The photo below is another example of why an inspector has to look very carefully at things -- especially looking up. That is often a direction that gets less scrutiny than other directions. It is not that your neck binds up or anything, it is just that an inspector is often looking out and down
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08/12/2008
There was a very good blog today by Charlie Buell that involved minimum standards of inspection. You can read it here. My blog today is related to that. In his article, Charlie was specifically explaining how minimum standards sometimes ignore the requirements for a firewall, probably the most
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08/11/2008
I am going to Canada today. This will be the fourth time that my wife and I, with friends, have attended the Annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival. Since we live in Bellingham, we are only about 50 miles south of Burnaby. This festival is a great nearby venue for those of us who live near the b
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08/10/2008
This photo is from Whatcom County, Bellingham area, but it could be anywhere USA. There was discussion the other day regarding a deck I inspected that was 24" off the ground and it had no steps and no guardrail. The photo below is a finished deck, that meets code by being under the radar. It was
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08/10/2008
The first meeting of the Washington State Home Inspector Licensing Board was today in Renton. All seven members of the board were present. Bruce MacKintosh of Woodinville was unanimously elected as the board chair. Michael O' Handley of Kenmore was unanimously elected as the vice-chair. There are
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08/07/2008
If you lived in the last century, you probably know that Barry White was known as the king of seduction. In theory, when he tuned up and started singing, all the barriers came falling down. Lives were changed, children conceived. That is what "they" say, whoever "they" might be. Well, I could not
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08/07/2008
This might shock you, but here is a classic instance of duct tape failing. Is it possible? Yes, as every home inspector knows the worst thing on earth to do with duct tape is to use it to tape ducts. This was a flex duct from a laundry fan. At this home one bath fan, and this laundry fan were not
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08/05/2008
Bands from the Pacific Northwest are credited with having had much to do with the proliferation of what were termed "garage bands" back in the 1960's. Bands such as Seattle's Fabulous Wailers and the Sonics, were among the best known in the genre. One of the first really big garage bands, that en
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08/04/2008
We home inspectors see accordion style flimsy flex duct over and over again on dryers and air-handling equipment. I would say that it is present in 90% of homes that I inspect. In newer homes it is often a short length behind a dryer. It does not go through the wall but connects to smooth metal d
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08/04/2008
In this photo we have the goal, getting warm, moist air out of the attic, and we have the target -- the gable vent. Problem is, we have bad aim. The problem here is that we just have a scatter-shot. Most of that high humidity is going to end up in the attic, not outside. This is just not close en
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08/03/2008
