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nickelsen home inspections: Roof (Attic) Vents - Fastening/Nailing/Stapling in the Field/Flange - Proper/Improper and Ramifications - One Roof - 7 Years Old - 04/07/12 03:53 PM
I am regularly finding roof vents installed improperly. In this area, I would say that at least 80-90% of them are installed improperly by nailing or stapling them in the flange/field, even though there are clearly pilot holes/key holes that are made for this and even though most of the vents clearly say not to do this right on them.
This is how it should be properly installed:
This is how they should not be installed:
This is what can happen if they are not installed properly:
This is a good example of a roof vent properly installed lasting 20 … (3 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Development of the Old Downtown Vancouver Burgerville, Stuck in Limbo - 03/23/12 09:33 AM
It was so sad to see one of the original Burgervilles torn down this last year. How many times I ate there as a kid! How many times I took my own kids there! And, with call in orders, how many times I called (on speed dial) their store when I was passing by around lunch time while on my way to my next appointment.
Sad as well is to drive by the site and see absolutely nothing being done with it.
The Columbian reports that development for the site, which is earmarked for a 16 million dollar, 92-unit apartment complex … (1 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Clark County Parade of Homes - 03/23/12 09:26 AM
March 5, - The Columbian (Vancouver, WA ) Homebuilders will showcase two concepts at this year’s 2012 Parade of Homes, a September showcase of spacious models overlooking the Columbia River and smaller abodes built with eco-friendly practices. They’ll break ground Thursday on the first of those concepts.
“We really have two different audiences” in the market for houses, said Jim Beriault, a promoter of the annual event, organized by the 800-member Building Industry Association of Clark County. (For more of this article, please see: http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/mar/05/parade-of-homes-focus-luxury-green/)
The Clark County Parade of Homes is a great opportunity to see the latest trends in design … (0 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Realtor Referral Misnomers and Washington State Laws - 03/21/12 08:01 PM
Just about 2-3 times a week I get a contact from a client who says, "My relator gave me a list of inspectors and said that it was against the Law for her to refer one, so I am contacting everyone on the list," or "I asked my realtor for a home inspection referral and she said it was against the Law for her to refer anyone, so I found you on the internet," or I will hear from a realtor that "It is against the Law for me to refer a single home inspector" or "it is against the Law … (8 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Common Problem on Bank Owned Properties or Vacant Short Sales: The Damaged Garage Door - 02/12/12 01:34 AM
The proliferation of vacant homes in the last few years, due to foreclosure and shortsale (when vacant), has led to a subsequent proliferation in particular problems. I could list dozens of issues that are more common on such properties, but one that I wanted to mention is "the damaged garage door".
General bank owned properties, HUD properties, Fanny or Freddy properties, etc. will be winterized after they are taken over, and many of the winterization companies or others involved in the property will put locks on the garage door tracks or if the door has a lock on it they … (2 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Drip Edge Flashing - 01/04/12 08:25 PM
Drip edge flashing, while not technically "required" in most municipalities, is a good idea, and if it isn't present I will often find problems on homes. Subsequently, whether there are problems or not, I will always call out missing drip edge flashing (with a couple notable exceptions...) in a home inspection report.
But first, what is drip edge flashing?
Drip edge flashing tucks up under the shingles, resting on top of the roof decking/sheathing (which also happens to be, in this case, the top side of the "eave"...), then angles down over the gutter providing an "edge" for water to … (3 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Should Homes In the Pacific Northwest (OR/WA) on the West Side of the Mountains Use Foundation Vent Foam Blocks? - 01/04/12 03:02 PM
No.
Not at all, generally speaking...
It is quite common for me to go to homes where foundation vent blocks are being used. Sometimes these blocks are actually "flaps" which are built in to the vent screen framing, and others are Styrofoam blocks that people found at Home Depot. Other people block their foundation vents with towels, wood, or bury them entirely (which is kind of another issue).
Don't do it if you live on the west side of the mountains in Washington or Oregon, from at least Eugene, Oregon to Seattle WA (generally speaking).
Blocking your foundation vents … (1 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Over 50% High Radon Levels Found in Months of December and January (2011/12) - 01/02/12 10:49 PM
With the radon tests collected today (among those I collected and set), I have now moved into the 50+% (percentage) for homes that have high levels of radon (meaning >4pCi/l). One this morning was on a house in Portland that had levels of 9.7pCi/l, and, as mentioned, over 50% of the homes I have performed radon testing on in the greater Portland Metro area and SW Washington in December 2011 and January 2012 have elevated levels of radon, with over 25% of those having levels over 7pCi/l.
Per the EPA, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in … (2 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: National Radon Action Month - 01/02/12 12:24 AM
JANUARY 2012 IS THE NATIONAL RADON ACTION MONTH, AND THE VIDEO ABOVE HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO ACCOMPANY THIS YEAR'S AWARENESS MONTH. IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD YOUR HOME PROFESSIONALLY TESTED FOR RADON, CONSIDER DOING SO THIS MONTH. YOU NEVER KNOW: IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE OR THE LIFE OF THOSE YOU LOVE...
… (0 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Words of Wisdom - One Life - 01/02/12 12:07 AM
You have exactly one life in which you will do everything that you will EVER do.
Act accordingly.
… (4 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: More Elevated Radon Levels in Clark County - Not Near The River - 01/01/12 02:53 AM
Got another radon test back today with an elevated reading, with some spikes over 17pCi/l (over 4.25 times the EPA's remediation/action level). This was on another home in Clark County *no where near the Columbia River* (since there are some who suggest that it is only an issue in the most sourthern portion of Clark County).. A fixable issue, but something you will not know about unless you have the home tested. Let me know if you want me to test your home! The method and testing equipment we use is not something you can purchase yourself.
Hope you all have … (1 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: KGW Reports that the Portland Housing Market is Close to Bottom - 12/22/11 04:05 PM
"WEST LINN, Ore. -- There is talk the housing market may be on the way back up.
Construction, homes sales and prices are all up. It's giving Wall Street and the economy an early Christmas present. This time of year, the real estate market is in limbo. But, this November and December in West Linn, several home builders are busy again with new construction. Some are building on spec. That hasn't happened in years. "They are buyers out there and everybody wants new construction," said Shawn Gentemann, owner of Park Place Homes.In the Portland metro area, construction is up for apartment buildings as well as … (0 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: 90 Day Flip Waiver for FHA Expires 12.31.2011 - 12/22/11 03:48 PM
Via Chris Berg at Envoy Mortgage: "As you may have heard the FHA 90 day flip waiver expires on 12/31/11. As of today the waiver HAS NOT been extended. This means that any borrowers or listings you have where the subject property has been owned by the seller for less than 90 days will need to take action."
Related, did you know that in Washington State if you flip a house within one year, you have to have a general contractor's license? That is strange... WA Law House Bill 1843, Ch. 436.
Other than that, ejoy the sunshine … (0 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: What To Look for in a New Home Walk Through - 09/17/11 04:36 PM
Great article from the Chicago Tribune:
You won't believe the stuff Jay Markanich has seen on his rounds as a home inspector.
Among other things: exhaust fans that vent to nowhere, faulty drain line connections that will surely leak, drywall screws that are used for everything but their intended purpose, insulation thrown into wall cavities but not stapled to the studs, decks so riddled with nails shot from power guns that they cause the wood to split.
The kicker? This is new construction. Not remodeling projects, but brand-new houses that have never been lived in. (read more here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/buy/sc-cons-0915-new-home-inspect-20110916,0,1118521.story)
If you … (1 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: No Flashing and No Caulking on Cement Fiber Lap Siding at the Field Joints: OK? - 09/16/11 02:06 PM
I recently did an inspection on a home built in the early 1990's that had cement fiber lap siding on it. It is doubtful (well, it isn't doubful, but definite) that the home originally had LP - Louisiana Pacific siding on it: the so called "first generation" LP siding, which was involved in litigation for its propensity to failure. I see this often. Why is it replaced? Most of the time it is replacd because the siding was decaying, but that is not what I wanted to discuss in this post.
Hardie Plank (which this siding does not appear … (0 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: 20 Things to Look for In a Home Inspection - 09/16/11 12:36 AM
Mark Weisleder wrote an article titled “20 Things to Look for in a Home Inspection”, which appeared online at the online article Moneyville (http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1050873--20-things-to-look-for-in-a-home-inspection?bn=1), September of 2011. Mr. Weisleder’s article is full of recommendations for consumers when buying a home, but the article is a bit unclear as to whether he expects home inspectors or home buyer’s to carry out his recommendations. The lack of clarity, combined with some concerns over his recommendations, prompted my response. The entire article can be found above, but I have included it here as well, unabridged, with my commentary intertwined. My comments will be in … (1 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Don't Need That Nice 10 Year Old Home Inspected? - 09/10/11 09:22 PM
It is pretty common to hear, "my client isn't going to get an inspection because the house is new", "... because it is only a few years old", "...because it is 10 years old." First, no sweat off my back. Really isn't. The services are available for those who need them and find value in them. These are the people that are good to work for: people who dismiss the process to begin with are often more difficult to work for. :-) But, it is a bad idea. The example below is certainly not typical, but the point is that you don't … (2 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Carpenter Ants Take Up Residence In... - 09/10/11 08:45 PM
Inspection in Long Beach, WA a few years back revealed something very interesting... upon entry into the crawl space there was a fine dust, but it wasn't dust that appeared to have come from wood. Looking up, all we could see was aluminum faced foam insulation. While the inspection process typically doesn't "disturb insulation", as the Standards of Practice say, there was something that didn't seem right and our curiosity got the better of us. We pulled back the facing to reveal thousands of Carpenter Ants which had decided to take up residence in the foam insulation.
… (3 comments)
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nickelsen home inspections: Photo Diary: Catching Beauty in Ordinary Things - 09/10/11 04:08 PM
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nickelsen home inspections: Photo Diary: Bad Ideas - 09/10/11 12:02 AM
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Justin Nickelsen, CMI - (p 360.907.9648) Vancouver/Portland/WA/OR Home Inspector
Vancouver,
WA
More about me…
NICKELSEN HOME INSPECTIONS - Vancouver WA Home Inspector
Address: PO Box 872862, Vancouver, WA, 98687
Office Phone: (503) 502-1495
Cell Phone: (360) 907-9648
Email Me
Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC is proud to be performing home inspections in all of the Clark County Washington and the Greater Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA metro areas. We specialize in offering a complete inspection process, from the inspection to the report, on site and in an expedient yet thorough manner. Prior to taking on the form of Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC in 2005, Inspection Consulting was one of the original home inspection companies in Clark County. We have collectively performed over 10,000 home inspections in the last 12 years, and we put all of this experience to work for you.
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If you need a home inspector in Vancouver WA, or anywhere in SW Washington and NW Oregon, Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC will offer you the most experience, the best service, and we guarantee it!
Call Today:
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OR: 503.502.1495
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