bellingham home inspections: Bellingham WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Downspout Leads To Rot - 01/15/08 07:50 PM
In a previous blog today, I showed a photo of two gutters that were full of debris and water was running out of them onto the structure. At the same home, here is a downspout that is the site of decay of the T1-11 siding. It could be that the decay … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Double Whammy Gutters - 01/15/08 07:38 PM
This photo was taken yesterday during a heavy rainstorm. As you can tell, the home is surrounded by trees -- not normal trees but basically a forest. As is usually the case in that environment, unless someone is continually cleaning the gutters, the gutters are fully blocked with leaves and debris. … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Kerbooooooom!!!! If You Refer Home Inspectors Watch This Video - 11/13/07 05:05 PM
I was told about this video and it really is worth seeing. I had dropped by the Bellingham Technical College today, where we are running a college level inspection training program, and Charlie Buell, a friend and instructor, told me to check out this posting at youtube. I cannot tell you, … (1 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Conducive Conditions and Rot - 11/13/07 04:44 PM
People tend to take gutters for granted, that is for sure. Even at new homes, just being sold to someone for the first time, the builder will not clean gutters that have large quantities of accumulated debris -- from pieces of shingle and nails to organic matter that collected in the … (4 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House): Follow The Water - 11/13/07 04:14 PM
In investigative reporting, or trying to track racketeers, they always say: "follow the money." In Washington state, to be a competent structural pest inspector, one needs a similar philosophy and catch phrase. That catch phrase is "follow the water." Wood decay fungi or rot is common on wood with a moisture … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): What Is Wrong With This Photo? - 11/11/07 10:26 PM
If you take a look, you will see that there are a couple things wrong here. The cause of the second problem is the first problem. If that does not make sense, let me explain. The big tree over the roof is shedding onto the house. And the shedding tree has … (3 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House) Pressure Treated Lumber, What Is It Good For? - 11/11/07 10:47 AM
Pressure treated lumber is advertised as having a long life (some say 40 plus years) with direct earth contact. The manufacturers soak the lumber in chemicals, it penetrates into the wood at the outside surface. The most vulnerable area is where the wood is cut, such as to length and then that end … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Sodium Borate and Anobiid Beetles - 11/10/07 10:45 AM
I have done a number of posts here about the pest known as anobiid beetle which is so common in crawl spaces here in the Pacific Northwest. The insect leaves exit holes in soft lumber and will live for years and years if the conditions are right -- literally destroying the … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Whatcom County Home Inspections (King of the House): Drywood Termites - 10/24/07 05:20 PM
Well, the photo below is something I have yet to run into doing inspections. In fact, many inspectors in this state, probably most, have never seen the pest below -- in action at least. Now, most of us have seen some species of this world-class house-wrecker. But this particular termite species … (10 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Whatcom County Home Inspections (King of the House): Water Heater Safety - 10/24/07 03:03 PM
I know, I have written about this before. But it seems that I see poorly installed temperature pressure relief valves and their drains so often that it is obviously a concern that needs to be front and center. In older homes the valve or drain is installed wrong at least thirty … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): Unchain My Gutter - 10/24/07 11:16 AM
While I do not see this arrangement much, the whole concept of chains for downspouts is certainly not a wise idea, at least not in the wet Pacific Northwest. It might work great somewhere where there is minimal rain, but then again, in such locations they often have no gutters to … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Is This Scenic or What? - 10/23/07 05:41 PM
This photo is from Lake Como. For some reason, on this trip, we hit some of the best spots we have ever found in Italy. Since we have been there four times, we have seen quite a bit of the country. We went to Lake Como and Lake Garda. By far … (1 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Not The Wood Burner You Want To See - 10/20/07 09:42 PM
A couple times I have inspected homes where the wood stove (burner) was some concoction designed by the homeowner. This dual arrangement of old metal barrels probably took the cake for me. I remember seeing a number of single barrels like this, as stoves, in the 1960's but not recently. This … (4 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Travel Photo: Gelato in Italy - 10/16/07 03:23 PM
I know, this would be better to look at in the summer, when it is hot, but I think this is a nice photo. Those of you who have visited Italy have seen this type of display before. Gelato stores, like pizza parlors, are a major part of the storefronts in … (5 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Skagit County Home Inspection (King of the House): Knob and Tube Wiring - 10/16/07 10:16 AM
The photo below shows a situation where the evidence tells you one thing, but it does not go far enough to make a general statement. Uncertainty prevails. This is knob and tube wiring, removed, from a home that is more than 100 years old. Now, the fact this is not energized is … (3 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): How Do You Spell Shot? - 10/12/07 07:38 PM
The composition roof in the photo below is on its last legs. It is shot! I do not care if it is a 25-year roof at only 12 years of age, this roof is toast. The manufacturer's warranty means little more than being a rudimentary guideline of quality and durability. The … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Out Of Proportion Flag Poles and Weird Trees - 07/15/07 09:10 PM
About ten years ago, when they first started figuring ways to disguise cell telephone towers, I found it interesting. I remember what a shock it was to me one day, when complaining about how stocky and out of proportion the flag pole was at the new fire hall, being told it … (12 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Birch Bay WA Property Inspector: Conducive Conditions - 07/14/07 02:15 PM
By Washington state law, home inspectors involved in real estate deals are mandated to thoroughly inspect for and report on wood destroying organisms and conducive conditions. Often realtors and others say "so just what is a "conducive condition." There is not any specific list, although some of the more common ones … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl Space Water - 07/14/07 09:42 AM
A frequent topic on ActiveRain, with realtors and inspectors, is the advisability of a home inspection at a new home. You will find few experienced home inspectors who will not confirm that some of the more significant problems they have found were present at new homes. Often the issue is something … (2 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bollard - 07/14/07 02:21 AM
Yesterday I wrote about a gas service that was out in the driveway -- likely to be hit by a car. Here is a photo of the more common scenario. The water heater and furnace are in the path of a vehicle. This is common in garages and everyone knows they … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Bow Washington Home Inspections: Puzzle -- See if you can figure this one out - 07/10/07 06:26 PM
I could say, only in the wet northwest, but will hold back on that in describing this photo. The picture below was taken at a new home that I inspected. Odd as it may seem, the downspout was turned in towards the floor of the deck and drained onto it. So that … (4 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Firehall in Fairhaven - 07/10/07 06:08 PM
I went to lunch today with a friend. Due to lots of street work in the primary restaurant area in Fairhaven, we ended up at the firehall. This is at Harris and 14th Streets. It is a pretty neat idea. For most of my adult life this was a working firehall … (6 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Whatcom and Skagit County Home Inspection (King of the House): When fire safety makes you less safe! - 07/08/07 11:16 AM
We tend to assume that commercial buildings have fewer ill-planned designs, that are safety hazards, than our homes that have assorted home owner modifications. After all, the city, county or state code inspectors and planners get heavily involved in new buildings or converting old buildings: specifying elevators, handrails, steps, egress and many other … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Waterfront Park, Bellingham, WA - 06/13/07 11:33 PM
You hear the term less often now, but years back the area of Holly Street down by the train station was called Old Town. In his advertising, a businessman named Lou Parberry, always called himself the "mayor" of Old Town. It was a fictional title, but people remember that today. It seems … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Cornwall Park Rose Garden - 06/13/07 11:08 PM
Bellingham, and all of Whatcom County really, is an area with an abundance of parks. Our parks have trees, trails and blooms galore this time of year. One really lovely little spot, not far from downtown, is the Cornwall Rose Garden. It is at the north end of Cornwall Avenue, just … (0 comments)
|
bellingham home inspections: Old memories return at Memorial Park, Bellingham, WA - 06/11/07 06:11 PM
One of the parks that is in Bellingham, and would probably not immediately come to mind, is Memorial Park. It is in the Sunnyland neighborhood, right behind Sunnyland Elementary School (where I went to school for one week in the 1950's before they redistricted me elsewhere.) This park is at King streets … (1 comments)
|
;)
Links;)
Tags (Tag Cloud);)
Archives
