shoreline wa home inspector: Well----what IS the REAL reason they pay us the big bucks?
- 04/03/09 01:58 AM
Since most people already consider crawl spaces to be “BIG BLACK HOLES,” it will probably surprise most of my readers (considering my reputation for loving the “adventure” of crawl spaces) that the thing that gets me the most “unglued” in there is: holes.
Especially the big black bottomless type.
For me, there is nothing more un-nerving than to be feeling my way across the plastic ground cover and feel “NOTHING” under the plastic.
Water under the plastic----feeling like a giant waterbed-----is not uncommon and that is fairly simple to deal with. You either back up … (35 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: HURRY!----Giving away 25,000 imaginary AR Points!
- 04/02/09 12:46 AM
Calling all inspectors----and all others with an overactive imagination (Alan?, Jay?, Nutsy?)!
What is wrong in this picture? It appears to be a fairly straight forward picture, but there is something wrong-----and about as “curious” a thing as I have found in a while.
So----have at it everyone----let your answers fly. Show no mercy, and creativity counts for “extra” points----although it is going to be pointless to try and collect those illusive, imaginary points (belated April Fool's Day). You will have to settle for the measly 25 ordinary, regular comment points I guess.
Not only am … (52 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: More venting about vents in Seattle.
- 03/30/09 02:05 AM
Take a look at this picture.
What is this capped pipe that is sticking out of this really nice roof?
I may never know what the “original purpose” of this capped pipe was----and it really doesn’t matter. What it is today, is what matters. It is complicated because, what it is today is not even what it is.
Confused?
Me too----but I am used to it.
This capped pipe is “trying” to be a plumbing vent-----and doing a very lousy job of it. That is the problem with “trying.” Trying is a … (25 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle
- 03/25/09 12:57 AM
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shoreline wa home inspector: A colorful metaphor!
- 03/14/09 09:47 AM
As International Green Day approaches and all things turn green, including beer----including the natives of Antarctica----I got to thinking (sorry) about how important “Green” is in our lives. Can you imagine if chlorophyll was not Green? What if photosynthesis in plants occurred as it does now in plants but chlorophyll was RED, or PURPLE, or hot PINK----just think how different the world would look. The world would look like something out of Dr Seuss or from Pixar.
Instead of a nice, familiar Koi pond like this:
We might have one that looks like this:
Or … (18 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Wordless Wednesday----Seattle Itentical Twins
- 03/03/09 11:37 PM
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shoreline wa home inspector: Louis Pasteur’s garden!
- 02/28/09 01:39 AM
Why don’t kitchen sinks have overflow holes?
Sinks with overflow holes are not allowed in food preparation areas due to the possibility of providing a place for bacteria and mold to grow around the overflow----stuff you might not want as a condiment for food.
In general, the area around sinks should be kept very well sealed and caulked in order for them to be more easily maintained and kept sanitary. Weather the sinks are self rimming sinks, or under-mount type sinks, the connection between the two should be properly caulked. Of course the Corian type sinks … (21 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Seasick and Sleepless in Seattle!
- 02/27/09 01:06 AM
As a builder I have worked on houseboats, and as an inspector I have inspected a few. They are an interesting Seattle phenomenon----you may remember them in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle.” The “boat” part is a bit of a misnomer however, and “floating home” or “rafts” comes a bit closer to describing them. Very few---if any have an actual hull like a boat---and even fewer resemble a boat. In the early days, some of them looked like boats and probably were boats.
They represent a very Niche Market in the Real Estate world and are typically VERY EXPEN$IVE … (37 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: "Head-plant" planters!
- 02/23/09 02:46 AM
With the exception of a missing handrail for the stairs, this installation meets “code” requirements.
The platform outside of the door is 29-3/4” above the patio surface. If it was over 30” a guard rail would be required to prevent falls from the platform.
This is a great example of the “minimum standards” aspect of the building codes. To me this installation represents a serious safety issue and should be made safe. Besides the fact that most people would not want to walk off this platform in the dark and fall into one of the planters, … (25 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Why enamel steel tubs are not a steal!
- 02/22/09 05:32 AM
As is indicated by the “bluish” highlighted areas in the picture, these are areas of enamel steel type tubs that the moisture meter often finds indications of moisture behind the wall covering.
On a recent new construction inspection I found a great example that shows why this is so. Steel tubs like this typically have a flange that runs up behind the wall covering to reduce the chance of water finding its way into the wall. The problem with this flange is that it does not run all the way to the edge of the … (28 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Safety issues stairing at me!
- 02/21/09 04:17 AM
I have done posts to my blog in the past about the stairs, and how as a component in the home, they are perhaps one of the most difficult things to get right.
There is tread width, riser height, riser/tread ratios, consistency of riser height, nosings, stair width, slope of treads and many other factors.
Side barriers and hand railings are more things to take into account.
On a recent new townhouse I found a hand rail that was not parallel to the run of stairs. As in this next picture “A” and “B” should be … (26 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle
- 02/18/09 12:14 AM
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shoreline wa home inspector: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle
- 02/11/09 03:15 AM
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shoreline wa home inspector: Dear Mr. Washington State Home Inspector,
- 02/07/09 07:34 AM
Dear Mr. Washington State Home Inspector,
We are moving to the Seattle area this fall and will be buying a house in the Green Lake area. It would be helpful if you could give us an idea of what you charge and any other information that might be pertinent to our choice of a home inspector.
Sincerely,
Sally & Sam Homeowner
Dear Sally & Sam,
Thanks for contacting me about the process of inspecting your future home.
The cost of the home inspection can vary depending on the size, age, number of bathrooms and other factors … (65 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Want to buy a furnace? -----how about a water heater?
- 02/04/09 03:59 AM
The blue lines in this picture trace the “high-water lines” from previous flooding of the crawl space. The interesting thing about this past flooding is that the three "flood lines" that one can see on the furnace indicate that the furnace was not replaced after any of the flooding. The one blue line on the water heater, which lines up with the middle blue line on the furnace, is consistent with only one flooding of the water heater.
Drowning of the burner components of any gas appliance----or any appliance not designed to be submerged----is likely to … (19 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Back when my brother and I went to different schools together……
- 02/02/09 10:48 AM
Report writing gone Wild!
What a pane in the glass!
The East window of the NE Bedroom has broken glass----I recommend repairs to prevent injury due to cuts by a licensed glass installation company.
Sparky is at it again!
The receptacle at the North side of the Kitchen is broken with exposed energized components----I recommend immediate repairs to prevent life threatening shocks by the licensed electrical contractor.
Dang Plumbers anyway!
The plumbing drain from the Powder Room toilet runs thorough a floor joist and the joist is failing, I recommend repairs to the joist … (16 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Wordless Wednesday (not) in Seattle
- 01/28/09 02:15 AM
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shoreline wa home inspector: Werd! Making it work!
- 01/27/09 09:42 AM
MAKING IT WORK: The only reason to follow these instructions are if you want to use fonts that are not supported by Scribefire.
To follow up on my previous post, here are the instructions for how to make the whole thing work. Well, due to some unforeseen aspects of this thing it turns out being a little more difficult that I thought at first. Not in terms of actually doing it----but in terms of teaching it.
So, here is the “simple” way to get the text and colors and all that stuff to work on your AR posts. To … (21 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Who's "Fault" is it?
- 01/23/09 04:19 AM
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters.
My friend in Arkansas, Barbara Duncan, asked me a question the other day about AFCI breakers, and whether it was a serious safety issue for them to be missing in a 2006 house.
First of all what the heck are they?
According to Square D, a leading manufacturer and innovator of electrical equipment, "Combination AFCI circuit breakers provide an added dimension of safety for homeowners by sensing and responding to both parallel and series arcing incidents. Series arcing is often associated with damaged devices or cord sets. A series arc is an arcing incident across a … (29 comments)
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shoreline wa home inspector: Some things just push my buttons!
- 01/09/09 01:55 AM
There are few items in the home that are as time-consuming to inspect as garage overhead doors---with the exception of crawl spaces and difficult attics.
There are numerous things that can go wrong with these large moving devices. Today I am only going to focus on the button that one pushes to open and close them. For more information about them, plus information on how to test them, please see: You broke it----you fix it!
Modern standards require the operator button to be located a minimum of 60" above the floor; and that there be a warning … (20 comments)
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Since most people already consider crawl spaces to be “BIG BLACK HOLES,” it will probably surprise most of my readers (considering my reputation for loving the “adventure” of crawl spaces) that the thing that gets me the most “unglued” in there is: holes. 
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