bellingham home inspector: Consumer Alert -- Outbreak of House Destroying Organisms (HDO's) - 11/06/11 08:10 AM
Just when people thought it was safe to get back into the housing market, it has been revealed that many houses in the USA are vulnerable to, and being subjected to, serious infestations by House Destroying Organisms. Inspectors have, for years, used the term Wood Destroying Organism or WDO to describe rot and insects that damage wood. In this post I will describe, logically and chronologically, the biology of the genus that has only recently been labeled as a virulent House Destroying Organism or HDO.
HDO's are deceptive and devious in every way. A known member of the HDO species might be masquerading as … (32 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Better Safe Than Sorry (King of the House) Bellingham Home Inspections - 11/04/11 04:03 AM
A couple years ago I tossed one of those orange safety or hazard cones in the back of my truck. Somewhere along the line, at one of the Washington State Home Inspector Licensing Board meetings, a member made some mention that such a cone could be very handy. For example, such a device might be valuable if you had a hatch open that someone, like your buyer, the seller or an agent, might fall into.
Up until recently, although it rides quietly in my truck, I have never used the cone. Actually I found a use for it the other day. … (28 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) Sometimes it is Easy - 11/02/11 04:22 PM
Often, in the course of doing home inspections in Whatcom County, detecting or locating a problem can be difficult and require lots of perseverance and utilizing one's powers of deduction. But, and it only seems fair, sometimes we get lucky and do not have to work or think quite so hard. For example, at a recent inspection, I had a huge and obvious clue that the newly installed range did not have an anti-tip bracket installed.

I felt inside that package (I squeezed it good) and viola, the bracket was still inside it. And, guess what, when I pulled on … (9 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Bellingham, WA: Happy Halloween from King of the House Home Inspection - 10/31/11 04:27 PM
I would be remiss in not wishing many of my friends here at Active Rain a happy Halloween. Moments ago, I got home from dinner with three of my favorite Active Rain members. Charles Buell from Seattle area, Don Hester from Eastern Washington and Curtis Brown of Bellingham, along with yours truly, went to Boundary Bay. Heck, the Bellingham mayor, Dan Pike, even joined us for a few minutes -- I think he really likes home inspectors. These home inspectors, all affiliated with the Bellingham Technical College program in one way or another, are all top-notch individuals who are very good at what they do and they … (3 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Meet the Beetles -- February 7, 2012 - 10/30/11 09:21 AM
The title of the upcoming class, offered at the Washington State University Puyallup Structural Pest IPM facility, caught my eye and my ears. It is called "Meet the Beetles".  I am of such an age that a distinctive image is brought to mind when I hear those words. If you lived through the 60's, you have to remember that groundbreaking album, title above modified slightly to meet my journalistic requirements for humor. This course for inspectors is the brainchild of Dr. Dan Suomi, our state's leading expert on beetles. Dan did his Phd studies on the beatles and, today, he is a … (4 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Washington State Approved Home Inspector Training -- Bellingham Technical College - 10/29/11 05:35 PM
We have one class in progress right now, students from the Seattle area and Eastern Washington. The schedule for the next home inspector training course, to be offered at Bellingham Technical College, is hot off the presses. The first course of 2012 starts on February 6, 2012.
The Bellingham Technical College course, the first course to be state approved, includes 40 hours of field training and 120 hours of the basics or fundamentals training.
Classes tend to be smaller, so students receive lots of attention and classes are informal. For additional information on the upcoming course, please call 360-752-8796 or 360-676-6908. … (3 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Legendary Performer Reborn, #1 Song In America, 1974 - 10/27/11 03:05 PM
In February of 1974, there was a re-birth for one of the original artists and songwriters of the early days of pop music. The artist's star had faded pretty badly in the USA. He had not had a hit of any magnitude since 1964, ten years before.
Despite everyone being ho-hum about his career back home, the performer was still a well-respected artist in the U.K. This man, being incredibly creative, was not willing to rest on his laurels and he presented a new sound to the British audience at a major London concert. They liked what they heard.
Shortly thereafter, at a star-studded party … (4 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Speaking of Photos -- Whatcom County Museum, Bellingham, WA - 10/27/11 03:19 AM
I am often posting photos at Active Rain that I shot in Italy, Mexico or Canada. For a promotional piece that I am working on, I have taken photos of four or five of the best known buildings in Bellingham. I think that the most distinctive of those has to be the Whatcom County Museum. This building goes back to 1892 and was, for many years, the Bellingham City Hall.
Ever since I was a kid, 1950's, it has been the Whatcom County Museum and a main cultural meeting point for the county. Some people think the building is lovely. There … (4 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Italy Photo -- Pretty Impressive - 10/26/11 01:13 PM
I have been so busy catching up, after getting back from Italy just over two weeks ago, that I have not had time to go through many of my photos. This was a hard building to photograph. There was another building across the street and it was of such gargantuan size that it was difficult to get far enough away to get it all in. To complicate matters, there were a zillion pedestrians and construction taking place in front of it. Therefore, the best way to take the shot was up high. Even if it is a limited view, it is … (2 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) Multi-layer Roofs - 10/25/11 03:16 AM
At an older home, it is quite common to find multi-layer roofs, composition material over old comp or even over wood shingles (a real no no).  Despite the popularity of shingling over a worn out roofing surface, the practice is marginal at best. In the photo below, the rust colored shingles are the old roof below.

The psychology of the consumer is such that clients tell me they plan to put yet another layer over a roof that already has two layers. And somewhere in folklore, they have been told that it is okay to have three layers.
There are many problems with … (5 comments)

bellingham home inspector: This Day In History: That Louisiana Boy and his #1 Hit from November, 1966 - 10/23/11 12:04 PM
When the Beatles ruled the pop charts, in the mid-1960's, there was a young hitmaker, who had moved from NYC to Louisiana, with his family, when he was a toddler. The young fellow had grown up, not with the British beat, but listening to the New Orlean's legends, not the smallest of those being Fats Domino. This had a huge influence on the young man's performing style.
Back in 1957, this wannabe star, at the tender age of 15, made his way back to NYC (birth place) to meet the famous rock "n" roll deejay, Alan Freed. Freed, who made superstars, liked the kid's music … (7 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House) Deck Building - 10/23/11 09:14 AM
When I inspect decks in Bellingham and Whatcom County, not unlike at other areas of the country based on what I am told by other inspectors, I find a multitude of problems with decks.  The average homeowner, hyped by being told how easy it is to build a deck on a weekend, often ends up constructing a monstrosity that is unsafe or will degrade the quality of the house. Some of the most common problems involve improperly flashing the deck, so rot might develop at the junction of the ledger board and the exterior wall; failing to anchor the deck to … (1 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) Bugs by the Number - 10/22/11 06:09 PM
We have many problems with rot and wood destroying insects in this region. A few months back, I was inspecting an older house that had a number of issues with wood destroying organisms. Since many of the insect pests are attracted to wet and decayed wood, it is common to find wood destroying insects living in rotten and wet wood.
At this particular crawl space, the first thing that I noticed, when opening the hatch, was frass or shavings from carpenter ants.

Honestly, that was no big surprise, since I had previously seen the little devils crawling around at … (20 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) Sliding Glass Doors - 10/22/11 10:38 AM
At about seven of ten houses, that I inspect in Whatcom County and Bellingham, there is at least one sliding glass door. Often these can be difficult to operate or test. Sometimes a seller will have a keyed lock on the lower track, that keeps it in a stationary position. In that case, it may not be possible to check the door. Other times, you have to fish a wood stick or similar bar out of the track, security measures.
Once the door is free, so it can be tested, I often find that the latch is out of adjustment. In what … (2 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House) Keeping the Water in the Tub! - 10/18/11 03:01 AM
Often people, especially renters, have a casual attitude about slopping water from a bath or shower onto the floor. Obviously, a tub or shower needs to have a satisfactory surround and, at a shower, a curtain or a door. But there must be a decent seal at the floor, between the tub or shower and the floor covering, so water does not seep under the floor covering.
In checking a tub or shower, the inspector may find damage at the caulking or seal that could allow moisture into the area below. This it the best photo that I have showing the extent … (5 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Standing in the Shadows-- ATM Scam in Italy - 10/09/11 03:02 AM
Well, I am back in Bellingham after our recent Italy trip.
For the first time in my many years of traveling, my wife and I were victimized by an ATM scam at a small, and very charming, small city in Italy. We had taken a daytrip from Tuscany and, after lunch, decided to get some cash. We were in a tiny piazza, off a retail area, only a few people were around. We saw a Bank of Lucca, ATM machine.
Odd, but we walked up to it and a young woman, with a baby, was standing in front of the device. She was … (75 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Oh Rats! -- Past, Present Or Future? - 09/20/11 04:48 AM
In northwest Washington, we are having an insurgence of rats. It does not seem to matter whether I am inspecting a high-end house or a modest home or a foreclosure, rats may be present at any property. Dan Suomi, field officer with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, says that we are having an infestation of roof rats and Norway rats. They are probably coming from ships that pull into ports at the various harbors.
Sometimes, when a home inspector enters a crawl space, the odors and the conditions, such as damaged insulation, make it obvious that rats have been partying. Other … (5 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Jud Sherwood: Jazz Project Bellingham, WA - 09/11/11 09:11 AM
I enjoy music and concerts. Yesterday, my wife and I spent a great afternoon and evening at an outdoor concert down by the waterfront in Bellingham. The excellent concert was sponsored by the Jazz Project and the Port of Bellingham. The weather was hot and it could not have turned out better. There were plenty of people in attendance but it was not so crowded that you couldn't move or felt cramped. Local restaurants provided everything from Giuseppe's wonderful Italian raviolis to subs, burgers, popcorn and cookies. Get this, admission was free to all. Now, if you bought a beer or wine in the … (5 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Knowing When To Hold Them, Knowing When To Fold Them - 09/04/11 08:08 AM
Anyone who is a gambler, or has been successful in business, knows that, based on the hand that you are dealt, sometimes you have to hold them and sometimes you have to fold them. It all depends on circumstances, risk, consequences and throwing good money after bad.
This nail-biting gambling scenario often comes up during the course of a short sale or a foreclosure sale. I have seen times when the homeowner, realizing that the end was coming, managed to get a distressed property on the market and that person was able to come out okay -- at least minimizing losses or even making … (10 comments)

bellingham home inspector: Welcoming Don Hammons to the Rain - 09/02/11 04:02 AM
The other day, at an inspection, I met, for the first time, a new and enthusiastic member of the Active Rain community.

Don Hammons is new to not only Active Rain but to the real estate business. However, based on his personality, sense of humor, customer service skills, pleasant attitude and attention to detail, it looks to me like he ought to do well in the field. He was a great help to me, and to the buyers, the seller, during a recent home inspection at a big, older house where it took a long time to proceed through the full inspection. Don was … (5 comments)

 
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection, Inc.)

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Bellingham, WA

More about me…

King of the House Home Inspection, Inc.

Address: 1609 East Maplewood Ave, Bellingham, WA, 98225

Office: (360) 319-0038

Mobile: (360) 319-0038

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.


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