bellingham home inspector: It's snowing in Bellingham!
- 06/04/07 04:03 AM
Okay, it is not snowing right now. I admit it, I lied here at Active Rain. But with the hot weather in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to give you a photo that would cool you down and be informative too. It is like having an ice cream. Last year, because of the heavy snow, we had the conditions that can lead to a problem that is more common in the cold northern climates: Ice dams. What are they? Well, simply, it starts when heavy snow collects on the roof. As long as everything stays frozen, all is well. But the problem comes in … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: A puzzle: Can you figure it out?
- 06/03/07 03:50 AM
This photo is from a very nice home at Point Roberts. The roof had been installed within the last few years and the shingles were still in good shape. It was 3-tab composition material, neatly installed and with a uniform overlap so the self-sealing tabs lined up correctly on each course at the upper and lower roof. Standard felts were in place underneath. So, with all of this done so right, what could have been so wrong that the buyer demanded major changes to the roof prior to closing? See how you do and please let us know below. The answer … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham home inspections: (King of the House) Concealed problem
- 06/02/07 02:01 PM
In Washington State, most home inspectors are licensed structural pest inspectors. In fact, there are some real tight rules on that and any inspector doing home inspections for real estate deals is violating state law if the pest inspection is left out completely or done by an unlicensed party. Anyway, that is not the point of my post. Here is a common, but deceptive, thing inspectors see. This is vinyl siding, and the side of the home is buried in dirt. There is a concrete foundation below the dirt. The seller said: Not a problem here, because vinyl does not rot. That may … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Give me a cricket, or a saddle -- I don't care!
- 06/02/07 01:44 PM
Home inspectors often talk about a cricket. Another name is a saddle flashing. Either way, often clients and even realtors do not know what an inspector is talking about. A photo of a cricket is below. This is a device for routing runoff water around a chimney that is of the wider variety. There is some variation as to when it is required, , but figure something over two feet across is likely to have one. And really wide chimneys, for sure, should have a friendly cricket attached. So if you have never seen a cricket, because you are not up … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham home inspector(King of the House): This photo will shock and disgust you!
- 05/29/07 04:40 PM
Okay, it is not as bad as the headline makes it look but, if you understand what you are looking at here, this is a pretty evil arrangement. Prior to the home inspection, it was mentioned to me that the bathroom had an "off smell." This is the attic view of the home over the bath. Off to the left, the white flex duct, is from the bathroom fan. What is it attached to? You assume it vents out through the roof or the side of the house, right?. Wrong! This vent is spliced or cut into the sewer vent system. … (36 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Blaine WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Hot Water Scalding
- 05/28/07 06:06 AM
At a home inspection, King of the House Inc, measures the temperature of the hot water. This might seem overly detailed to some, as people often like their water hot and figure it is a personal preference. I can tell you that often the water is dangerously hot. It is not uncommon to find water temperatures of 150 degrees plus and set to that temperature on purpose. I inspected a home once, with a one month old baby in residence, the water was steaming at the tap like I have never seen before and the temperature was 170 degrees plus. I did … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Home-brew plumbers
- 05/28/07 03:15 AM
Forget the leaks, stains and fungal growth beneath the leaks, forget the S-traps that should be P-traps (why that is a problem will be the topic of another blog). Forget the flex drain that will fit in that tight spot but has ridges like a vacuum cleaner house and is clogged all the time, forget the shoe goo and silicone broadly applied at all fittings. Forget the hot and cold water being reversed in sinks, tubs and showers. Now that we eliminate all of those common things found with home-style plumbing, what is the topic of this post? That topic is structural … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: New home shenanigans
- 05/23/07 08:36 AM
Active Rain realtors and inspectors often talk about the problems found at new homes. The topic always revolves around whether or not new construction should be inspected. Periodically, I plan to post some photos of things I have found at newer homes. The photo below was a home that was one year old and had not previously been inspected. It was being sold after a man lived in it for only one year. It is too bad it had not been inspected, prior to closing the first time. It would have saved lots of trouble, and gritty work, by putting the problem … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Big cracks and a foundation
- 05/23/07 04:42 AM
A dilemma for home inspectors is when to call for further evaluation, and when not to. Some cases are pretty clear cut, like when an inspector finds a number of exposed wiring splices or a chimney like the creosote coated wonder I posted a couple days ago. Foundation cracks are one of those things that requires a judgement call. Often the cracks are simple shrinkage cracks, a natural part of the concrete curing and there from the early days after the pour. On the other hand, there are often settlement cracks and these are not necessarily anything to worry about either. … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: College Level Home Inspector Training, Eastern Washington
- 05/22/07 03:04 AM
Bellingham Technical College, part of the state college system, has a home inspector training program that educates around the state. The next scheduled classes will be in two larger eastern Washington cities: Pasco, August 6-21; Spokane, Sept 9-Oct 5. This is a fast-track program of 160 hours of training in all aspects of home inspection including wood destroying organisms--which is essential in Washington state. It is my view that, in this wet state, if you have an inspection without a WDO inspection, you are pretty much missing the point of the inspection. Three members of active rain -- Charles Buell, David Helm, … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Santa Claus will cry about this one
- 05/21/07 02:10 PM
I saw this chimney this past weekend, and thought I just had to post it. If you look at the first photo, it does not look too unusual other than there is no rain cap. But, when you look down the flue, it has more creosote than any chimney I have ever seen before. The creosote was about an inch thick and caked from the top clear down to the inside of the stove. I got a pretty clear shot top to bottom and I am sure that everyone at AR, working in this industry, knows that this is a real fire … (10 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: The truth about dry rot
- 05/21/07 01:46 PM
More often than not, when you hear the words "dry rot", the term is being misused. It is often incorrectly used by the general public, builders, realtors, remodelers and (ugh) even home inspectors. Often what is called dry rot is merely rot (wood decay fungi). The common example of wrong usage would be wood that is under a bathtub. People bathe, the tub leaks and a beam or joist below rots and a rot probe might go clear through the lumber. Even if the wood is dry, this IS NOT dry rot. I teach wood destroying organisms for the state college system, … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Anacortes Home Inspector (King of the House): Correct Water Pressure
- 05/17/07 01:25 PM
The truth about water pressure at homes. Water pressure is somewhat subjective. What one person thinks is adequate, may be a trickle to another person. This can be problematic for a home inspector who is supposed to tell the client if the pressure is satisfactory or not. Almost all of us will try to make a judgement by performing a multi-flow test -- running more than one fixture at a time. Sometimes it is obvious that the pressure is whimpy, with just one faucet or tub running. So, what can one do? Well, you can take a reading with a professional instrument, a … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Asbestos puzzle
- 05/15/07 02:31 AM
Yesterday I wrote a blog on asbestos and, in it, mentioned asbestos fiber siding. Here is something that might be of use to realtors. If you did not know it, striated cedar siding is sometimes confused with asbestos. So, if you are ever at a house and decide the siding is asbestos, make sure you know that for certain. Although asbestos is a fine and safe siding (if it stays put) some people are put off by the mere word asbestos. So one would certainly not want to list a house as having asbestos siding when it was cedar. Just so … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Moss is not a normal and acceptable part of aging
- 05/13/07 07:08 AM
Here in the damp Pacific Northwest, it seems that homeowners and even some realtors look upon heavy moss growth on the roof of a home as a normal part of the roof's aging process, as if that was factored in by manufacturers. Granted, without care and maintenance, it will be present in many cases but moss should be treated, as needed, and kept off of roofs. When manufacturers state warranties, they are not considering that a few years into it, moss will be growing. That is NOT a planned on or acceptable part of the roof aging. There are a number of moss … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA home inspections (King of the House): Carpenter ants
- 05/12/07 04:15 AM
The shavings, in the first photo below, are typical of what an inspector might see inside the home. And it is not caused by a lousy housekeeper. Although I suppose one could argue that a good housekeeper would keep a step ahead of the ants.
Carpenter ants are one of the few wood destroying organisms that tends to give itself away that it is working in the home. Note, I said "working" and not "dining." Carpenter ants are building their own home, inside your home. Because they DO NOT eat wood, they tend to toss out bits of shavings, known as … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Skagit County Home Inspection (King of the House):Can you identify this photo?
- 05/12/07 03:40 AM
Realtors often have a suspicion that there is something fishy with the siding. But they sometimes do not know how to tell if it is LP siding. The photo below is what they should be looking for, if they suspect LP inner seal siding. That was the oriented strand board that was touted as a wonder product in the mid 1980's through the 1990's, but it often turned to egg cartons when exposed to moisture. The signature knot is obvious, when you see it. Note the L and the P. The problem is, due to the way the siding is cut, … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA home inspection (King of the House): Identifying anobiid beetles
- 05/12/07 03:19 AM
Along with rot being referred to as dry rot (almost always the wrong term), one of the most mis-diagnosed problems with wood is mixing up the damage caused by anobiid beetles and crediting it to "powderpost beetles." Here in the northwest, clients are always asking if I will check the crawl space for powderpost beetles. Well, I do look for the nasty powderpost beetles, but they (the lyctid) tend to be in hardwoods and inside: floors, picture frames, furniture. Now the anobiid, the critter that kills probably more deals than any other insect pest in this region, is what we are … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Is there any point to an inspection at a new home?
- 04/17/07 03:22 AM
There is an ongoing debate about whether new homes should have home inspections or not. This debate goes on with buyers who wish to save money where they can, with realtors and with the builders themselves. I think it appropriate to make a few comments. I am sure that it can happen but I do not believe I have ever inspected a new house where those concerns I noted resulted in the deal not closing. Obviously, that is not that uncommon with older homes. That said, I have supplied buyers with some valuable information, and a list of essential repairs required, … (11 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Do it yourself home inspectors
- 04/13/07 12:12 PM
As a working home inspector, and an instructor of home inspection for the state college system, people often ask me if they should do their own home inspection. Usually, even if someone has worked as a carpenter or a builder, it is still a bad idea. A competent home inspector, in Washington State, is trained to detect subtle problems in many different areas and systems that are not necessarily familiar to a builder; for example, wood destroying organisms, electrical, plumbing and heating systems. I designed a simple, interactive, online test that scores you as you go, for those people thinking about doing their … (4 comments)
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Okay, it is not snowing right now. I admit it, I lied here at Active Rain. But with the hot weather in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to give you a photo that would cool you down and be informative too. It is like having an ice cream. Last year, because of the heavy snow, we had the conditions that can lead to a problem that is more common in the cold northern climates: Ice dams. What are they? Well, simply, it starts when heavy snow collects on the roof. As long as everything stays frozen, all is well. But the problem comes in … (3 comments)
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