InspectAPedia ^®

How to Inspect, Diagnose, & Repair Problems in Building Interiors
InteriorAPedia ^©

• How to inspect, diagnose, repair problems in building interiors; determine building age.
• Asbestos & other insulation hazards in buildings
• Attic condensation & attic mold problems, solutions
• Basement & crawl space leaks, moisture, water entry causes & cures
• Fireplaces, woodstoves, chimneys
• Floods in buildings, what to do
• Floor, wall, ceiling inspection, diagnosis, repairs: stains, leaks, cracks, materials
• Ice dam leak causes and ice dam prevention
• Indoor humidity & moisture level management indoors
• Insulation & Heat Loss Inspection Guide
• Mold inspection, detection, removal, prevention, testing
• Sears & other kit houses: identify, preserve, document
• Stain and Thermal Tracking Diagnosis on Walls, Ceilings, Carpets
• Windows, doors, storm window/doors: inspect, diagnose, repair, replace

This website discusses how to inspect, diagnose problems in, and repair building interiors, including building insulation & leaks or moisture control. Information is provided about visual clues of building condition, such as evidence of a history of leaks, as well as evidence of hazardous materials and conditions such as the probable presence of animal allergens, asbestos, or mold.

We discuss how to identify and correct various building leaks, moisture, and venting problems such as ice dams, blocked attic ventilation, excessive indoor humidity, how to prevent indoor mold, and how to respond to building floods and similar emergencies. Stair and railing inspection and trip hazards are discussed. Special types of building inspection are discussed including the inspection of mobile homes and Sears & Roebuck Kit Houses. In the photo at above left, there really was grass growing inside this building. The photo of this unusual condition was taken through the entry door.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Interiors: Defect Recognition, Repair, Prevention for Building Interiors, Insulation & Ventilation

This list of articles addresses building interior inspection and defects such as how to determine how old a building is, how to look for evidence of animal or other allergens, how to find visual clues of the presence of asbestos in buildings or of amateur and improper asbestos removal, steps to prevent basement water entry or how to correct building leaks, chimney inspections, dealing with flooded buildings, building rot, and other topics that affect the building interior.

• AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine How to Determine the Age of a Building from Visual or Documentary Clues, identity of various building materials, construction framing styles, foundation design, and general architecture.
• Animal Allergens: Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Cleanup & Prevention Information for Asthmatics and regarding Indoor Air Quality.
• Animal odors in buildings - how to find and remove animal odors, pet urine odors, etc.
• Asbestos: visual identification of asbestos-suspect materials in Buildings - a photo guide
• ATTIC CONDENSATION CAUSE & CURE and Ice Dam Leaks - Detection and Correcting Venting and Condensation Problems in Buildings
• Building water entry: what the basement waterproofing companies don't tell you? Water entry prevention and repair suggestions.
• BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION - how to measure air leaks, equivalent leakage area (ELA), and air changes per hour (ACH) in a building
• Brick Lined Wall Cavities in Wood Framed Homes - Brick Nogging and What it Means to a Home Buyer or Home Owner
• Carpet Mold Inspection how to look for mold in carpets
• Carpet Mold Test Guide suggestions for alternative methods to test carpeting for mold
  
  
• Ceilings: see How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos
• Chimneys fire hazards, heating flues, woodstoves, coal stoves, & fireplaces: chimney inspection, defects, safety concerns, repair methods
  
  
• Electrical inspection for home buyers; identifying and fixing electrical hazards in homes: aluminum wiring, Federal Pacific FPE Stab-Lok panels, mis-wired circuits, fire and shock hazards
• Environmental hazards: allergens, EMF, lead paint, lead in water, leaks, moisture, venting, mold-contamination, MVOCs, radon, toxic gases
  
  
• Fiberglass Building insulation: are fiberglass particles a problem in indoor air? Is fiberglass insulation a mold harbor
• FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP A Guide to Mold Cleanup Procedures
• Floods in Buildings & interior water damage cleanup, prevention, testing quick steps to prevent mold contamination
  
  
• Flooring Types & Defects - inspection, diagnosis, repair, and installation tips for resilient flooring, vinyl and asphalt floor tiles, wood flooring, tile floors, carpeting in buildings
  
  
• Heat Loss in Buildings, how to determine and calculate heat loss from a building (or heat gain in a cooling climate), how to evaluate building insulation, & how to insulate buildings
• Humidity: How Low Should You Keep Indoor Humidity to Avoid a Mold Problem
  
  
• INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE - how to identify various building insulation products
• INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT: Insulation in Buildings: Identification, R-values, Heat loss, Insulation Types, Insulation Characteristics
• Asbestos pipe insulation in buildings
• Brick "Insulation" in Building Walls
• HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS, Insulation Properties, Definitions of R, K, U values, Insulation Design
• How to Choose an Air Conditioner - BTU Chart
• How to Detect and Correct Attic Condensation & Prevent Ice Dam Leaks in Buildings
• How to Inspect Building Interiors and Building Insulation/Ventilation list of articles about building insulation inspection, defects, design, and ventilation requirements
• Insulation Materials as Indicators of Building Age
• Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
• Insulation Identification Photographs - Fiberglass insulating photos, yellow, pink, green, white fiberglass identification in building attics, walls, ducts, other locations
• Insulation Identification Photographs - Cellulose insulation photos, Mineral wool insulation photos, rock wool insulation photos, cotton insulation photos, balsam wool insulation photos
• Insulation Identification Photographs - Vermiculite insulation photos
• Insulation Properties, Table of R-Values, density, moisture permeability, fire safety, aging effects on various insulation materials
• Insulation Values of Log Home Walls - discusses the insulation value of solid log wall homes compared with other structures, and it explains the principal errors people make when evaluating the cause of chilly log cabins.
• LP or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot
• Mold in Fiberglass in Insulation
• Mold in Carpeting how to look for mold in carpets
• Moldy Carpeting Tests suggestions for alternative methods to test carpeting for mold
• Rated Cooling Capacity - How to Determine Air Conditioning Equipment Rated Cooling Capacity
• Radiant Heat Floor Mistakes to Avoid case history of improper placement of slab insulation and radiant heat tubing
• ROT, TIMBER FRAME - how moisture, vapor barrier, & insulation may conspire to rot a building
• Thermal Tracking thermal bridging & air leak stains in buildings or on building insulation
• Un-Vented Roof Solutions - How to Prevent Attic Condensation, Ice Dam Leaks, Roof Mold, & Roof Structural Damage in Buildings with Un-vented Roof Cavities
• VAPOR BARRIERS
• VENTILATION in BUILDINGS - list of key articles on building ventilation
    Air Bypass Leaks, Thermal Tracking
    ATTIC CONDENSATION CAUSE & CURE
    BATHROOM VENTILATION
    Blocked Soffit Intake Vents
    CATHEDRAL CEILING INSULATION
    CRAWL SPACE VENTING & Dryout Procedures
    Heat Tapes: Use on Roofs for Ice
    Inspect Attics for Moisture or Mold
    Inspect Basements for Moisture or Mold
    Inspect Building Exterior for Moisture Problems
    Inspect the Ridge Vent System from the Attic
    Inspect the Soffit Vent System from the Attic
    BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION
    HEAT LOSS: How to Calculate Heat Loss in a Building
    HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
    HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET
    ICE DAM PREVENTION
    MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS
    Crawl Space Ventilation
    MOISTURE PROBLEMS: CAUSE & CURE
    Roof Ventilation
      Roof Venting: Intake - Outlet Area Ratios
      Roof Venting: Proper Locations
      Roof Venting: Both Ridge & Eaves Venting Needed
      Roof Venting: Soffit Intake Vent-Continuous
      Roof Venting: Un-Vented Roof Solutions
    Soffit Ventilation
    HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
  

• Vermiculite Building Insulation & Asbestos
  
  
• Ice Dam Leaks in building attics and roof cavities, how to inspect for evidence of leaks, identify causes, and correct bad attic ventilation, improper roof venting, and these causes of attic mold or roof structure damage
  
  
• Mobile Home Inspections common defects unique to factory built housing, inspection methods
  
  
• Mold Cleanup, How to clean or remove mold in buildings
• Mold Resistant Drywall is mold-resistant or "mold proof" Sheetrock^R from US Gypsum or Georgia Pacific worth it?
• Mold Prevention: Avoiding Mold Problems in Buildings by Using Mold-resistant Construction Products & Practices
• Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold, mold action plan, valid and invalid test methods, mold remediation
• ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE - how to identify and remove all kinds of odors in buildings
• Rot, fungus, termites, carpenter ants, powder post beetles, & other wood destroying organisms
• SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS - principles of sound transmission, soundproofing designs, materials, details
• Stain Diagnosis on Indoor Surfaces, how to diagnose stains on walls, floors, carpets, and how to determine the stain source
• Stairways: Stair, Railing, Landing Safety Inspections, stair codes, stair design, stair hazards, stair inspection checklist
• Thermal Tracking & Stains how to recognize thermal tracking or thermal bridging & how to diagnose Stains on Ceilings & Walls, Building Air Leaks & Insulation Defects, as well as other indoor air quality or building concerns
•   WINTERIZE A BUILDING - how to protect a building and its plumbing and mechanical systems from freeze damage, how to shut down a building to minimize damage; how to de-winterize a building.

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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Links to our list of additional information sources: Interior Defects in Buildings

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

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