What happens when the inspector discovers that all utilities or some have been locked out(off)? Last Friday's inspection was a surprise to everybody that water & gas was off.  I always confirm the inspection with email to my client and remind the agent about the utilities to avoid surprises. My agent was told by the listing agent that every thing was on. Apparently, the utilities were suddenly turned things off by the companies. Well, I was not able to complete the inspection on that day and had to return 3 days later. I did charge for my time to return and complete the inspection. The concern at this property was the because the home was vacant for over a year. I was concerned that there could be frozen(cracked) pipes. I already been in one of these earlier this year. What a mess. My buyer declined to purchase this property.

Vacant homes can have many strange things happen. There was a dishwasher that exploded when activated, An investigation determined that hydragen gas formed from the water. As these homes are bought "in as condition" buyers have to give serious thought to fix or repair items. Another client of mine neglected to have a furnace looked at, as I recommended, and it failed during the winter. It cost them over $5000. to have a new one installed. That final walk through prior to closing is important to inspect for damage or removed items. One of my photos from another inspection had determined that a dishwasher was replaced with a cheaper unit.

MAKING YOUR HOME MORE ENERGY EFFECIENT

1. Lower or raise the thermostat before leaving or going to bed - a great way to do this automatically would be to Install a programmable thermostat - this device will allow you to set a schedule to adjust the temperature up or down a couple of degrees during the day when you are gone and at night when you are in bed and even better raise the temperature back before you have to get up.

2. Make sure the fireplace damper is closed when the fireplace is not in use and also a door across the fireplace opening will help

3. Make sure you have at least a R-30 attic insulation in place & R-19 under floors.

4. If you want you can also replace many if not all light bulbs with energy efficient ones.

5. Have your a/c-heating ductwork checked for leaks - this may well be one of the largest energy losses

6. Make sure the dryer ductwork is clean - the dryer will use less energy

7. Make sure the refrigerator coils are clean - the appliance will work better and use less energy

8. Keep your air filters clean or changed out for the Furnace.

9. Use the Dishwasher only when you have a full load and run it on normal wash instead of extended wash

10. Wrap the water heater

11. Put a timer on the water heater

12. Lower the temperature for the water heater - but not below 130 degrees

13. Keep in mind that you can use your ceiling fans in reverse during the winter

14. If you have a whole house fan or a basement box fan cover those when not in use

15. Replace weather stripping to help lessen air lose around doors.

16. Solar Screens during the summer to keep the heat from coming into the house.

This is a good example of a new roof installed by an incompetent, unlicensed roofer.

• 1/4" wide staples when the manufacturer required galvanized nails or 1" wide staples.
• Metal valley without sufficient clearance to the cut of the composite shingle.
• Insufficient over-hand at the gutters and sides.

The silicone caulking indicates a leak above the living room, Water stains on the sheathing indicating wicking into plywood. !/4" staples are not sufficient to hold the shingles in a moderate wind storm.

The seller claimed the roof leak had been fixed. Guess who fixed it.  My client, the buyer, got a new roof installed, by a licensed contractor, as part of purchase.

A recent 2 story 40 year 8 plex inspection with 4 units on a slab had serious ventilation problems. With condensation (moisture) on most of the vinyl dual pane windows I knew there  would likely be some issues. The rear wall had mold & rot, inside & out,  at the floor, with some deterioration 12" up the wall. Moisture readings of 15% to 20% throughout 2 of the 4 units indicate a serious moisture problem. Kitchen fans vented inside while baths had functional fans moving little air. The were no visible ducts on the exterior walls for the 4 ground floor units. Where was bath moisture going? It was not going to the exterior. The upper baths were venting into the attic. I assume relative humidity on the ground floor was well above 60%. Moisturereading below was 50% on the exterior (T1-11 siding) and 25% to 30% inside gypsum.

When my office received a call inquiring about flickering lights in a 1960's rambler, I had a pretty good idea what might be the problem. I got out here the next day and immediately went into the garage. It was no surprise to see a Zinsco breaker panel that been installed like in many other Seattle homes in the 60's. Removing the cover I was able to see that some of the breakers were loose on the buss bar. They had the panel replaced within a week.  I had them save the panel after it was removed. The breaker had been arcing and losing contact, a common problem with these panels. The photo show the scorch marks and another with a cracked housing.

These types of foundation cracks are always serious problem. There were several more  around the perimeter of the building. This 55 year old building was slowly sinking in the soft soil as there were no footings under the foundation. All the floors were sloped to the outside walls as the load bearing support columns fireplace chimney remained stable on wide cement piers.

These cracks were not readily visible as the 6 mill poly was attached to the sill plates. I wonder how many inspectors would not have removed the vapor barrier. The cracks were not visible on the exterior as there was considerable vegetation and a stucco type finish on visible portions of the foundation. Nothing was disclosed by the owner. The foundation contractor was able to add footings and secure the old foundation walls. The work was completed in a timely manner by the time my "happy" client moved into the home.

Excessive moisture causing serious mold in the Attic. How much moisture much is too much? When the OSB sheathing turns black is an indication its excessive. My moisture meter says this is bad. Whats the cause: inadequate attic insulation and a very wet crawl space. A improved drain system with a sump pump my be the fix.  My client is still negoiting with the seller. The seller's franchise inspector says this is a minor seasonal issue. I convinced my clients its not minor.

Zonolite Attic Insulation commonly used in the Seattle area during the 1950 through 1970 consists of expended vermivculite ore originating from Libby, MT. Libby vermiculite is contaminated with an especially toxic form of asbestos known as tremolite. Recent testing of Zonolite in actual homeowner's homes demonstrates that Zonolite releases substantial quantities of tremolite asbestos into the air whenever it is disturbed during many ordinary homeowner activities. Any openings in the ceiling from light fixtures, heat ducts, exhaust fans, etc. also allow this toxic dust into the living space. It looks like pebbles but is very soft. DO NOT REMOVE THE ZONOLITE YOURSELF!!

A pending Washington State Class Action could help homeowners recover the cost for its costly removal.

After pointing this out to my client they decided NOT to purchase the home.

Why did the breaker trip?  Always look under the sink before running the disposal. I wonder what the piece of blue yard signifies?

The other guy missed this cracked heat exchanger. There were 4 more cracks like this little one.