Permitted but not inspected…The Shocking Truth- Cle Elum Home Inspection - 12/31/11 02:56 PM
Permitted but not inspected…The Shocking Truth- Cle Elum Home Inspection
                                                         
One item a buyer should be aware of is if any permits have been issued to a home that has not been completed. This will be especially true if the plan is to perform any work on the home that will require a permit. Uncompleted permits can hold up and complicate any future work to be performed.Here is an interesting example-There have been 6800 electrical permits pulled in Washington State that have never been inspected between January 2009 and August 2011.
                                                Washington State requires that any electrical permit … (3 comments)

Foundation and Footing- Wenatchee Home Inspection - 12/30/11 06:52 PM
Foundation and Footing- Wenatchee Home InspectionEvery home needs to have a system in place to carry the weight of the home to the ground below it.Almost every house has a foundation and most foundations have a footing (we hope). These are items we really do not think much about and are critical on the long term performance of the home. The main function of the foundation and footing is to do nothing and transfer the load to the soil and hold everything in place as it was built.
 
                                                         Most modern construction uses a stem wall and spread footing design … (4 comments)

Winters Ornaments - 12/22/11 03:42 PM
Winters OrnamentsThis has been a very frustrating few days. Chelan PUD who owns the fiber optic network  did some maintenance work. In doing so they knocked out the node I was on and down the system went. No Internet and no  voice over IP, Ouch!My back up connection are too slow so getting in and out  of ActiveRain is a  bit painfull.Here is a picture from this morning on the Entiat River. I call it “Winter’s Ornaments”
 
      
This is a picture taken back a ways for perspective, you can see where this photo was in relationship on … (6 comments)

Jack of all Trades - 12/16/11 08:41 PM
Jack of all Trades- Wenatchee Home InspectionsJack of all trades, master of none, is an aphorism.  As a home inspector this may be a just phrase.  Home inspectors maybe the epitome of this aphorism.But one thing we home inspectors do know is... what is wrong, is just wrong.Here we have a Jack of another trade masquerading as a support column or post.
                                      There are approved metal columns but generally these are 3” or more in diameter and must be permanently connected to a concrete footing with embedded anchor bolts or by the complete encasement of the bottom base plate in … (12 comments)

Surface Tension- Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home Inspection - 12/15/11 12:45 PM
Surface Tension- Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home InspectionIs this a grimace on your face? No!
                                                                          What I am talking about is liquids, mainly water and a strange force it exerts called surface tension.Surface tension occurs between molecules on an upper layer of a liquid that does not have a neighbor above to share its cohesive forces with. This causes a stronger attraction of the intermolecular force on these surface molecules that develops a film.
 
                               
Why is this important to a home inspector and the process of performing a home inspection?Because of this phenomenon water does not always … (8 comments)

Winter Wednesday - 12/14/11 01:37 PM
Winter is drawing it cold grip on the waters of the Entiat River.
 
 
        
 
 
Ice skating on the river is not too far away.
 
 
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
 
Steve Jobs
 
NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…       
Your Wenatchee and Chelan … (6 comments)

Dryer Installation… The Guide- Cle Elum and Okanogan Home Inspection - 12/14/11 01:18 PM
I would say the majority of us have a dryer in our home. But all too often I find during my home inspection that the installation of the dryer may be not what the “Manufacturer” requires or suggest.May of the box stores sell dryer vents that are not compliant with what is required from the manufacturer and maybe downright dangerous. Dryer fires are more common than most people think.
                                                                         We can buy many products in the box store that are not compliant and/or just not right. But they do it anyway, they do not care, they make money. … (3 comments)

Magic Carpet Ride... Into Space - 12/13/11 05:06 PM
Magic Carpet Ride... Into SpaceIf your from Washington and more specifically the Seattle area then you know that Paul Allen  has been known to think pretty big. Well here is one that will rival the Spruce Goose.
                                                      
Paul Allen is funding another commercial space program/launch delivery system.  Teaming up  again with Dick Rutan and building off their SpaceShipOne project.Check out this Video from the project.
 


“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
Steve Jobs
NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in … (3 comments)

Wenatchee Home Inspection Tuesday Afternoon Tweet - 12/13/11 04:14 PM
Wenatchee Home Inspection Tuesday Afternoon Tweet
With the temperatures dropping in the Entiat Valley I took a stroll into the woods.Ice is forming on all of the vegetation and I found this little treat.
                           
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
Steve Jobs
NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…       
Your … (3 comments)

Looking for a professional - 12/11/11 10:07 AM
When building a home you want professionals to perform the work. Hopefully these professionals will take some pride in the job that is performed.During a recent home inspection I came upon this curious little bit of craftsmanship.The contractor must of had some damaged material, in the old adage of “waste not, want not” you want to be efficient with your materials.But as a home inspector and as a home owner I would not want this type of work performed for me. If I am paying for a job to be done, it should be done with care and thought, and done … (10 comments)

Your House is a Home… and your home is a System - 12/10/11 01:36 PM
One thing as a Chelan Home Inspector I realize is that as we create homes that are more energy efficient we need a understanding that the home is a complex arrangement of various independent components and you the occupant to create a system. The operation and/or failure of one of the components can affect many other components and you.
                                 When the systems all work together they create a home that is comfortable, efficient, safe and durable. You can take advantage of energy savings and avoid creating health and safety issues.
                                                                      Yet the home may experience problems when its systems do not … (7 comments)

What is the real purpose? Okanogan and Methow Home Inspections - 12/09/11 09:05 AM
What is the real Purpose? Buyer beware!
 
                                           
Along with my basic business of performing residential home inspections and structural pest inspections in Chelan and Okanogan area I also sub-contract to a few agencies and companies to do various other inspections.This includes foundation certification for manufactured homes, relocation inspections, draw inspections, bank auditory inspections and more.I had a curious inspection a while back. While working for a  relocation company I was performing a moisture/moisture intrusion inspection.During that inspection I found some fungal growth (mold). The company needed mold samples and the mold re-mediated.But here is my dilemma , I was … (5 comments)

New Earth Rising - 12/08/11 10:28 PM
New Earth Rising

                                            
The Kepler telescope made a new discovery this week.  They found a planet in the Goldilocks zone  considered by many to be the zone in a solar system that has  the  best chance to support life. And it is only 600 light years away ; )
 
 
Here is a video on this discovery.

Link to Kepler website- link
“We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.“
President John F. Kennedy
NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington … (6 comments)

Plug Me In!- Wenatchee and Cle Elum Home Inspection - 12/08/11 11:18 AM
Plug Me In!- Wenatchee and Cle Elum Home InspectionOkay we see a lot of odd stuff out in the world of home inspections, but here is an item I want to see.I came across this via another inspector and just think it is way too cool.If your home is anything like my home then you have issues looking for USB chargers for all the devices that the family carries around then this is the bomb.Now I will not go into the “we should have a standard USB port on the devices” debate (debacle) but here is a step in the right … (13 comments)

Riparian Habitat Restoration- Entiat Home Inspection - 12/07/11 10:54 AM
Riparian Habitat Restoration- Entiat Home InspectionHaving a home on the Entiat River has it many rewards.
                                                 I am lucky to have salmon spawning grounds out in my front yard. But due to environmental stresses, over fishing and dam construction the returns have been diminishing over the years.
                                                           I have been working with the Cascadia’s Conservation District and the Yakima Nation on a project to restore some habitat on my stretch of river.One of my neighbors and the CCD combined with my land have close to a mile of what is considered still water region that is prime … (3 comments)

Grading the Home- Wenatchee and Chelan Home Inspection - 12/06/11 12:14 PM
Grading the Home- Wenatchee and Chelan Home InspectionOne thing that has struck me during home inspections is how often many of the cement (or asphalt) appurtenances can be installed in a manner that will cause issue with the home.This could include sidewalks/walkways or patios poured over the top of siding materials or more importantly when these components are installed in such a manner to create a negative or flat grade around the home.During the home inspection I will be looking for staining from pooling and other evidence of improper drainage.
      
 
Your home should always have grading designed … (3 comments)

A Complete Crawlspace Home Inspection-Chelan and Leavenworth Home inspection. - 12/05/11 04:34 PM
A Complete Crawlspace Home Inspection-Chelan and Leavenworth Home inspection.Does your home have a crawlspace? If so what should you expect from a home inspection in the crawlspace?                                                           You hire a home inspector to hopefully fully inspect your home. In this agreement a complete crawlspace home inspection should be one of the top priorities.I have been on several home inspections in the last several months where I have been informed that either the crawlspace had been inspected and was not, or that the client informed me that their previous inspector just stuck a camera in the access hatch and took a few pictures.Both … (7 comments)

Sunday Moon Rise- Wenatchee Home Inspection - 12/04/11 03:03 PM
Sunday Moon Rise- Wenatchee Home Inspection
 
    
 
“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”
 
Albert Einstein
NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…     
Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service
509-670-9572 or on the web atwww.ncwhomeinspections.com
… (4 comments)

Are you a flipper? Lake Wenatchee Home Inspection - 12/03/11 12:04 PM
Is your home inspector a flipper? I mean is your home inspector a tile flipper? Will  the home inspector lift ceiling tiles on suspended ceiling to see what may be lurking above?
                                                          Inquiring minds want to know. My curiosity and my desire to do the best work I can for my clients always leads me to lifting ceiling tiles to see what lurks there.Many times this is just to cover up an old less than attractive ceiling. Or maybe it is to provide a chase for plumbing and electrical runs.But many times during my home inspection I find some items that … (3 comments)

What were you thinking? A tale of Attic HVAC’s- Wenatchee Home Inspections - 12/02/11 09:11 AM
What were you thinking? A tale of Attic HVAC’s- Wenatchee Home Inspection
                                              
It is not unusual to see the furnace air handling units in Attics and Crawlspaces. Though not the norm, space sometimes dictates using these areas for these units.I am not a big fan of these placements due to the fact that it makes service and maintenance more difficult. These components are already not usually serviced as recommended or required.But this example lands in the land of “What were you thinking?”This particular home was served by two air handling units located in two different attic spaces. Both air … (7 comments)

I may be a lug, but not a double lug- Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home Inspections - 12/01/11 11:28 AM
I may be a lug, but not a double lug- Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home Inspections
                                        As home inspectors we are constantly in search of information that can help us make proper observations when performing a home inspection.Here is a case that had many twist and turns.One fairly common observation made during a home inspection is what is referred to as “Double Lugged” connection. This is when two (or more) conductors (wires) are under one lug (screw).These electrical connections have to be made in accordance with the listing of the device they are connected to.  So if the manufacturers … (9 comments)