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Railings installed in the home today must adhere to modern staircase and railing codes. These guidelines usually refer to the safety barrier along steps, staircase, landing and 2nd floor hallways. Guard rails details are also included in a typical home that pertain to safety railings on landings and open hallways usually installed on the 2nd floor level, porches, screened porches, balconies or other horizontal walking surfaces.
A handrail is a horizontal or sloping rail intended for grasping by the hand for guidance or support. The top of handrails and handrail extensions shall not be placed less than 34” and not more than 38 inches above landings and the nosing of treads. Handrails shall be continuous the full length of the stairs. Ends shall be returned or shall have rounded terminations or bends. Guardrails must be installed with a minimum of 36 inches of height from the floor level.
Even though when purchasing an older house that had used more relaxed stair safety requirements, the need to adhere to up-to-date safety standards using modern codes must not be neglected. As noted during a typical home inspection, this safety requirement is especially true where it pertains to the spacing and condition of the balusters and newel posts used along the main staircase of the house. The general rule is to firmly install balusters and newel posts between the handrail and flooring materials so that a 4” sphere (the head of an infant in this case) cannot pass through the installation.
Newel posts (usually the 4×4 inch posts) must be installed firmly and able to withstand a lateral force of at least 75 lbs. The balusters (installed between the posts) must be installed with no more than 4 inches between each component. Loose or damaged balusters must be replaced or repaired immediately for safety purposes. Wood balusters maydevelope defects fairly esily and should not be relied upon for safety unless inspected periodiclly. They have the tendency of drying out and becoming weak and brittle due to either the lack of humidity in a house or just the lack of quality from the manufacturer.
The common situation that sometimes abruptly surfaces: after doing a Central New Jersey home inspection and returning to the house to pick up a radon canister only to be confronted by a disgruntled homeowner telling you that you had made life very difficult for them. All too often I hear, ”that it wasn’t required when the house was first built so why even mention it during the home inspection.” Or the realtor may say that there is no need to recommend future changes, that no more is needed.
When I go out to do a home inspection I need to do the job as I see fit. I will report things as I see them but will also mention and include in the report findings “safety upgrades” as they come up, especially in older homes. When talking with other home inspectors I find they are faced with the same sense of ingratitude coming from the selling realtor and/or the homeowner. Even though something wasn’t required when the older home was first built, I feel the home inspection “ is the perfect time to educate people” in regard to how to improve the condition of their Central New Jersey home.
My area of expertise is home construction and design in New Jersey. I have spent many years educating myself in this field of endeavor. I consider myself a generalist. but also a house expert who understands how the structural, mechanical and electrical systems should work together in a house. Many homes, old and new, were built with minimum standards. The average person may not understand how& when a house is supposed to be maintained. They are not house experts. That’s where I come in.
I don’t see why anyone would have a problem with a home inspector “recommending” safety upgrades? If an older home doesn’t have GFCI protection, I always recommend them. I also ask my clients if they actually know what GFCI’s are used for. If they don’t, it’s “time for me to educate” them about the importance of these modern safety devices.
I always check to see if handrails are up to today’s current safety standards here in New Jersey because- this is always a big safety issue. Or egress windows that meet minimum requirements- providing an escape-way in case of a fire. Of course garage doors need to be installed correctly and openers need to have proper auto-reversing function fully operational. And the garage floor and living space floor should not be at the same height- that could allow gasoline fumes to enter into the house during an accidental spill and cause a fire or explosion. And any access hatches into the attic that would affect the integrity of the firewall.
Many times I see that in older homes that there is no division/or fire safety wall that separates the attic area between the living space of the house and the garage. The installation of an attic fire wall between the garage and the home’s living space is an important concern. I know of a whole block of older townhouses that recently burned down in New Brunswick, NJ because there were no fire walls. Installing a firewall could save the rest of the house or buildings from going up in flames. It could help provide needed time for the fire department to respond to the emergency and save the home or buildings and it’s inhabitants from disaster.
Decks are a framed structure that a lot of homeowners in New Jersey like to attempt themselves but somtimes there is a lack of good workmanship. This is especially critical when the deck is elevated. There are approximately 40 million decks throughout the United States and it has been estimated that about half of these decks are flawed either through inadequate workmanship or age.
Typical elevated attached deck
As a carpenter by trade, I am very familiar with deck building and house framing in general. Usually when I go out for a home inspection that has a deck, I will find problems. These common defects consist of largely of loose railings, wood deterioration, improperly fastened ledger boards, poor stair carriage installation and support, poor joist clip installation (brackets that support the floor joist structure) and excessive lateral deck movement, meaning side to side sway. Decks are a part of the house that homeowners want to do themselves, yet permits are not taken out and the work is not inspected. And a large number of improperly constructed decks are by mis-informed sub-contractors.
Many decks that are improperly built may remain intact for a while but what finally can happen is failure or collapase because of the tremendous weight load. This is especially more frequent when there is a change of ownership to a larger family with friends. Perhaps during the first house warming party, the deck’s structure really gets tested. This could lead to a deck shift possibly due to broken or rusted joist clips or just rusted nails or poor post supports. Nails can only fasten components together, but structural integrity and load bearing often relies on the way the framing lumber is supported together and the use of bolts in critical support areas.
