Bellingham WA Home Inspector's Blog -- King of the House Home Inspection

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Home Inspector - King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Home Inspector Lic #207
Steven L. Smith, King of the House Home Inspection, is a licensed and working home inspector and lead instructor of home inspection at Bellingham Technical College. Smith was a two-term member of the WA state licensing board and is adjunct faculty for Washington State University and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. ASHI certified inspector. The information in this blog is designed to appeal to residents of the Pacific Northwest.

ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS

2011 

Sometimes, as a home inspector, the job can be quite involved and a problem might even be hard to figure out -- where is the leak coming from, why is this room humid, what in heck kind of furnace installation it that? But, the good news is that sometimes the home inspector gets to cite something ...
03/30/2011
I field the calls from those individuals who are interested in the state approved home inspector education course that is available through Bellingham Technical College. Last night I received a call from a man in Vancouver, WA. He had been at the state website, which lists the approved education...
03/27/2011
Foundation cracks are something that the professional home inspector has to think about, but not too much usually. There are foundation cracks that can indicate serious problems, certainly the case with horizontal cracks. But many, to most, of the diagonal or vertical cracks that the inspector se...
03/27/2011
The Bellingham Technical College course in the fundamentals of home inspection was the first course in the state to receive approval from the Department of Licensing, real estate division, when home inspector licensing took effect a couple years ago. This course attracts many students, from aroun...
03/26/2011
As a home inspector, at least here in the wet northwest, one learns to pay particular attention to the wood, rafters and fascia at ends and corners of gutters.  Gutters are more prone to leaking at those locations and, when they do, the leaking water will often lead to rot of the wood below. This...
03/26/2011
 Over the past year or two, in this northwest corner of Washington state, I have noticed that I am doing a large number of home inspections for employees of Homeland Security. Here in Whatcom County, WA, we are home to the famous symbol of U.S. and Canada relations -- the Peace Arch. And this is ...
03/25/2011
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As is the case with so many building components, the component or system is only as good as the way in which it has been installed. Frost-free hose bibbs are a great idea. The valve actually shuts-off back in the wall. So when the faucet is turned off, the water near the outside drains out the fr...
03/25/2011
When the inspector is up on the roof, and many people do not know this, he or she is often checking for much more than roofing components. Often chimneys, vents from furnaces and water heaters, electric masts and plumbing stacks are best viewed from up above. The photo below is a plumbing stack t...
03/24/2011
 We are in the final week of the latest home inspection training course at Bellingham Technical College. We have completed all of the 120 hours of state approved classroom lessons. Now we are working hard to complete the 40 hours of field training. The field training includes a small group of stu...
03/24/2011
Manufacturers are, constantly, trying to come up with gutter guards that will make it possible for a homeowner to ignore the state of the gutters. My experience, as a home inspector, is that when there are gutter guards in place they tend to create more problems than they solve. I will agree that...
03/23/2011
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Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector
local_phone(360) 319-0038
smartphone(360) 319-0038
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Steven L. Smith, King of the House Home Inspection, provides information for real estate buyers, sellers and real estate industry professionals. Blog posts emphasize issues commonly found in Bellingham, WA and Whatcom County. Smith is Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #207, a state licensed structural pest inspector, ASHI certified inspector #252760 and one of the most experienced inspectors in the northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest. Steven L. Smith is lead instructor of home inspection at Bellingham Technical College and teaches classes for Washington State University and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Steve was a two-term member of the state licensing board.