GENERAL55421 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Memo to McCaaaoa Tatum Residence Iaspectioa Pa4e 2 The ground level first story evidences extensive structural. cracking. Cracks exist in the interior plaster covering the adobe structural walls. Cracks generally originate 1 to 3 feet off the floor and continue vertically to the ceiling. All the cracks observed on the first floor (approximately twenty) occur in room corners or on interior walls or protrusions from walls, such as the fireplace or the arch separating the living room sections. All cracks on the main floor open upward. Cracks are hairline at the bottom terminus to as much as 3/16" at the ceiling. In the dining room the floor appears to have pulled away from the outside south wall by approximately 1/4^. Some smaller hairline cracks exist below the window sills, but appear related to water leakage along the window casements rather than structural distortion. The partial second story also exhibits extensive cracking (approximately a dozen cracks). All but one of the second story cracks exhibit the same orientation as those on the first floor, opening upward. The second story cracks originate at the floor and continue to the ceiling. Cracks are commonly 1/16 to 1/8" wide near the floor opening to 1/8" to 3/16" near the ceiling. The one exception is a crack in the corner of the bathroom where the interior wall attaches to the exterior south wall of the structure. This crack appears to be 1/16" wide near the ceiling and 3/16" wide near the floor. In the southeastern corner of the second story considerable water leakage has occurred, probably because of the cracking, resulting in extensive damage to the plaster on the interior of the adobe wall. The exterior stucco layer also exhibits extensive distress and cracking, I assume from the same leakage. The partial basement is a concrete walled and floored basement with a cosmetic surface plaster coating. The 12 foot by 25 foot partial basement is flush with the west end of the overlying ground floor. A sump penetrates the slab adjacent to the east wall, the interior wall of the partial•basement. The water level in the approximately 18" deep sump stands about flush with the bottom of the floor slab. The sump pump was removed in about 1990, when a gravity drain pipe was installed. According to Mr. Tatum, this drain pipe exits the north wall of the basement and daylights approximately 200' from the structure on the Purgatoire valley floor. The gravity drain was installed to avoid the occasional floor flooding which resulted from electrical power interruption. I could not detect any structural cracking in the walls or concrete slab floor of the partial basement. The cosmetic plaster coating applied to the walls also exhibited no cracking or separation from the underlying wall. Several 4"x4" posts had been blocked in place beneath floor joists. Mr. Tatum commented that these were placed to eliminate squeaks in the overlying ground story floor.