The inspector gives a coupon to the client. The client has a dinner at the restaurant. The client enjoys his or her dinner and is likely to eat there in the future and refer the restaurant to his friends. If everything goes well, the client is happy, the restaurant is happy. Everyone is happy :-). Does that practice violate the Code of Ethics? It would clearly violate the Code of Ethics to give the coupon to the owner of the inspected property, broker or Realtor®. That would be delivering compensation or reward for the referral of business. But, what about the client? Would it be a violation to give the coupon to the client? Yes and no (spoken like a true home inspector.) What does the Code of Ethics say? “Home inspectors shall not…..Accept compensation, directly or indirectly, for recommending contractors, services, or products to inspection clients.” It would violate the Code of Ethics for the inspector to sell the coupon to the client. The inspector cannot receive any compensation for the coupon. The coupon would have to be a gift, a thank you to the client. If the inspector receives any compensation it would violate the Code of Ethics. If the inspector gives the coupon to the client it would not violate the Code of Ethics. Lest you think I am suggesting we all get in the coupon business, there is another factor to consider…the business side of equation. An inspector needs to strike a balance between his business needs and his marketing needs. The obvious example is inspection pricing. Jerry McCarthy recently sent me an email about an inspector who was charging a very low price for inspections. That is great marketing, but it is a few crayons short of a full box on the business side of the equation. The inspector may be doing a lot of inspections but will likely be unable to keep the business going in the long term. (I would suggest that an exorbitant price may not make good business sense either. The law of supply and demand applies to the home inspection industry as well.) The inspector needs to ask two questions before embarking on any marketing campaign. First, is it ethical? Does this marketing campaign follow the letter and the spirit of the CREIA Code of Ethics? Second, does this marketing campaign make business sense? An inspector must always hold his marketing dollars accountable. What is the return on the investment? If an inspector spends a dollar on marketing how many dollars (plural) will the inspector earn from that dollar investment? If it is ethical and makes business sense, I wish you well. Submitted byDavid Pace, CREIA MCI, Ethics Chair
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
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Ethics- Maintaining Good Ethics in a Lousy Economy I began my inspection career in the early 90’s during an economic downturn. I didn’t know that at the time. I must admit I did not watch much news on TV and the purpose of the newspaper was to keep up with the 49ers (sorry Raiders fans) and to line our birdcage. Somehow, I did not get the memo that there was an economic downturn. I just knew I had a wife and two kids and failure was not an option. My concept of marketing was little more than driving a shopping cart in Safeway. Market was someplace you go to…so marketing must be something you do at the market. Okay, so I wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box. Over the last couple of years marketing (the for real kind) has become a subject I have become quite interested in. Part out of necessity (I got the memo this time around.), and part as kind of a hobby. As I have traveled to different parts of the country and interacted with other home inspectors I have discovered that there is a tension between business and marketing. Some of the tension is due to the location of your business. For example there are marketing practices inspectors use in some other states that California inspectors can’t use. There are states where inspectors can give gifts to Realtors® in the hope of getting business. There are states where inspectors can receive third party compensation for the referral of business to Realtors®. Practices such as these violate the California Business and Professions Code as well as the CREIA Code of Ethics. In California, practices such as these are viewed as creating conflicts of interest. The CREIA Code of Ethics states, “Home inspectors shall not…offer or deliver any compensation, inducement or reward to the owner of the inspected property, the broker, or agent, for the referral of any business to the inspector or the inspection company, or for inclusion on a list of recommended inspectors, preferred providers, or similar arrangements. “ Simply put you can’t give stuff to the owner, broker or agent for the referral of business. That is considered to create a “conflict of interest” or activity that will “compromise, or appear to compromise, professional independence, objectivity, or inspection integrity”. On occasion I am asked, “Can I give stuff to clients?” A marketing practice which is becoming popular across the country is the use of coupons. All kinds of coupons….. gas coupons, grocery coupons, airline coupons, travel coupons and restaurant coupons. Generally, the inspector buys the coupons in bulk at a steep discount and offers them to the client as a thank you for the clients business. Let’s take the restaurant coupon as an example. The inspector buys a block of coupons for a particular restaurant. The inspector gives a coupon to the client. The client has a dinner at the restaurant. The client enjoys his or her dinner and is likely to eat there in the future and refer the restaurant to his friends. If everything goes well, the client is happy, the restaurant is happy. Everyone is happy :-). Does that practice violate the Code of Ethics? It would clearly violate the Code of Ethics to give the coupon to the owner of the inspected property, broker or Realtor®. That would be delivering compensation or reward for the referral of business. But, what about the client? Would it be a violation to give the coupon to the client? Yes and no (spoken like a true home inspector.) What does the Code of Ethics say? “Home inspectors shall not…..Accept compensation, directly or indirectly, for recommending contractors, services, or products to inspection clients.” It would violate the Code of Ethics for the inspector to sell the coupon to the client. The inspector cannot receive any compensation for the coupon. The coupon would have to be a gift, a thank you to the client. If the inspector receives any compensation it would violate the Code of Ethics. If the inspector gives the coupon to the client it would not violate the Code of Ethics. Lest you think I am suggesting we all get in the coupon business, there is another factor to consider…the business side of equation. An inspector needs to strike a balance between his business needs and his marketing needs. The obvious example is inspection pricing. Jerry McCarthy recently sent me an email about an inspector who was charging a very low price for inspections. That is great marketing, but it is a few crayons short of a full box on the business side of the equation. The inspector may be doing a lot of inspections but will likely be unable to keep the business going in the long term. (I would suggest that an exorbitant price may not make good business sense either. The law of supply and demand applies to the home inspection industry as well.) The inspector needs to ask two questions before embarking on any marketing campaign. First, is it ethical? Does this marketing campaign follow the letter and the spirit of the CREIA Code of Ethics? Second, does this marketing campaign make business sense? An inspector must always hold his marketing dollars accountable. What is the return on the investment? If an inspector spends a dollar on marketing how many dollars (plural) will the inspector earn from that dollar investment? If it is ethical and makes business sense, I wish you well. Submitted byDavid Pace, CREIA MCI, Ethics Chair
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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Technical Article Few things are consistent across all the properties we will see as inspectors. However, every structure that we inspect rests on mother earth. Just like the people living in these homes, the soil that the dwelling rests upon will vary significantly from property to property. Almost every dwelling we inspect will exhibit some degree of an out of level condition or displacement. Some of this may be the result of the dwelling being built a little out of whack. After all, people built them and as we know, people are not perfect. Most of what we see will be the result of some sort of soil related activity. When we inspect, we are not required to be geotechnical specialists. Nor should we try to pretend to be. What we should be able to do is look at a dwelling in a broader context and make appropriate recommendations to our clients.
Many soil related forces can act on a structure. This discussion will focus on two of the main forces; Expansive Soils and Soil Settlement. The damage caused by these two issues may appear similar and can be easily mistaken for one another. These two issues behave very differently and the remediation required can be significantly different. Expansive Soil Expansive soils are found throughout the world. They are present in every state in the United States. Each year in the US, movement from expansive soils causes billions of dollars in property damage. Expansive soils are found throughout California. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that 1/4 of all dwellings in the United States have some type of damage caused by expansive soils. The annual property financial loss from the action of expansive soils in the US exceeds the loss from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Not all expansive soils have the same swell potential. Soil surveys can provide general information about soils in an area. They are available from the California State Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture, US Geologic Survey (USGS) and several other groups. These maps provide only generalized location and soil conditions. For site-specific information, the soil at the site must be tested.
Even though expansive soils cause enormous amounts of damage, most of our clients have never heard of them and those that have do not fully understand the magnitude of the issue. This is because the damage from expansive soil occurs slowly over time and cannot be easily attributed to a specific event. The damage from expansive soils is often attributed to poor construction practices or the common misconception that all buildings experience this type of damage as they age. Generally speaking, older construction techniques are inadequate to resist the forces imposed by expansive soils. That does not mean that nothing can be done. Properly engineered site drainage, vegetation management and foundation repairs can significantly improve the performance of older dwellings. Modern construction techniques used in foundations in expansive soil areas will generally perform far better than older systems. This is one situation where older is not better. The building codes represent the minimum acceptable standard for construction. Unfortunately, most dwellings are built to these minimum code requirements. Expansive soils are a challenging environment. Dwellings constructed to minimum building code requirements will often have issues over time – it is only a matter of how long it may take them to manifest themselves. A more conservative design up front may cost slightly more, but can significantly enhance the performance of the structure over time. With expansive soils, the swell/contract cycle can continue almost indefinitely. This means that damage from expansive soils will become progressively worse over time. As opposed to soil settlement, where the displacement occurs mainly at the earlier stages of the dwellings life and diminishes over time. The failure modes vary by foundation type (slab on grade or raised perimeter) and site vegetation conditions. Expansive Soil and Raised Perimeter Foundations
Expansive Soil and Slab on Grade Foundations Unrestrained slabs will “walk” or move on the soil. Movement can often be seen where the foundation abuts driveways, masonry/concrete stairs, etc. In areas, you may see gaps develop where the foundation and flatwork drift apart. In other areas the driveway may move vertically as the as they move together. As the soil passes through repetitive wet/dry cycles, moisture tends to accumulate at the center of the slab causing the center of the slab to rise. The same wet/dry cycle action occurs at the edges as is found a raised perimeter foundation. That causes the slab perimeter to drop over time. The combination of forces causes the crowning we often see in failed slab foundations. See the Figures 2 and 3 below.
Site Vegetation and Expansive Soil
Cracking in Exterior Stucco
Soil Settlement Settlement in a dwelling often occurs when the foundation is constructed on unconsolidated soils. Essentially, the soil has “holes” in it. As time passes, the soil particles work closer together. As the soil particles force themselves closer together, the soil becomes more and more dense. As this soil compaction occurs, the foundation will settle with it. Soil compaction results in downward displacement of the dwelling. Settlement is often seen in areas constructed on unconsolidated fill as well as areas with significant amounts of organic debris intermingled with the soil. As long as the settlement is relatively uniform, the structure may actually perform quite well. Settlement can become an issue when the soil is not uniform, such as in cut and fill sites. Any dwelling that straddles an undisturbed soil zone and fill area may see dramatic differential movement. See Figure 6 below.
Soil damage from settlement occurs very differently from that of expansive soils. In improperly compacted soil, we would expect to see most of the settlement occur early in the building lifecycle. As time progresses, the soil becomes more and more dense. The building displacement will in fact decrease over time as the soils become moreand more dense. Finally, the soil will reach a point where it is sufficiently consolidated and then displacement stops. There are several basic forms of soil settlement; differential, uniform and transitional. With differential settlement, the soil is all inadequately consolidated, but in a non-uniform fashion. We may see a dwelling that appears tipped out of level or where the displacement is uneven. This may be the result of the soils compacting at different rates or to different degrees. The damage potential in differential settlement areas would be classified as Intermediate. See Case 1 below. Where the soils are inadequately but uniformly unconsolidated, we may see the whole dwelling sink with little to no evidence of displacement. If a dwelling sinks uniformly, it may be displaced 6”, 12” or more and still have no cracks in the foundation, doors and windows open and close properly. The occupants may be unaware of the displacement and may have no real complaints. There are some properties in my area with bay-fill. The dwellings are built on piers that were engineered for the soil conditions. However, the exterior flatwork, stairs, sewer/water pipe connections were not. In some cases, we see 6”-12” displacement at the exterior stairs. Sewer and water pipes can break due to the stress imposed at the joint between the dwelling and the settled perimeter soil. However, the damage potential to the structure itself in areas with uniformly unconsolidated soils would be classified as Low. See Case 2 below. In areas where the dwelling bridges a consolidated and unconsolidated soil zone the damage potential is generally highest. In transition zones, a portion of the dwelling does not want to move; the other areas show downward displacement. An example of this might be a cut and fill lot. In a transition zone, even relatively small amounts of displacement can create significant cracks in the foundation; doors and windows operation may be noticeably impacted. This can result in the occupants being very aware of even smaller displacement issues. The damage potential to the structure in a transition zone would be classified as High. See Case 3 below.
The World Isn’t Black and White What Does This All Mean? CREIA is fortunate to have people like Abe Simantob, PE, GE, CCI as members. Abe is a frequent contributor on the CREIA Technical Information Exchange and a great resource to all CREIA members. CREIA is also lucky to have inspectors such as Gary Sniffin, CCI with his civil/structural background. If we listen carefully, the dwelling will tell us its story. We need only be diligent observers. If we pay attention to the signs, the dwelling will make the call for us. Special Thanks: To Abe Simantob at L.A. Private Eyes Engineers/Prestige Engineering Inc for always being there to answer and educate his fellow CREIA inspectors on the TIE. Photo/Figure Credits:
A copy of this document is available for free download online at my website, www.PropertyEvaluation.net under the Reference Information tab. Submitted by: Skip Walker
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
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Technical Article Few things are consistent across all the properties we will see as inspectors. However, every structure that we inspect rests on mother earth. Just like the people living in these homes, the soil that the dwelling rests upon will vary significantly from property to property. Almost every dwelling we inspect will exhibit some degree of an out of level condition or displacement. Some of this may be the result of the dwelling being built a little out of whack. After all, people built them and as we know, people are not perfect. Most of what we see will be the result of some sort of soil related activity. When we inspect, we are not required to be geotechnical specialists. Nor should we try to pretend to be. What we should be able to do is look at a dwelling in a broader context and make appropriate recommendations to our clients.
Many soil related forces can act on a structure. This discussion will focus on two of the main forces; Expansive Soils and Soil Settlement. The damage caused by these two issues may appear similar and can be easily mistaken for one another. These two issues behave very differently and the remediation required can be significantly different. Expansive Soil Expansive soils are found throughout the world. They are present in every state in the United States. Each year in the US, movement from expansive soils causes billions of dollars in property damage. Expansive soils are found throughout California. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that 1/4 of all dwellings in the United States have some type of damage caused by expansive soils. The annual property financial loss from the action of expansive soils in the US exceeds the loss from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Not all expansive soils have the same swell potential. Soil surveys can provide general information about soils in an area. They are available from the California State Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture, US Geologic Survey (USGS) and several other groups. These maps provide only generalized location and soil conditions. For site-specific information, the soil at the site must be tested.
Even though expansive soils cause enormous amounts of damage, most of our clients have never heard of them and those that have do not fully understand the magnitude of the issue. This is because the damage from expansive soil occurs slowly over time and cannot be easily attributed to a specific event. The damage from expansive soils is often attributed to poor construction practices or the common misconception that all buildings experience this type of damage as they age. Generally speaking, older construction techniques are inadequate to resist the forces imposed by expansive soils. That does not mean that nothing can be done. Properly engineered site drainage, vegetation management and foundation repairs can significantly improve the performance of older dwellings. Modern construction techniques used in foundations in expansive soil areas will generally perform far better than older systems. This is one situation where older is not better. The building codes represent the minimum acceptable standard for construction. Unfortunately, most dwellings are built to these minimum code requirements. Expansive soils are a challenging environment. Dwellings constructed to minimum building code requirements will often have issues over time – it is only a matter of how long it may take them to manifest themselves. A more conservative design up front may cost slightly more, but can significantly enhance the performance of the structure over time. With expansive soils, the swell/contract cycle can continue almost indefinitely. This means that damage from expansive soils will become progressively worse over time. As opposed to soil settlement, where the displacement occurs mainly at the earlier stages of the dwellings life and diminishes over time. The failure modes vary by foundation type (slab on grade or raised perimeter) and site vegetation conditions. Expansive Soil and Raised Perimeter Foundations
Expansive Soil and Slab on Grade Foundations Unrestrained slabs will “walk” or move on the soil. Movement can often be seen where the foundation abuts driveways, masonry/concrete stairs, etc. In areas, you may see gaps develop where the foundation and flatwork drift apart. In other areas the driveway may move vertically as the as they move together. As the soil passes through repetitive wet/dry cycles, moisture tends to accumulate at the center of the slab causing the center of the slab to rise. The same wet/dry cycle action occurs at the edges as is found a raised perimeter foundation. That causes the slab perimeter to drop over time. The combination of forces causes the crowning we often see in failed slab foundations. See the Figures 2 and 3 below.
Site Vegetation and Expansive Soil
Cracking in Exterior Stucco
Soil Settlement Settlement in a dwelling often occurs when the foundation is constructed on unconsolidated soils. Essentially, the soil has “holes” in it. As time passes, the soil particles work closer together. As the soil particles force themselves closer together, the soil becomes more and more dense. As this soil compaction occurs, the foundation will settle with it. Soil compaction results in downward displacement of the dwelling. Settlement is often seen in areas constructed on unconsolidated fill as well as areas with significant amounts of organic debris intermingled with the soil. As long as the settlement is relatively uniform, the structure may actually perform quite well. Settlement can become an issue when the soil is not uniform, such as in cut and fill sites. Any dwelling that straddles an undisturbed soil zone and fill area may see dramatic differential movement. See Figure 6 below.
Soil damage from settlement occurs very differently from that of expansive soils. In improperly compacted soil, we would expect to see most of the settlement occur early in the building lifecycle. As time progresses, the soil becomes more and more dense. The building displacement will in fact decrease over time as the soils become moreand more dense. Finally, the soil will reach a point where it is sufficiently consolidated and then displacement stops. There are several basic forms of soil settlement; differential, uniform and transitional. With differential settlement, the soil is all inadequately consolidated, but in a non-uniform fashion. We may see a dwelling that appears tipped out of level or where the displacement is uneven. This may be the result of the soils compacting at different rates or to different degrees. The damage potential in differential settlement areas would be classified as Intermediate. See Case 1 below. Where the soils are inadequately but uniformly unconsolidated, we may see the whole dwelling sink with little to no evidence of displacement. If a dwelling sinks uniformly, it may be displaced 6”, 12” or more and still have no cracks in the foundation, doors and windows open and close properly. The occupants may be unaware of the displacement and may have no real complaints. There are some properties in my area with bay-fill. The dwellings are built on piers that were engineered for the soil conditions. However, the exterior flatwork, stairs, sewer/water pipe connections were not. In some cases, we see 6”-12” displacement at the exterior stairs. Sewer and water pipes can break due to the stress imposed at the joint between the dwelling and the settled perimeter soil. However, the damage potential to the structure itself in areas with uniformly unconsolidated soils would be classified as Low. See Case 2 below. In areas where the dwelling bridges a consolidated and unconsolidated soil zone the damage potential is generally highest. In transition zones, a portion of the dwelling does not want to move; the other areas show downward displacement. An example of this might be a cut and fill lot. In a transition zone, even relatively small amounts of displacement can create significant cracks in the foundation; doors and windows operation may be noticeably impacted. This can result in the occupants being very aware of even smaller displacement issues. The damage potential to the structure in a transition zone would be classified as High. See Case 3 below.
The World Isn’t Black and White What Does This All Mean? CREIA is fortunate to have people like Abe Simantob, PE, GE, CCI as members. Abe is a frequent contributor on the CREIA Technical Information Exchange and a great resource to all CREIA members. CREIA is also lucky to have inspectors such as Gary Sniffin, CCI with his civil/structural background. If we listen carefully, the dwelling will tell us its story. We need only be diligent observers. If we pay attention to the signs, the dwelling will make the call for us. Special Thanks: To Abe Simantob at L.A. Private Eyes Engineers/Prestige Engineering Inc for always being there to answer and educate his fellow CREIA inspectors on the TIE. Photo/Figure Credits:
A copy of this document is available for free download online at my website, www.PropertyEvaluation.net under the Reference Information tab. Submitted by: Skip Walker
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Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
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This series of columns is designed to familiarize CREIA members with “The Glossary Project” which is “Standardized Terminology for the Professional Real Estate Inspector”. This is a must have for all inspectors and is especially helpful in preparing the candidate for the CREIA CCI test as most of the terms in the test are defined in The Glossary Project. It is available from shop.CREIA.org.
Click here for the answers (Sorry members only)
Off the Net The following is various excerpts from a discussion on how the "CREIA Inspector Finder" will function in year 2010. This should be required reading for all CCI and MCI members as you look ahead to the new year. Talk to your CREIA leaders and join the conversation. Q: Currently the Inspector Finder is split up into categories based on the chapter area. Anyone know the reason for this? I'm guessing because it was easier? A: For the new site do you think we should continue with these same categories or use counties instead? While counties are rarely used for searches for inspectors, there are a few counties which have the same names as cities and there are some rural parts of California where someone might use a county to search. This would mean we would have better website optimization using counties instead. My guess is that it was done that way since the beginning and no one has ever given any thought as to if it is a good thing or not. Most if not all inspectors do inspections outside of their Chapter area/boundaries. A roster by chapter could still be made available to members. That's kind of what I figured. I'm leaning towards splitting it up by county and then allowing the inspector to choose up to 5 counties that they inspect in. This makes CREIA appear larger as there are more people in each category and it helps the inspectors as they show up in more regions. Then we just randomize the results returned in each county. Five counties may be a little to large in some cases (San Diego, Orange, LA, Riverside, San Bernardino) could result in over 200 inspectors. I currently list 5 counties on my business card. I happen to live in an area on the edge of these areas. I don't know how it would work on the finder section. Yeah it's not hard to live on the edge of all 5 listed. Just live around the 15 and the 91 and you're within 45 minutes of all of them. We could base the listing order on distance from inspectors address to inspection address or we could just limit it down to top 3 counties. Either way it's better than the current 1. It means more links back to the inspector which increases their website ranking and exposure as well. I think in general the distance limitation would be good. I personally don't want to drive 100 miles to an inspection. I agree. If it is distinctly advantageous to do the five counties we should stay open to that parameter. Is there another way we could do this? By zip codes, like the inspector's zip code and all zip codes within a radius of that. It's going to work two ways. The current inspector finder ONLY lists inspectors if they type in a zip code. The problem with this method is that search engines like Google don't enter zip codes into fields so it's impossible for them to index all the pages of inspectors. This is a huge flaw in the current system for Search Engine Optimization (though it's not on a CREIA site anyways so it didn't matter much). The new system will have both. You can search by proximity or search by county. That way the search engines, and potential buyers/sellers could search by county and the buyers/sellers could also use the proximity search as well. I like the way ASHI has the search. It is by geographical regions/areas and the inspector may select which areas to be placed in. Are you talking about the Metro Area search they have on http://www.ashi.org/find/default.aspx? That's the one. And we customize our own and it might work better than a zip code search unless we use only the first 3 numbers of the zip code. Hmm, we could definitely do a two tiered system like that. Any reason you think Metro Area/Neighborhood would be better than Counties? It would allow more refinement, but can we cover as many areas? Some of their Metro Areas are entire states. For CA it looks like they did counties for the most part and then split them up. I can see either way working, both are good for SEO. Question is what does everyone think? "We could base the listing order on distance from inspectors address to inspection address." This will definitely be one of the options. The question is how will we list the directory portion of it which will get everyone indexed on Google and give potential clients another way to view the sites.
Page 4 |
Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
|
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This series of columns is designed to familiarize CREIA members with “The Glossary Project” which is “Standardized Terminology for the Professional Real Estate Inspector”. This is a must have for all inspectors and is especially helpful in preparing the candidate for the CREIA CCI test as most of the terms in the test are defined in The Glossary Project. It is available from shop.CREIA.org.
Click here for the answers (Sorry members only)
Off the Net The following is various excerpts from a discussion on how the "CREIA Inspector Finder" will function in year 2010. This should be required reading for all CCI and MCI members as you look ahead to the new year. Talk to your CREIA leaders and join the conversation. Q: Currently the Inspector Finder is split up into categories based on the chapter area. Anyone know the reason for this? I'm guessing because it was easier? A: For the new site do you think we should continue with these same categories or use counties instead? While counties are rarely used for searches for inspectors, there are a few counties which have the same names as cities and there are some rural parts of California where someone might use a county to search. This would mean we would have better website optimization using counties instead. My guess is that it was done that way since the beginning and no one has ever given any thought as to if it is a good thing or not. Most if not all inspectors do inspections outside of their Chapter area/boundaries. A roster by chapter could still be made available to members. That's kind of what I figured. I'm leaning towards splitting it up by county and then allowing the inspector to choose up to 5 counties that they inspect in. This makes CREIA appear larger as there are more people in each category and it helps the inspectors as they show up in more regions. Then we just randomize the results returned in each county. Five counties may be a little to large in some cases (San Diego, Orange, LA, Riverside, San Bernardino) could result in over 200 inspectors. I currently list 5 counties on my business card. I happen to live in an area on the edge of these areas. I don't know how it would work on the finder section. Yeah it's not hard to live on the edge of all 5 listed. Just live around the 15 and the 91 and you're within 45 minutes of all of them. We could base the listing order on distance from inspectors address to inspection address or we could just limit it down to top 3 counties. Either way it's better than the current 1. It means more links back to the inspector which increases their website ranking and exposure as well. I think in general the distance limitation would be good. I personally don't want to drive 100 miles to an inspection. I agree. If it is distinctly advantageous to do the five counties we should stay open to that parameter. Is there another way we could do this? By zip codes, like the inspector's zip code and all zip codes within a radius of that. It's going to work two ways. The current inspector finder ONLY lists inspectors if they type in a zip code. The problem with this method is that search engines like Google don't enter zip codes into fields so it's impossible for them to index all the pages of inspectors. This is a huge flaw in the current system for Search Engine Optimization (though it's not on a CREIA site anyways so it didn't matter much). The new system will have both. You can search by proximity or search by county. That way the search engines, and potential buyers/sellers could search by county and the buyers/sellers could also use the proximity search as well. I like the way ASHI has the search. It is by geographical regions/areas and the inspector may select which areas to be placed in. Are you talking about the Metro Area search they have on http://www.ashi.org/find/default.aspx? That's the one. And we customize our own and it might work better than a zip code search unless we use only the first 3 numbers of the zip code. Hmm, we could definitely do a two tiered system like that. Any reason you think Metro Area/Neighborhood would be better than Counties? It would allow more refinement, but can we cover as many areas? Some of their Metro Areas are entire states. For CA it looks like they did counties for the most part and then split them up. I can see either way working, both are good for SEO. Question is what does everyone think? "We could base the listing order on distance from inspectors address to inspection address." This will definitely be one of the options. The question is how will we list the directory portion of it which will get everyone indexed on Google and give potential clients another way to view the sites.
Page 4 |
Congratulations! New Candidates Kevin S Smith New CCIs Tom Fasold (6/2009)
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October 2009 | Archives
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Photos from the Casey, O'Malley & Associates (COA) Las Vegas Convention,
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October 2009 | Archives
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Photos from the Casey, O'Malley & Associates (COA) Las Vegas Convention,
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