Stairs look nice as you tumble down them

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Pretty cool stairs. Risers varied by about 1 1/2 ", tread by about the same, tread flat width was about 24", almost bonk your head, but don't grab the handrail.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Looks like giant Lincoln Logs Kenton.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Looks pretty cool Kenton, stop complaining on the riser height, they just could not find trees the same size. ha. ha.

Marcel

[W. Michael Chris]

Kenton, I must say, you get some of the most interesting homes to inspect . . .how cool is that? . . . I'm sure the original owner and architect was more interested in the unique design than risers and treads, handrails, safety, etc, etc, etc.

P.S. Agree with all previous post.

[klott]

Would have looked nicer if they had used pegs instead of nuts and bolts.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by klott

Would have looked nicer if they had used pegs instead of nuts and bolts.

If one is tying to create that Woodsy Log Cabin look, I would have to agree with you Ken.

Although one could throw the book of Codes on this one, I found it kind of cool.

Marcel

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Originally Posted by wchris1

Kenton, I must say, you get some of the most interesting homes to inspect . . .how cool is that? . . . I'm sure the original owner and architect was more interested in the unique design than risers and treads, handrails, safety, etc, etc, etc.

P.S. Agree with all previous post.

Way back in the mountains people tended to do what they wanted. No record of this home at the Bldg. Dept.

Unusual homes are interesting and a challange, but they often take more time, it's often hard to get more money or bid them correctly without seeing them first and the report takes more time because you often don't have prewritten narratives for the wierd things you find. I wrote custom descriptions of 2nd floor overhangs, deck framing and log decay for this one.

I use this narrative for homes like this...

"This property has unique or custom features that sacrifice conventional building standards in order to achieve a particular architectural design. You should examine carefully the balance between safety issues and building esthetics in your consideration of this home."

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by kshepard

"This property has unique or custom features that sacrifice conventional building standards in order to achieve a particular architectural design. You should examine carefully the balance between safety issues and building esthetics in your consideration of this home."

Excellent verbiage.

Don't you just love it when Architects get "creative", designs things that look cool (which this does), but also designs safety and maintenance defects into the house.

I dated a girl whose Father was a well known Chicago Architect and they owned a frank Lyoud Wright house. Looked cool (I like Wrights styling) but the place was a maintenance, heating and cooling nightmare. Windows and doors leaked all the time, practically no flashing at roof intersections and basement flooded every year.

I believe that instead of groups developing national standards for HIs, they should first make sure that every Architectural student spends at least 2 years in a building trade apprenticeship.

Don't you just love it when you have to call out (and JUSTIFY!) Architect designed defects?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by wdecker

Excellent verbiage.

Don't you just love it when Architects get "creative", designs things that look cool (which this does), but also designs safety and maintenance defects into the house.

I dated a girl whose Father was a well known Chicago Architect and they owned a frank Lyoud Wright house. Looked cool (I like Wrights styling) but the place was a maintenance, heating and cooling nightmare. Windows and doors leaked all the time, practically no flashing at roof intersections and basement flooded every year.

I believe that instead of groups developing national standards for HIs, they should first make sure that every Architectural student spends at least 2 years in a building trade apprenticeship.

Don't you just love it when you have to call out (and JUSTIFY!) Architect designed defects?

Will, you are being generous in saying 2 years, I would add 3 more to that so I don't have to deal with re-designing working with an Architect from Pennsylvania on a college building right now.

Steel building with drawings indicating components of the building envelope and it is listed as typical; starting with the interior components.

5/8" drywall

vaporbarrier

6" metal studs

3/4" cdx sheathing

7/8" metal furring

1" cedar siding clapboard.

Hows that.
I guess she plans on me installing Real Cedar clapboard siding on metal furring, trying to create a drainage plane cavity, but seems to have forgot about the weather barrier and copper sill flashing on the concrete wall for venting and venting up at the top of the wall.
Go figure.

Same problem at the roof.

Hunter panels on steel deck vented, but no vents in the soffit detail nor at the ridge.

Getting worse over the years.

Marcel
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[klott]

Marcel, maybe you can use those pegs to fasten that Cedar siding also! If they complain about em being loose, just tell em they,(pegs) will tighten up when it rains.

[klott]

Kenton have you had the pleasure of inspecting a Cord wood cabin yet?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by klott

Marcel, maybe you can use those pegs to fasten that Cedar siding also! If they complain about em being loose, just tell em they,(pegs) will tighten up when it rains.

Funny Ken, but the Architects representative probably would believe that.

When I explained the problem to her, she started asking me what kind of weather barrier I would reccommend, and I said look, it is not up to me to reccommend the products, I will suggest products, but you need to tell me what the design requires.
She said, well we can't switch the metal furring to wood because it exceeds the amount of non rated material for this project.
I said, well eliminate it and use a Cedar Breather behind the clapboard, and she responded, what's that?

I thought to myself, Oh my God.

Go figure.

Marcel

[William J. Decker]

i would say that about 1/3rd of the new construction I see has defects because the Architect designed them in. I see, especially, structural defects in houses (12" OSB I joists spaced 21 to 38 " O.C.) and the contractors show me the plans and the plans call for it.

If an Architect draws it, the villages (usually) OK it and the contractor builds it that way.

Just like the house 2 doors down from me.

Then the buyer sees it, and my call outs, and wonders who to believe, me or the code guys and the builder and the architect.

BUT, in 11 months, when their floor is sagging and soft and like a tramboline, they complain to me.

Being a Home Inspectr is SOOOO much fun

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Originally Posted by klott

Kenton have you had the pleasure of inspecting a Cord wood cabin yet?

No I haven't, Kenneth. Seems like I've heard the term but I'm not even sure what they are. Can you explain? Do you have any pictures?

[klott]

Kenton, I built one on my place, I used 16" pieces of Oak, some round and some split like firewood. You stack it jsut like firewood and use a mortar with a latex additive slow it dries slowly and remains somewhat flexible. In between the inside and outside beads of mortar, you can stuff it with any type insulation or cedar sawdust and shavings as a natural insect repellant. It is really beatiful when you get thru, and it is fast and easy to construct.I am trying to remember the name of the chemical you can dip the ends of the wood in to preserve them, I believe it was Copper napenthate. I had some good pictures and construction diagrams, but I loaned them out and they never came back. You can use cedar for the best results, give plenty of ground clearance and make your overhang wide,(24") and it should last for centuries. It is one of those things like doing stone work, you find the pieces that fit and it is hard to mess up. I might build another small one and take some pictures to post, it really is a neat way to build a home. P.S. For the rafters to have a level surface, I used 8' 1/2" threaded rods every 6' vertically to level the top plate on the walls where the rafters birdsmouth sits. You can use any type wood and any length to make your walls as thick as you like, and plumbing and wiring is no problem either, I used Emt and Pvc, just install it first, then notch you wood around it. It was a lot of fun for me and my wife to do. BTW, I took it apart to move it and ended up using the firewood to keep warm in my TeePee. HA, HA LOL