wood decay rot: Your house may be more than dirty---it may actually BE dirt! - 03/23/13 07:36 AM
If wood has a goal it is to decay so that it can become food for new growth.
Human beings and beavers like to take wood and do useful things with it---but sooner or later---no matter how we try, wood eventually finds its way back to the earth---back to being dirt.
The best homes are the ones that successfully slow down this transition as long as possible.  Some structures are obviously better at this than others.  With others, it is almost as if we don’t even try.  Water is obviously the enemy for the preservationists, and just as obviously the friend … (23 comments)

wood decay rot: Beware of the “Kleenex Effect” - 02/06/13 07:10 AM
 
While some would argue that I am “nit picking,” the fact is that sometimes it is very important to understand the terms we use. 
I am sure there are interesting studies as to just how things become "generic."  Take Kleenex for example.  Kleenex is a brand name that is commonly used to describe any kind of nose-wipe.  While Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. may have an issue with the misuse of its brand name "Kleenex," the fact remains that when someone says they need a kleenex it really won’t matter too much who the tissue is made by as they all … (16 comments)

wood decay rot: How can you tell when the roof is toast? - 12/26/12 09:26 AM
 
We are all familiar with what it means when the home inspector climbs down from the roof and says, “The roof is toast.”  They may then go into a description of all of the things they saw that defends his or her position---especially if they are countering listing information that states, “Newer roof.”
Typically I exclude most detached storage shed structures from the inspection. 
They get excluded because most people do not want to pay me for what it would cost to include them in the Home Inspection Report.  However, it is my own business model to automatically include … (14 comments)

wood decay rot: I realize that most builders do it this way---but it is still wrong! - 09/04/12 08:31 AM
 
One of the most common builder errors that home inspectors have to deal with is the installation of concrete surfaces over the top of wood siding---or any kind of siding for that matter.
It is not a good idea.
That bears repeating:  IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.
Since so many builders install concrete like this, there is a perception, in the real estate community, that it is OK and that, at best, home inspectors are tilting at windmills for even bringing it up.
When I see concrete poured over siding, the information goes in the report.  I know that … (42 comments)

wood decay rot: Inventing a better mouse trap should at least be related to the critters being trapped. - 04/15/12 07:00 AM
As a builder, I used Simpson hardware from the very beginning---1971.  That is quite a while, and the company has been around a lot longer than that---since the mid 1950’s.
At an inspection the other day I found what appeared to be an “upstart” in the industry attempting to gain a foothold on the near monopoly held by the long standing Simpson Strong Tie company.
This new light-weight bracket is unique in that there is absolutely no transportation costs associated with them.  The heavier Simpson metal brackets have great transportation costs by contrast.
These new brackets require no nails, screws or … (16 comments)

wood decay rot: Fender bender in the making? - 01/13/12 11:01 AM
One does not have to look very close to see that this wood support beam is very badly rotted.  We can also see where the bottom of the beam has been patched previously with a wood block the width of the support pier.
The beam is rotted through and through to be precise.  I honestly think the paint is the only thing of any structural significance remaining---that and "habit."One traversing squirrel, or heavy wet snow, might alter the habits of this trellis however.It is time to remove the trellis and avoid the potential fender bender.
This is the tenant's vehicle---I wonder … (16 comments)

wood decay rot: The Dirt Giveth and the Dirt Taketh Away. - 01/09/12 09:57 AM
Without dirt, the biggest trees in the world would not amount to much.  Redwoods may not be the biggest trees in terms of volumn but they are the tallest trees on earth---reaching as high as 378 feet---that is longer than a football field including the end zones.  They grow in dirt and when they eventually die, as much as 2000 years later, they return a lot of dirt to the earth as well.  Even the great redwoods succumb to wood decay/rot and wood destroying insects.
It is very common to see support posts in crawl spaces that are impacted by dirt.Just … (19 comments)

 
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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

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