Home Inspection Training -- Bellingham - 03/31/08 10:46 PM
A week or so back, I announced that home inspection training would begin at Bellingham Technical College on March 31. This is an adjustment to that schedule. Instead, the program will be conducted in Bellingham beginning two weeks later starting on April 14, 2008. This was done as a matter of … (6 comments)
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Illegal Aliens Welcomed On Bellingham Bay - 03/31/08 06:33 PM
I have been busy the last few days between work and writing a second meme. However, I am never too busy to occasionally take a walk. While we had snow on Saturday, today has been a mixed bag. We went from sunshine and warm temperatures -- lawn mowing weather, to rain. … (5 comments)
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Hosebibb -- Two Or More Problems - 03/27/08 03:19 PM
A hosebibb, such as the outside faucet shown below, has a number of vulnerabilities. First, let's talk about freezing. This is not a frost-free installation. In the winter, water would stay in the pipe not only below ground but in all of the exposed pipe that is above ground. If, in … (9 comments)
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Wood to Earth Contact - 03/27/08 02:55 PM
The photo above is a commonly seen issue for the home inspector. At least I know that is true in the Pacific Northwest. What you see there is the post at a deck. It is buried in the soil. The problem is our old nemesis known as wood to earth … (0 comments)
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Stressed-out Decks - 03/27/08 02:21 PM
The deck below is the final blog related to an earlier post about tall trees near homes and how that impacts roofs and decks. The wood at this deck, at the time of the inspection, was still in satisfactory condition. At least, based on what a person could see under the … (0 comments)
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Roofs That Can't Drain - 03/27/08 02:11 PM
Earlier today I posted a blog dealing with large trees near homes. In that, I described that a primary consideration for the home inspector is the amount of organic debris such a tree will drop onto the roof. Most homes I see have low-sloped or sloped roofs. When roofs that are … (2 comments)
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Your Roots Aren't Showing - 03/27/08 01:48 PM
Actually, the tree in the photo above does not support the home. It is a few feet to the south of the house but you would not know it from the photo. This tree presents a few potential problems. Some of those I will address in this blog and other problems … (3 comments)
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Doing Goofy Stuff With Baseboard Heaters - 03/25/08 10:06 AM
Sometimes I wonder how so many people live their lives with electric baseboard heaters without catching something on fire. I will admit it, personally, that it can be easy to do something dumb with a baseboard. Years ago I was working at a rental property I own and left the … (4 comments)
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Sweating Windows - 03/25/08 12:08 AM
Yesterday I wrote about mobile homes and the fact they really do need to have a vapor barrier underneath them. Mobile homes, especially the older ones, were noted for poor windows. This had to do with leaks and also it involved missing thermal breaks in the old metal windows. Charlie Buell says … (0 comments)
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Washington State Home Inspector Training - 03/23/08 01:27 PM
Things will be changing in Washington State, now that a home inspector licensing law has been passed and signed by the Governor. The way it will all come out, ultimately, is going to be determined to a large degree by the home inspector licensing board. At this point, while generally … (2 comments)
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Mobile Homes: Vapor Barrier Vs Vapor Barrier - 03/23/08 12:07 PM
Mobile and manufactured homes have some oddities of construction compared to stick-built homes. One of those, that is often misunderstood, is the issue of the "vapor barrier." Under a conventional home, everybody knows what we are talking about when we discuss the crawl space vapor barrier -- the plastic sheet … (0 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Electric System Grounds - 03/22/08 12:10 PM
The photo below is of a grounding electrode that was never fully pounded down into the soil. We wonder why. Did they hit a rock down there, so they could not get it to go any farther, or did the installer just decide it was in deep enough? … (2 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Wood Eating Plants - 03/22/08 12:02 PM
The little window box below could be hiding problems. People are so tempted to hang large and small planters on the side of the house. Heck, I have a rental house with a planter outside one window. If this is done correctly, which it seldom is, fewer problems will result. … (4 comments)
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Bzzzzzzzzzzz - 03/22/08 11:02 AM
One thing people often do not think about is bees, the bad kind, gaining access to the attic area. I work with one realtor who looks for gaps from the outside to the attic while I am doing the rest of the inspection. I asked him why that is of … (4 comments)
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Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Smoke Detectors - 03/20/08 01:34 AM
The photo above is a common sight for the home inspector. The smoke detector is missing in the line of duty. Poof and it was gone! Why, well there are many reasons for this. One of the most common is that the battery is weak, it starts squeaking and it … (3 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Crawl Space Vent Problems - 03/20/08 01:26 AM
If you look at the photo below, you should see three problems. Now, two of the problems are pretty much the same thing, just 2x the problem. The other problem is related, but different.
Here goes: First the different problem -- The screen is torn out of the vent on … (1 comments)
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Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Garage Door Safety - 03/20/08 01:06 AM
Doors that close automatically, by powered devices, present safety problems for children and pets. For these devices to be considered safe, it is essential that there be a safety feature that will stop and reverse them. The classic example, that we get involved with in real estate, is the overhead … (2 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Deck Flashings - 03/18/08 08:33 PM
No flashing! That is something that inspectors see over and over again at decks that attach to the exterior of the home. When the inspector states that there is no flashing and one is needed, virtually all sellers claim it is not necessary and they never heard of such a thing. … (4 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Wood Decay - 03/18/08 08:17 PM
Okay, I admit it, there is wood here. But what a mess it is. Take a look at those joists that are being beaten by our weather here in the Pacific Northwet. When you see these you realize why an inspector likes to see a deck with a sub-structure built of pressure-treated lumber. … (5 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Debris on Roofs - 03/16/08 05:27 PM
It was a cold and rainy night. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have many conditions that lead to a high risk of roof leaks and water damage in the attic or in the home. Those conditions include lots of tall trees that shade a roof and, more significantly, they shed … (3 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Coiled and Ready to Strike - 03/16/08 04:55 PM
The menace is there, almost in plain sight, but not quite -- slightly concealed. It is not unlike a tightly coiled rattlesnake waiting to strike, except the snake will give you it's telltale warning, a rattle, that your life might be in peril. Not so with the danger that is … (9 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Old Codes vs New Codes - 03/13/08 02:55 PM
A home inspector seldom specifies something as a code issue. There are legal reasons for this. However, that does not mean that an inspector does not know a number of codes and is looking out for violations, especially with safety issues. Unless a major renovation is underway, codes are not … (3 comments)
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The Home Inspector As The Storyteller - 03/13/08 02:28 PM
A reference was made today, in a blog, to the home inspector as a storyteller. I look upon writing a report in much that manner. While not always possible, it is my goal to get the point across, good or bad, with detailed descriptions and interesting photos. Where possible, I … (0 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Venting Fans in Attics - 03/13/08 02:10 PM
The photo below left is an example of the way some people vent exhaust fans from bathrooms, laundry rooms or even range hoods. They duct the fan to the attic, but instead of having a proper hood on the roof, they tie the duct in the general vicinity of a roof … (2 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Skylight Thinks About Leaking - 03/13/08 01:53 PM
You might argue that a skylight does not "think". That well may be true but I would argue that if a skylight could think, this one would be thinking about leaking. I know a roofer who says that there are two types of skylights: "Those that are leaking and those that are … (2 comments)
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Let There Be Light - 03/13/08 11:33 AM
Lights, and determining if they operate, can be problematic for the home inspector. In old homes, and new homes, there might be combinations of burned out bulbs or missing bulbs. Also, light switches are unidentified (as in not labeled) so sometimes when a switch does not operate it can be … (4 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- The Furnace Requires Service - 03/12/08 06:52 PM
Gas and oil furnace manufacturers recommend that a furnace have professional service by an HVAC professional each year. That applies to a new furnace, after it has been in for a single year. That does not mean that it should be run for the first five years, then it gets … (4 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Blowin' Hot Air - 03/10/08 05:58 PM
If you have ever been in a new home and saw that 24 hour timer on the wall of the bathroom or the laundry room, then you are probably looking at the 24 hour ventilation system. These systems are designed to be set to operate automatically. This is done with one or … (10 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Floor Slope - 03/10/08 05:42 PM
It is pretty common, in older homes, for buyers to notice or speculate that floor slope is present. This can be caused by many factors, from settling to wood destroying organism damage to workers that did not spend too much time looking at "level". An inspector, or anyone, who wants some … (2 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) -- That's a No No! - 03/10/08 04:33 PM
The photo below, from a recent home inspection, is a classic example of the attic insulation being poured in around old knob and tube wiring. Knob and tube wiring, at least in the modern day, is problematic even at best. Many insurers do not want to insure homes with old knob … (0 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- The Care And Feeding Of Wood Destroying Organisms - 03/10/08 03:26 PM
As a working home inspector, and a Washington State licensed structural pest inspector, I find numerous wood destroying organisms sharing residences with the mortgage paying, tax paying homeowners. The various wood destroying organisms are not helping pay the mortgage or the taxes but they are having a significant impact on the … (0 comments)
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Hang Low If You Are Looking To Ruin The Roof - 03/09/08 11:52 PM
Here is a case where the various service wires to the home were not sufficiently above the roof. The electric service wires were slightly above the roof but the wires to the cable to the right obviously did some real rocking during strong winds. And, as I recall, the electric line was … (0 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Posts and Piers - 03/07/08 07:36 PM
It seems like it is a no-brainer that a house needs to have adequate support underneath it. This photo is an example of the sort of thing a home inspector sees more often than you would expect. Many times what would traditionally be posts on poured footings are home-concocted piers … (5 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- A Most Common Problem - 03/07/08 07:07 PM
If somebody was to ask me to name the most common thing that I find at home inspections, I would have to ponder it a bit. And I am sure that answer varies in different parts of the country. In the Pacific Northwet we probably see more than our share of … (0 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) When The Figurin' Comes Easy - 03/07/08 06:45 PM
The photos below tell an interesting story. Sometimes it is hard to decipher or forecast all the ins and outs of a potential problem. Then there are times when the figuring comes easy. Case in point -- The gutters and downspouts at this home were, generally, well controlled as far … (2 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): What's Knot -- LP Siding - 03/07/08 06:07 PM
I have written about this topic before, but then I have an experience that makes me think I had better write about it again. It seems like old hat to me, but that is not the case. Yesterday I was doing an inspection and a friendly appraiser was on-site. He … (2 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Roofing Tar - 03/07/08 12:42 AM
The condition shown in the photo is not ordinarily seen by prospective buyers. Why? Because it is up on the roof where they dare not tread. When an inspector sees tar applied like this, it is a warning sign of amateur repairs. A real roofer uses tar more like glue … (6 comments)
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Home Inspector Training Bellingham, WA - 03/05/08 11:32 AM
For those of you in Washington State, who are not aware of it, both the state senate and the house are close to agreeing on new licensing requirements for home inspectors. It looks like passage is a foregone conclusion at this time after years of bickering.
The new rules would require people … (0 comments)
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Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Unsafe Wiring - 03/05/08 01:12 AM
This photo was "officially" a professional installation. I criticized it and it ends up that it was, honestly, a water heater installed by a licensed plumber. Now, he did this bang-up job in his own home, so he must have lower standards for personal safety. This guy might have been a plumbing … (2 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Clogged Flex Drain - 03/03/08 11:33 PM
One thing I like about blogging is it lets me obtain extra value from some of my inspection photos. I will think "gee, that is a great topic for a blog and a descriptive or neat photo." On site, it gives me something to look forward to -- using the … (4 comments)
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Bellingham WA Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Escutcheons - 03/02/08 08:18 PM
One of the most common problems I see in bathtub inspections is the issue of a great big gap behind the spout. This big gap, see first photo below, is a marvelous opportunity for water from a shower to get down into the wall and that is not where you … (4 comments)
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Pacific Northwest Home Inspection (King of the House): Moisture Ant Infestation - 03/01/08 01:09 PM
Actually, we probably would rather live without moisture ants, but they are an important part of nature -- turning old wood back into soil. As a home inspector and a licensed structural pest inspector, I often see ants or, better yet, ants on the march. Fact of the matter is, the … (33 comments)
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