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Mrs. Ann Tatum <br />March 16, 1995 <br />Page 5 <br />a thin plaster coating on the lower 5 feet of the wall. Looking at the concrete, I don't see any <br />cracks. The sump appears to have been excavated into shale bedrock. <br />Off from the basement there is a utility tunnel that extends toward the east end of the house. <br />It is a small tunnel about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. I went back as far as I could go, which <br />was probably about 2/3 the width of the house. The piping continues in a very minor space <br />that was too small to enter. The subsoils into which this tunnel was excavated consist of a <br />very hard desiccated clay. The east portion of the tunnel is a little deeper than the west <br />portion, and the bottom appears damp, but isn't. There are some salt deposits indicating that <br />from time to time water does collect and evaporate in that particular location. There are very <br />minor vertical shrinkage cracks in the clay, typically hairline to 1 /8" spaced periodically. It <br />would not be passible to tell if there was minor fluctuations in the ground, as these would be <br />taken up in the natural shrinkage cracks that exist. The foundation itself is visible on the <br />south side at several locations. Whether we are looking at the top or the bottom of the <br />foundation, it's hard to tell. The foundation appears to consist of native stones with a mud <br />mortar. If there was slight movement, it would be virtually impossible to observe or detect. <br />The hot water lines have been insulated with a material that may be asbestos containing. We <br />recommend that this material be tested, and if it is ACM, it should be properly abated and <br />replaced with acceptable material. <br />OUTSIDE OBSERVATIONS <br />There are series of cracks, some of which have been painted over in the south wall of the <br />single story residence. Most of these are minor shrinkage cracks. There are cracks off the <br />corners and tops of almost each of the windows. Many of these appear to be quite old. <br />There may have been some minor attempts in the past to patch over a few of these. The <br />appearance of the two-story east end of the south wall, is considerably different. Here, <br />instead of the narrow shrinkage cracks, the cracks begin to open up. This is consistent with <br />the observation made inside that the front wall has moved outward. Also there is possibly <br />some slight bulging of the south wall. Cracks exist under the upper and lower windows, but <br />they are wider and more pronounced, especially under the east end of the second story <br />window. Near the top of the very east end below the roof scupper, some plaster has fallen <br />off. There is a was a crack in excess of 1!4" at the very east end. <br />The front face of the home is fairly free of cracks, but there are some minor cracks off almost <br />each of the window corners. At the northeast corner there is a buttress associated with the <br />inside chimney. There is a large diagonal crack where the plaster and stucco of the buttress <br />ias settled away from the main portion of the house. This particular crack approaches 1 " <br />wide at the top. All the way up the buttress there are a series of primarily horizontal cracks. <br />These are especially noticeable at the north side. There is a chicken wire construction and <br />stucco. <br />Along the north wall at the connection between the one and two-story parts, there is a <br />substantial crack in the upper half of the wall. This would be on the outside of the joint <br />~:b~/"~t~~26018~26018.m~m <br />