Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection- Gaskets, now we are talking gaskets! - 03/21/11 01:10 AM
Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection- Gaskets, now we are talking gaskets!
 "It's a brand new home so does it really need an inspection?" - Part 2
As stated before all homes are built with inherit weaknesses that can have long term effects on the home.
Here we have some framers that probably ran out of certain materials and thought close is good enough. Missing is the foam sill gasket material under the support stem wall.

Foam sill gaskets prevent air infiltration, insect filtration and moisture migration from the cement into the wood. Cement is a porous material and moisture will migrate … (10 comments)

Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection- Nice Shiner! - 03/19/11 11:36 AM
Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection- Nice Shiner!
We have all heard this.  "It's a brand new home so does it really need an inspection?"
The short answer is yes!
Even new homes will have some issues. And we sure hope they are minor.
All homes are built with inherit weaknesses. Such as; complex roof lines that have a greater potential for failure, lack of or missing flashings, cement poured too close or over the siding and trim, poor grading, missing gutters/downspouts etc...
Here we have a roofer that has had a bad week. Maybe happy hour came a little too early … (6 comments)

Okanogan and Waterville Home Inspection- It's Potty Time! - 03/15/11 05:03 PM
Okanogan and Waterville Home Inspection- It's Potty Time!
Many times bathrooms are designed to maximize the space used. With that said it is easy to have a few things not meet some minimum requirements for bathrooms.

Doorways should have a clear opening and should be at least 32". This would require a minimum 34" or 2'-10" door. If the existing structure inhibits this requirement then an opening then a minimum 24" or 2'-0" door is allowable.
The doors should not interfere with one another and/or the safe use of any fixtures or cabinets.
Bathrooms should have a floor to ceiling … (4 comments)

Chelan and Waterville Home Inspection- Why do I feel so naked? - 03/10/11 11:11 PM
Chelan and Waterville Home Inspection- Why do I feel so naked?

So I get back from an Inspection. I busily writing up my report and had to head to a meeting.
I get halfway there and this ugly feeling comes, I am anxious and feeling, yes "NAKED".
 
I had left my cell phone on my desk.  Now comes the "what if someone calls?" "What if there is an emergency?" -------WHY DO I CARE!?
 
Do we really need to be that connected?
Is there something in those devices that make us addicted? Is this the grand conspiracy?

 
… (7 comments)

Wenatchee, Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspection-I'm exhausted or not! - 03/07/11 10:57 PM
Wenatchee, Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspection-I'm exhausted or not!
                                             
I know the discussion of dryer ducting and cleaning has come up many times. But I thought I would show a very good example of how quickly things can go bad (this is not a very old home). The duct clogged with lint. Then from some poor installation practice the duct came apart.
 
 (This is the next joist bay over)
Now this dryer had been venting into the floor insulation and crawlspace. Dryers exhaust gallons of water in the drying process. The insulation was saturated. We had condensation … (6 comments)

Wenatchee, Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspection-New Laws for Rat-Be-Gone - 03/02/11 12:06 PM
Wenatchee, Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspection-New Laws for Rat-Be-Gone

The EPA through the FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) has made a decision that will effect what products, and how it‘s configured, can be used by the consumer and PCO's (Pest control operators)
The objective of the EPA Risk Mitigation Decision is two-fold:  Decrease children's accidental exposure to rodent-control products. Reduce the risk of accidental poisonings of pets and wildlife.
The EPA made a ruling that certain types of active ingredients (anticoagulants) found in some rodenticides have a greater opportunity for misuse and accidental exposure to non-target wildlife and … (14 comments)

Wenatchee and East Wenatchee Home Inspections- Per-P(l)EX-ing situation - 03/01/11 06:16 PM
Wenatchee and East Wenatchee Home Inspections- Per-P(l)EX-ing situation
 
The world of domestic water supply piping was destined to change when an English chemical company produced the first polyethylene plastic (PE) in 1933.
In 1968 a German inventor, Thomas Engel, developed a method that chemically cross link the molecules in PE. This produces a plastic that was stronger and more tolerant of high temperatures than standard polyethylene. Thus the X was added to PE to become PEX.

Now we have three types of PEX; PEX-A (Engel method), PEX-B (Saline Method) and PEX-C (irradiation method). PEX-A is the most flexible version … (6 comments)

Chelan and Douglas County Inspections- Do you like to vent? - 03/01/11 01:29 PM
Chelan and Douglas County Inspections- Do you like to vent?
   (Loop Vent In Cabinet )            
Venting an island or peninsula sink can be tricky and cannot be accomplish the way other fixtures are vented because of the distance from walls (where the vent would normally be).
 
There are a few ways to vent islands sinks and in this article you will see the "island vent method", extended fixture outlet method as well as the air admittance valve method
The "loop vent" is a way to vent an island sink and should be permitted in most areas.  The basic principle is very simple; … (3 comments)