Winter has gripped the Entiat valley transforming it into a winter paradise. Winter is always a beautiful time of year in the valley.
Ice is one of nature's greatest marvels; along with water it can transform mountain ranges in mere rolling hills via the process of erosion. As a giver of life it also is a very destructive force.
Water and Ice can be beautiful and inspiring. Frost formation is a wondrous process of extracting moisture … (2 comments)
Living in Chelan County in the Entiat Mountain is a special place. Wildlife is all around. I have had elk and bear in the front yard. There is also the deer, ermine (short tailed weasel), owls and beavers, just to name a few. But when you live with and around wild creatures there can be some give and take.
Here we have some take- My neighbor has had chickens for several years now and we find they are a great attractant to many of the wild creatures. This bobcat got into … (4 comments)
This one comes in the form of being amazed at a great old wood fired furnace nestled between two very large boulders. I could only imagine after having this old beauty fired up for a week or two what a thermal sink you would have. Waking to the radiating heat energy provided in an impressive show thermal dynamics. That's if you wake and CO does not get you! Here you see the damper control from the … (4 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Chelan Home and Pest Inspector found footsteps from the past
- 07/02/10 03:58 PM
Chelan Home and Pest Inspector found footsteps from the past During an inspection this Chelan Home and Pest Inspector found footsteps from the past in Palisades Washington. As you enter each home there are surprises to encounter and glimpses of the past. Here we have shoes left from bygone days. Why are they here, attic dance night?
For hundreds and thousands of years people have been stashing things. It has been said that there is more money buried and hidden today, than what's in circulation. That's a bunch of hidden loot. Many times, a spouse, or family members were … (6 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Home and pest inspector in Wenatchee and his software
- 06/28/10 04:45 AM
Home and pest inspector in Wenatchee and his software. As a home and pest inspector in Wenatchee Washington my main product is my report, so this means what software to use, or not use. I have spent many years working with software developers and providers installing systems. This would include small stand alone systems to immense global systems. As in all these cases I wonder if the developer has a good sense of what his user base will need and how they will interface with the software(this includes not using the system as intended). Is the software intuitive, what is the … (2 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Home Inspection in Chelan County and EIFS
- 06/27/10 05:15 PM
Home Inspection in Chelan County and EIFS Performing a home inspection in Chelan County and dealing with EIFS (exterior insulation and finishing system), also known as synthetic stucco. EIFS was created after WWII and became popular in the 80's and 90's as an alternative to traditional stucco. EIFS is more flexible that traditional stucco and easier to work. EIFS usually consists of a sheathing layer, an expanded polystyrene foam board, a glass fiber mesh, a 1/16 to ¼ base coat and then a finish coat. There are slight variations by manufacturers to this basic construct. To identify the material tap on it, … (0 comments)
Wenatchee home inspector, foundation issues and what does it mean. Here we see a good example of a older foundation that is seeing some extensive cracking. Generally horizontal cracking is more serious than vertical cracking. Some of the main causes for such cracking patterns are: Frost Pressure, Wet Soil, Heavy loads next to the building, expansive soils, tree roots or backfilling with large rocks. Implications can vary from insignificant to structural distress and even collapse. Horizontal cracking that is significant needs to be addressed by a specialist. As a Wenatchee home inspector I may … (6 comments)
Wenatchee home Inspections can turn up some interesting finds. While looking at a 1920's home I found this interesting stuff. Here is some insulation from that era, Cedar wood shavings. Old homes have been known to use a variety of different materials such as newspaper, corn cobs, horse hair, rock wool and even seaweed.
There have been some more recent studies on the use of wood byproducts as insulation materials. When thinking about buying an older home you must be ready to make some choices. Many of these older homes need updating in … (5 comments)
As a Wenatchee Home Inspector inspecting new construction homes you may have to look a little harder to find things. I always look for signs of what the builder may have done at the end of the project. Did they go through their punch list properly? Was there items missed, such as electrical runs, plugs in plumbing from testing. Did they hook up the overflow drain? How is the fit and finish? I inspect a new home with higher expectations because no one has had a chance to do anything to the home. Finding … (2 comments)
As a Chelan Home Inspector in Okanogan County I never stop looking for clues. I was doing some work outside of Omak and found this nest of Carpenter ants. Though they have not entered the structure at this time it is something to be aware of. Ants are ingenious creatures and are opportunistic. They can find very inventive ways to enter homes and structures. A few ways to detect them in your home is look for frass (sawdust like shavings), presence of workers wandering around, trails in the yard (they us … (5 comments)
Performing home and pest Inspections in Okanogan County looking for termites is a tricky and time consuming task. Termites are one of the most important structural insect pests in the Washington. Only carpenter ants rival them in importance. Unlike carpenter ants which only live in wood, termites feed on wood. Termite digestive tracts contain microorganisms which allow them to convert the wood (cellulose) into usable food. Most termites normally need moist conditions to start a colony. For subterranean termites, the moisture source usually is the soil. For dampwood termites, the moisture comes from … (2 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Home and Pest Inspector in Douglas County Washington
- 05/14/10 06:28 PM
When working as a Home and Pest Inspector in Douglas County Washington you have to keep your eyes open. I was working on bathroom floor for a relative I went to their shed to grab some supplies. I look up and see a winged worker ant. I grab this little friend and take a good look and sure enough it was a carpenter ant. I look a little closer and see another. I remove some boxes and there is a whole swarm, winged reproductives as well as workers. It's a warm day and it got the nest going. Now it's off … (4 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Wenatchee Home Inspector playing in Sparky’s Place
- 05/09/10 01:46 PM
A Wenatchee Home Inspector playing in Sparky's Place while doing an inspection it is always an adventure. You may never know what you will find there. As a Wenatchee home inspector we are required to look at the electrical panel. This is Sparky's place- the heart of the electrical system. When inspecting electrical panels I will evaluate the overall condition of the panel and ensure that the panel, the main breaker and the main wire feeds all rated for same amperage. You can have many issues in the panel. I look for loose wires, wrong sized breakers for wire size, double … (0 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Wenatchee Washington Home Inspector in Chelan County
- 05/07/10 02:54 PM
As a Wenatchee Washington Home Inspector in Chelan County performing home and pest inspections in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan Counties travel is part of the job. Most clients and realtors only see you when performing the home inspection, which may last from 2-1/2 to three hours or more. But it may have taken me one to two hours to travel there depending where the home is. Then it's back to the office to prepare the report, which will include downloading pictures, doing research and then writing the report. I usually plan on spending the same amount of time preparing the … (2 comments)
douglas county home inspector: Home Inspections in Wenatchee Washington
- 05/06/10 04:28 PM
When looking for Home Inspections in Wenatchee Washington there are always questions to ask about the inspection process. But one main question should be- Does the Home Inspection price include a Structural Pest Inspection (SPI)? Along with the standard home inspection that covers all the main components and systems of a home (e.g. Roof, foundation, heating and cooling) a SPI or pest inspection should be required. As a Home Inspector in Chelan County I know that there are some pests we should be concerned with. These include- Subterranean termites, carpenter ants and now the velvety tree ant, which is starting … (0 comments)
Wenatchee Home Inspection- Water and Ice
;)
;)
;)
