Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Carpenter Ant Infestation - 02/29/08 04:25 PM
I was up in Point Roberts, WA. Interesting place, trees all around and many vacation homes. Because of the wooded landscape, it is common to find carpenter ants. Carpenter ants often have nests in nearby trees or old stumps or even old wood below grade so if a person lives … (10 comments)
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Choking the Attic and Roof - 02/29/08 12:28 PM
A key element to maintaining the integrity of most roofing materials, and the attic below, is sufficient ventilation. Ideally this is provided by upper ventilation and lower ventilation. Soffit venting is lower ventilation. Sometimes the soffit vents are correctly installed, but those people who install the insulation end up blocking the … (0 comments)
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New Homes, Forgotten Tasks - 02/29/08 12:16 PM
There is, periodically, a discussion about whether or not there is a point in having a home inspection at a brand new home. My experience has shown me that the answer is a resounding "yes." The most serious problem I have found at new homes involves significant standing water in the … (2 comments)
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Stranger Than Fiction - 02/26/08 12:00 PM
The photo below has to be the weirdest window repair I have ever seen. At least it is the weirdest one I have seen that satisfied the homeowner. I have seen rotten and loose windows, people planned to repair down the line, but the seller of the home thought this was A-okay … (9 comments)
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A Termite Manifesto: The Stranger Among Us - 02/26/08 11:25 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, practically speaking, we have two types of termites to look out for on inspections. And, if you are in the Bellingham area, despite the propaganda you might hear to the contrary-- Yes, we too have termites!
The first, and uncommon in most parts of the country, … (6 comments)
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Look To The Sky My Friend - 02/26/08 10:08 AM
When a home inspector looks for leaks, where pipes and vents exit the roof, it can be a subtle process. If there is an accessible attic, the inspector will try to look around these appurtenances (big fancy word for stuff coming out of the roof). Another method, done in virtually every … (0 comments)
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Not Subtle If You Look - 02/26/08 09:50 AM
Realtors in our wet Pacific Northwest are usually expecting an inspection report to mention something about gutter or downspout problems -- gutters full of leaves, gutter leaks, downspouts draining on the siding or next to the house. Sometimes agents will, visually, take a look at gutters as they walk around the … (2 comments)
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Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House): Pest Inspector Methodology - 02/22/08 03:13 PM
When performing a structural pest inspection, an inspector is likely to "sound the wood." The basic idea is two fold. One possibility is that the wood will, hence the name, "sound" different if it is damaged, hollow, soft. This is a technique that works quite well on exterior logs on log … (5 comments)
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Botched Up At the End - 02/22/08 12:29 PM
Inspectors see any number of decks. Some are well built. In this wet climate, we like to see the structure built out of pressure treated lumber and concrete piers that isolate wood from soil. As the composite deckings get better looking, to look much like wood, they are becoming more common. … (2 comments)
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Mount Baker Home Inspector (King of the House): Uncontrolled Runoff Water - 02/22/08 12:12 PM
There is a tendency, when homes or cabins are at alpine regions, to ignore the runoff water from the roof. That means, they do not bother installing gutters and downspouts. The argument against them, by those who do not install them, is that the gutters can be bent, damaged or torn off the … (1 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Coffee And A Light - 02/22/08 12:19 AM
I saw a recent blog about can-lights written by Charles Buell. He was explaining the finer points of can-lights, inspecting can-lights, and can-light safety. In the comments, he and another AR member were talking about safety features found in some can-lights -- that cause them to shutdown if the bulb is overrated … (2 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Two Problems, One Attic - 02/21/08 04:48 PM
This is an interesting photo in that there are two problems, or at least possible problems. The knob and tube wiring, which had been modified in various places, is the most obvious problem. Some insurance companies will still cover knob and tube wiring (with a higher premium) but many of the … (2 comments)
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Whatcom County Home Inspections (King of the House): Scenes From This Old House - 02/21/08 10:54 AM
This Old House -- a famous song and a famous expression. As a home inspector, I see lots of old houses. The one below was a classic example of a 100 year old plus farm house that had been built and lived in over all those years. The modifications and repairs were not always, in fact seldom, done … (5 comments)
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Blaine WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Oh Rats! - 02/19/08 10:55 PM
It is odd. People do not want rodents in their homes. Yet they often fail to do something as simple as putting one plus one together. That something simple is realizing that rodents are going to enter a crawl space when they have a window of opportunity, such as through numerous holes … (4 comments)
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Home Inspection: It's All About Straightening The Pictures On The Wall - 02/17/08 05:22 PM
The title of this blog is deceptive, down right silly -- if you know anything about the scope of a home inspection. Silly as that title above might be, it is apparent to any working inspector that some naive sellers are under the false impression that the home inspector comes to a house to … (40 comments)
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Ferndale WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Disconnected Heat Ducts - 02/14/08 02:40 PM
The photo below gives an example of a problem detected upstairs, that would be hard to impossible to troubleshoot without going into the crawl space. I was at an older home and had my laser thermometer out testing the accessible heat supply registers -- while the furnace was running of course. … (6 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Subtle Diversions - 02/14/08 02:25 PM
Many aspects of home inspection involve common sense. That does not, however, mean that the decisions an inspector makes are always obvious. That is especially true when dealing with electrical, HVAC or plumbing issues. This blog is about a common sense concern, but one that the average person does not … (2 comments)
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This One Curled My Hair And Gave Me A Charge! - 02/14/08 01:43 PM
I found something at an inspection the other day that was not only dangerous, but pretty illogical too. This was another house where a "builder" had been doing his own projects. He might have been a builder, but an electrician he was not. The photo to the left is an AC … (8 comments)
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Manufacturer's Recommendation: Repair With Duct Tape! - 02/14/08 11:56 AM
I know an individual who, sarcastically and with a smirk, makes fun of duct tape repairs. Can you imagine that -- making sport of the greatest repair miracle cure of the past 100 years. It is a product well known around the world, and in Canada too. This same person is a … (10 comments)
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Black Widow Spiders In Western Washington! - 02/12/08 10:12 AM
I have to admit, as a Washingtonian all my life, I have always thought that the only place a person would find black widows spiders would be east of the mountains, as in eastern Washington. Those of us born and raised here know that the "serious" spiders and snakes are found on … (7 comments)
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Big, Mean, Nasty Termites: At Least They Are Not In Your House - 02/11/08 10:34 PM
As a home inspector, who also teaches a class in wood destroying organisms through the state college system in Washington State, I always take a camera along with me on hikes or vacations. I have some cool, and very illustrative, photos that I have taken of all kinds of wood problems, … (5 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): New Home Inspection Issues - 02/11/08 11:17 AM
This is probably a surprise to most people, it was to me the first few times I saw it. I am referring to the number of times in new houses, where the heat ducts have not been hooked together or, if they have, they have come loose. Sometimes I think it … (5 comments)
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Garage and Appliance Safety - 02/11/08 09:39 AM
I would not say that this is a frequently seen problem on my inspections, but it certainly is not uncommon either. This is a new house and nobody bothered to put in a barrier to keep someone from accidentally running into the water heater. A metal bollard (post) should be put … (1 comments)
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Homeowners Doing Crazy Things With Trees - 02/10/08 04:10 PM
Earlier today I posted a photo of a nice tree house. In thinking about that, I started reflecting on any other unorthodox uses for trees, that are nuts, insane or crazy that I have seen on real, honest to goodness home inspections. Unfortunately, back when I did this inspection, I was not … (4 comments)
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Is This An Exception To The Rule -- Does This House Really Need an Inspection? - 02/10/08 03:33 PM
I probably should have saved this post until April fools day. But, then again, I was browsing through my photos today and ran across it. Actually, I was looking for it a few weeks back and could not locate it. So, since it was in my grubby little home inspector paws … (11 comments)
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Lynden Home Inspector (King of the House): Right Idea, Bad Implementation - 02/09/08 10:56 AM
The photo below is amusing in a way. This crawl space vent well was put in, somewhere down the line, by a person who knew that crawl space vents need to be protected from runoff water and being blocked by soil. To achieve that goal, the person put in a vent … (5 comments)
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Lynden Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Carbon Monoxide: The Odorless, Silent Killer - 02/08/08 06:46 PM
You might think, from the title of this blog, that I am planning to write about high blood pressure, diabetes or another one of the well publicized medical conditions that we hear about on a daily basis. However, this article specifically refers to a serious condition that can exist in homes … (7 comments)
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Everson WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl Space Debris - 02/07/08 12:12 PM
Earlier today I wrote about old roof debris and the huge mess it creates in an attic. At that time I eluded to a different, but similar, scenario in the crawl space. In the crawl space the builders will often leave the old wood forms around the poured footings or piers. … (4 comments)
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Bellingham WA home Inspector (King of the House): Attic Debris - 02/07/08 12:02 PM
So the owner of the home is really proud of the new roof that replaced the old wood shake or shingle roof. The owner says it was a major improvement and, in fact, it probably was. Then the home inspector goes into the attic. This is another of those things an inspector … (2 comments)
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Blaine WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Want Mold? Baby -- You Got It! - 02/06/08 12:48 PM
There have been a number of posts lately about mold. Home inspectors see mold all the time, in varying degrees. Sometimes it is widespread but usually it is in a localized area and it does not take an Einstein to determine the cause. And, one thing is certain, mold is ALWAYS, in … (2 comments)
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Sumas WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Crawl Space Water - 02/05/08 03:29 PM
Here in the Pacific Northwest, from about September through March or April, the home inspector is likely to see a number of crawl spaces, or even basements, with the affliction shown below. Water in the crawl space or basement is a conducive condition and, need I say more, very bad for … (8 comments)
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Monty Python Trees - 02/05/08 02:28 PM
I remember in one of the old Monty Python movies, there were trees that would reach out and grab people. I kind of felt like that when I saw this tree. This is one of the best examples I have seen of a tree, at a main public street, that has … (5 comments)
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Romans Knew Thy Wood - 02/05/08 09:44 AM
I was pondering Charlie Buell's blog called "What Would Impress The Romans" and thought I would pull out a couple photos of Roman work that impressed me. This is the bottom of an ancient Roman-built building in Bologna Italy. Bologna, like much of Italy, was run, or overrun, by Romans (or Greeks) at one … (2 comments)
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Antique Modern - 02/05/08 09:15 AM
I ran across this photo this morning. It is one that came from my trip to Italy last fall. We were standing on top of a hill, looking down on the city of Verona, and I saw this power pole. It had the old glass insulators. I have seen a number … (3 comments)
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Everson WA Home Inspector (King of the House): The Picture Conveys A Thousand Words - 02/03/08 07:41 PM
I have gotten many gasps, comments and mileage from the photo of the fresh water supply that is pictured below. In fact, a few weeks back it helped me tie for number one in the "bozo bathroom" awards here at Active Rain. (I would have won outright, but the other party, who … (2 comments)
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Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House): Oh Lordy! My Fungus Has Turned Green - 02/03/08 12:19 PM
People in the Pacific Northwest sometimes feel like they are living in a rain forest. And, of course, some parts of the region are in rain forests. The rest of us, who are not in rain forests, still have lots of rain. Moisture and shade, that leads to a lack … (5 comments)
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Daydreaming In A Perfect World - 02/03/08 11:16 AM
I am writing this blog in winter. For some reason, the best days for daydreaming are considered to be those heady days of summer. A person, thinking of daydreaming, will picture the student stuck in the classroom with the warm weather just outside.
I believe that one of the main reasons a … (3 comments)
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