arlington home inspector: Human Betrayed By Water Heater
- 01/10/08 09:23 AM
This is a photo of an unfinished basement (lucky) that was victim to a sudden and unexpected water heater leak. The tank had a small leak one day, a plumber was contracted to get a new tank installed but, before that could be done the tank developed a major leak. The tank was trying to heat water, which was running out of it just about as fast as it went in. In this case, being in an unfinished basement, it was an inconvenience and not a homeowner disaster. On the other hand, had it been in a finished room of the … (8 comments)
arlington home inspector: Classic Damage -- L-P Siding
- 01/09/08 01:58 PM
For some reason, not sure why, I have been seeing a number of homes lately with L-P innerseal siding. This is the OSB (oriented strand board) installed prior to 1996. The photo below is a great photo of the siding in distress. It is de-laminating. Frankly, when it starts going it is much like cardboard -- it just pulls apart. There is an installation problem here that is often the case. The siding had its share of problems to start with so, when it is not correctly installed, that makes those problems even more pronounced. In this case, there is no trim … (3 comments)
arlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Evidence of Leaks
- 01/01/08 11:35 AM
A home inspector needs to, consciously, look at upper wall and ceiling areas. Sometimes it seems like an inspector is so busy running around looking at things that are eye level and below, that one might forget to look up above. Ceilings are a primary place to find signs of past water damage. This is usually related to roof leaks or, sometimes, water from an upstairs bathroom or even a burst pipe. Water damage should be suspected, and looked for, especially if the roof has problems. I pay particular attention under flat and low-sloped roofs. One thing to remember is that, usually, just because … (8 comments)
arlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Lack of Flashing
- 12/31/07 06:10 AM
Although at times it seems redundant, I am not sure that an inspector can overemphasize the importance of having a proper metal flashing at a deck that attaches to the exterior wall of the home. As a review, the flashing goes up under the siding, then comes down over the ledger board. The decking boards go over the top of that. Then, there should be a gap between the decking and the siding. That keeps water from collecting on the horizontal surface and then wicking up into the siding. The metal flashing is exposed at the gap, and fills the hole. I … (0 comments)
arlington home inspector: Proper Cover For In-Service Use on Outdoor Outlet
- 12/30/07 03:36 PM
It seems like we home inspectors spend much of our time posting photos and descriptions of problems. I saw this photo and decided to post a photo of something that is right. While it does not have anything plugged into it, this is an "in-service" cover for an exterior outlet -- a GFCI. Inspectors often see outside appliances or devices, from lights to ponds, plugged into an outlet and an improper cover is in place. This ranges from no cover at all to a cover that swings open at the top and rain, and garden hose water, get down into … (18 comments)
In an earlier post today, I wrote about septic tank inspections. Since septic tanks and wells often go together, I thought this information would be appropriate as well. A private well is a specialized and complex system, mechanically and biologically. Generally speaking, these systems are beyond the scope of a standard home inspection. Many mechanical parts of the system are not visible and the biological aspects of the system require laboratory testing. Ifyou are buying a home that has a well, depending on the inspector you have hired, he or she will either exclude the well or attempt to … (0 comments)
arlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Septic Tanks
- 12/26/07 07:36 AM
Often homebuyers want to know why a standard home inspection does not include an inspection of the septic system. The truth is that the home inspector is not equipped to do a septic inspection. And, due to the nasty nature of the job, people would not want him or her doing it anyway. At least not if the inspector was then going to go inside and inspect the rest of the home anyway. This job needs to be done by specialists with equipment designed for working on septic systems. Here are some pretty basic reasons that the home inspector does not dig … (0 comments)
arlington home inspector: Mount Vernon WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Knob and Tube Wiring
- 12/23/07 12:57 PM
Below is another photo of a situation that is frustrating to the home inspector. To begin with, as real estate professionals I imagine everyone here knows that knob and tube wiring is a concern in older houses. I am not saying it is automatically going to cause a fire, or is necessarily unsafe, but knob and tube systems are old-fashioned, do not have the equipment ground wire that is standard today and the circuits are old enough that almost always they have been cut, spliced and otherwise butchered and damaged by incompetent homeowners. Add to that, most major insurance companies either will … (0 comments)
arlington home inspector: Why Gutters And Downspouts Help
- 12/03/07 04:20 AM
In some climates they might not be necessary, but here in the wet Pacific Northwest, the runoff water and splashing from missing or damaged gutters or downspouts can lead to decay of structure. The photo below is typical. In general, the deck is holding up; however, just above this rot there is a problem with the gutter and it is allowing the rain to empty on this wood, day in and day out, during the rainy season. As a result of that, the wood has decayed or rotted. Because of this common problem, in this state the WSDA has declared missing … (6 comments)
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.
This is a photo of an unfinished basement (lucky) that was victim to a sudden and unexpected water heater leak. The tank had a small leak one day, a plumber was contracted to get a new tank installed but, before that could be done the tank developed a major leak. The tank was trying to heat water, which was running out of it just about as fast as it went in. In this case, being in an unfinished basement, it was an inconvenience and not a homeowner disaster. On the other hand, had it been in a finished room of the … (8 comments)
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