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home inspection education: Handrail Safety - 01/16/08 08:29 AM
Stairs with more than four risers require a handrail. There are a lot of requirements that the handrail must meet to be considered safe and meet code requirements. Some general requirements (without getting into the exceptions to the rules) include:
1. There has to be a handrail on at least one side of the stairs.
2. The handrail must be between 34-38 inches from the stair tread nosing (leading edge) vertically to the railing.
3. The handrail must be "continuous" over the total run of the stairs (from landing to landing)
4. The ends of the handrail must return … (3 comments)
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home inspection education: Efflorescence - 01/15/08 09:25 AM
Most people have seen "efflorescence" even if they didn't know what it was or that it even had a name. The whitish build-up visible on masonry structures is caused by moisture moving through the material. As the moisture evaporates from the surface, the salts carried in the moisture builds up to create what we call "efflorescence." It is very common on foundations below grade that have not been adequately sealed on the exterior or that are for some other reason being impacted by sub-surface water. Moisture can also wick up through the foundation footing and then evaporate out through the … (3 comments)
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home inspection education: Efflorescence on Chimneys - 01/15/08 09:24 AM
Efflorescence on chimneys (See the above blog Efflorescence) can also be caused by condensing exhaust gases of gas and oil fired appliances. This "condensate" is slightly acidic and when this moisture moves through the brick structure much damage to the chimney can occur. In this case the efflorescence that forms is indicative of more than "cosmetic" issues and costly repairs may be necessary. When this type of efflorescence is seen it usually means that the chimney is not properly lined for the furnace or other gas appliances. Even from the street, when the chimney has more than one flue, one … (0 comments)
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home inspection education: Water pipes make a good ground? - 01/09/08 10:16 AM
Low voltage utilities (like cable, security, and phone) ground their systems to the Home's electrical system ground. While the low voltage electrical components of these systems are NOT typically inspected according to most Standards of Practice, I do like to verify location and appropriateness of the grounding of these systems. The picture below shows the location of the phone company ground installed at a water pipe in the basement----a very typical location. Other locations might be at the meter base outside the home or at the metal conduit of the incoming electrical service to the home. Sometimes these systems are … (5 comments)
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home inspection education: Watch out for the Milkman! - 01/08/08 11:05 AM
On an inspection a while back I found an interesting security issue in a Condo. The building had originally been apartments. These 1920's apartment buildings had little doors at each unit where the milkman could leave the milk/eggs; and then there was another door inside the unit where the owner could retrieve the milk/eggs. I wondered why no one had ever seen this as a security issue----as it would be very easy for persons to gain access to the unit by crawling through the delivery doors. Were people really that much more "honest" in the good-ole-days----or have I just become … (11 comments)
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home inspection education: Where is my weed-whacker? - 01/07/08 05:42 PM
Homeowners love to decorate their properties with all kinds of vegetation. This is especially true here in the NW where it is "Spring-time" year round! Often these plantings can provide a pathway for moisture and vermin into the home as well as cause mechanical damage to the structure itself. Large trees near the house can clog gutters, damage roofing and destroy foundations. Intentional climbing vegetation from roses to ivy can provide a pathway for vermin and insects into the structure and prevent even rudimentary inspection of the covered areas. It can actually make repairs to covered areas impossible without the … (3 comments)
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home inspection education: How much will the Inspection cost? - 12/27/07 10:06 PM
Home inspectors get asked this question every day. The answer can simply roll off the tongue---or it may be more like pulling teeth. The reasons for this are as varied as the homes themselves. Some inspectors have fixed fees (no ifs ands or buts), some have fixed fees (unless the house is really really big or really really small), and some have sliding fees depending on how old the house is, where the house is, the square footage, number of bathrooms, number of kitchens, number of attics, number of crawl spaces and so on. I fall in this later group. … (3 comments)
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home inspection education: Water water everywhere - 12/23/07 04:25 PM
Fellow blogger, Leslie Bloss, suggested that I share a few insights about flooding of homes. Most homes sooner or later will be affected by seasonal flooding. As home inspectors we are very interested in assessing both past and present flooding and conditions conducive to, or indicative of, flooding. This time of year, when the rains really get heavy, the "dreaded" phone calls come in from the buyers that bought in July when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and moisture intrusion couldn't be imagined. Usually it can be attributed to overflowing gutters or other less serious conditions, but sometimes … (2 comments)
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home inspection education: Why inspect new construction? - 12/23/07 02:11 PM
I was a builder for over 33 years before I became a home inspector and I can tell you that there is no way to keep track of all that goes on during the construction process. Good contractors do their best to use the best sub-contractors, and local jurisdictions inspect the construction at many points along the way and still things slip through the cracks that only the Home Inspector is in a position to identify. I have found hot water to toilets, missing attic roof vents, disconnected ventilation ducts, ventilation duct terminations roofed-over, never connected plumbing drains, flooded crawl spaces, … (5 comments)
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
Seattle,
WA
More about me…
Charles Buell Inspections.com
Address: Seattle, Shoreline, Everett, Lynnwood, Bothel, Kirkland, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Edmonds, Renton, King County, 17123 22nd Ave NE, Shoreline (Seattle), WA, 98155
Office Phone: (206) 478-7371
Cell Phone: (206) 478-7371
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