The poor and scandalous quality of construction in South Florida
# Entrepreneur of the Week Kobi Barban # Post 3
After conducting hundreds of home inspections in South Florida my professional conclusion is that the quality of construction is poor, unsafe and does not meet the extreme weather conditions prevailing here. The new high-rises are not included in the definition of poor construction quality.
Main examples:
A. Roofs (flat / sloping) - The roof is part of the largest structure exposed to weather damage. Unlike in Israel, Florida (except for new high-rises) has no concrete roofs !. The roofs (funny to call them roofs) are wooden surfaces with a thickness of 15 cm! With sealing means (I will not go into details here). Their mechanical strength and ability to withstand minimal water and wind loads, and their functional life is short. This is the reason why insurance companies now place as a condition for the sale / renewal of any replacement roof replacement (flat / sloping with tile cover or shingles asphalt cover) that is only over XNUMX years old!
Inspections of dozens of roofs of new apartment buildings (flat roofs) showed defects in the sealing layer and clogged roof drains. In this situation, during heavy rains, water accumulates and loads the fragile roofs in the first place at an unplanned load and at a given moment the roofs collapse inwards. Evacuating tenants due to collapsing ceilings or being unsafe residential buildings is commonplace here.
B. Tiled roofs. Countless tests have been observed by cracked concrete shingles. Also on relatively new tiled roofs aged 12-10 years.
third. Attic - Planning and building attics especially in old houses is contrary to all good architectural rules.
1. There is no head height and access to all parts of the attic and therefore maintenance and repairs of the various installed systems cannot be performed. 2. There are no vents in the roof walls or mechanical ventilation. In almost 100% of the attics (and I checked hundreds) the temperatures and humidity were so high that it was impossible to stay in the attic for more than two minutes. In most attics, a mold / mildew phenomenon was observed due to condensation formed in the absence of adequate ventilation and removal of moisture. The above temperatures and humidity weaken the roof construction made of thin wooden beams and significantly increase the cost of air conditioning the house.
D. Foundation - a cast concrete surface on the ground (thickness only about 15-20 cm) and on which the skeleton is placed. Since Florida soil is soaked in water, salinity and minerals it is unstable, hence the settlements of the concrete surfaces and consequent constructive cracks in the walls of the building, damage to flooring and cladding, and other hard and complex damages.
God. Skeletal strength and stability - made of concrete blocks and in contrast to the construction method in Israel, there are no concrete belts above and below the door openings along the entire length of the walls (and between columns), and there is no concrete ceiling. The result is a weak and weakened skeleton.
and. Metal sewer pipes (in houses built before 1975-1980) - rusting and collapsing (due to moisture and salinity conditions) right now.
P. Construction without permits - a difficult and common phenomenon. Construction carried out by unregistered contractors, not according to the Building Code, without a design that has been inspected and approved by the municipality, and without an inspection of the works during them and their completion by the municipal inspectors.
Important recommendation! These are essential issues that must be examined before purchase solely by an architect or building engineer who specializes in home inspection.
In the next post on: Building insurance including flood damage. Insurance reports. Costs and how they can be reduced.
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