Welcome to my Homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories about inspections I have done and facts I think are interesting to share with you. Come back often to see what's new.
-Glenn Stewart, The House Whisperer
| The Invisible Guard |
| Written by Glenn Stewart |
| Friday, 20 November 2009 17:04 |
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Last week during a Fremont home inspection, I had just finished entering an inspection comment into my pocket PC about the wide spacing at the railing. As I turned around, I saw this little girl pushing on an installed clear plastic barrier... Thank goodness for children safety products. The white vertical posts in the photo are called balusters. The spacing between balusters used to be 6" wide and small children were falling through or getting stuck. Stricter building codes were passed to meet the 4" Sphere Rule: The general rule is to install balusters between the top handrail and floor, so that a 4" sphere (the head of an infant) can't pass through. If you have small children and there are stairs or room area guard-railings in the house... Check the spacing between the balusters. Many retailers that cater to small children sell the clear plastic banister guard kits. Experienced home inspectors will always comment on baluster spacing in their house inspection reports. |
