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bellingham wa home inspections: Oaxaca, Mexico -- Pretty Inviting - 05/07/10 11:33 PM
After a rather hectic week and a week where I have been visiting my wife in the hospital -- she gets to come home tomorrow -- my mind drifts to vacation. I think that, like the past two years, we will be going to the Oaxaca area of Mexico again right after Christmas.
The photo below gives an idea of the beauty of the area. I was, one day, walking down a street near our B&B and I peaked in the doorway of a building. I thought that the scene inside was very pretty and captures the feel of the city.
… (9 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Christmas In February - 02/09/10 10:00 AM
When we were in Mexico, a couple weeks ago, colors were vibrant and everywhere. That included the brightly colored buildings and also the plants.
When I got home to Bellingham, it was quite balmy here. Yet, on the other hand, it did not compete with Mexico as far as being warm. One thing that I did notice, once we got home, was that one of our rhododendrons was in full bloom.
This is one that we bought years ago and it is the earliest bloomer of the rhododendrons that we have. It is appropriately named "Christmas" because it blooms so early. I do … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Flat Roof Ponding - 10/08/08 10:44 AM
In the Pacific Northwet, an inspector sees more than his or her share of flat or low-sloped roofs. I have had clients, who are buying houses, ask me why anyone would put a flat roof on a house in our climate. In theory, they are cheaper to put on but, longterm, I suspect they cost more.
Even a flat roof is suppossed to drain. This is a torchdown roof and you will see a big puddle. That is called ponding. Fact is, that is a low place and, because of the lack of slope toward built in drains, the water stays … (7 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Crazy Electrical Issues - 09/28/08 01:21 PM
Many of the concerns home inspectors see are routine. We see them over and over again. You almost know, pulling up to a house and glancing at it, what some of the problems will be.
Every once in awhile there is a problem within a problem. The main problem is obvious, but the secondary problem might be even more dangerous. In the home below, obviously the wiring was in need of an upgrade. It was a 100 year old home with knob and tube wiring in place and fuses. That was the main problem.
The issue below was even a more … (19 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Stories Behind the Music -- Vanilla Frosting on the Cake - 09/28/08 09:01 AM
In the late 1950's rock n' roll music had been discovered. While it was not mainstream yet, it was bubbling under the boiling point and gaining momentum among the white teenagers. The movie Black Board Jungle had been released, featuring Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets, but the best artists were almost all African Americans. The industry word for this style, prior to coining the term R&B, was "race" music.
If one wishes to remain objective and factual, this was the case: The parents of white teens were not enthralled with the idea of their kids being … (16 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Fee Fi Fo Fum - 09/11/08 05:41 PM
I smell the blood of vermin playing in my insulation. When insulation is down in a crawl space, it usually means any one, or more, of several possible causes.
The problem might be related to metal rods, that often hold the insulation between joists, coming loose and falling down -- not too likely but sometimes. The problem could be related to repairs that were made by a workman, then the insulation was left hanging.
The more likely causes, in my experience, would be different than those above. For example, I find that often the insulation is down because there was a plumbing … (33 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Stories Behind the Music -- Who Is Bernard Webb? - 09/09/08 09:31 AM
Once there was a famous Englishman. This man was having psychological problems with his being, his reality, his self confidence. He wanted to know -- Did people like, or love, him for what he offered, or did they only love him because of what he appeared to be -- his successful brand?
What had he become? Was he a true artist or had the public entered into a phase of blind worship that made everything he did turn to gold -- even if it was pure junk? That question plagued and bothered this proud Englishman.
The young man, for his own piece of mind, needed to find out if his popularity … (8 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Biking Lummi Island - 09/01/08 11:14 PM
I have lived in Bellingham all of my life, born here. I have been over to Lummi Island a few times but yesterday was the first time that I have ever walked on the ferry and gone over just to bike. My wife is learning to speak Italian and her Italian group, including her teacher, headed over to Lummi Island for a biking adventure. To get there, you have to take the ferry. It is a tiny ferry, only takes a few cars at a time and the crossing time is maybe ten minutes -- fast. First the walkers get on, then … (3 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Equality: Not Alway Good - 08/27/08 02:10 PM
This is not a political statement, it refers to plumbing.
When it comes to plumbing, I repeat, equality is not always good. Case in point -- I see this minor plumbing concern at bathtub/showers and at kitchen sinks. The problem is subtle and few people, other than inspectors or plumbers, seem to notice it. Here is the deal, inside a faucet assembly there is a diverter valve.
This valve moves up and down and has a simple and specific purpose. When the water is coming out the spout or the tap, then no water should be coming from the shower head … (12 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: This Day In History, August 24: Vesuvius and Pompeii - 08/24/08 12:35 PM
Many of you know, from my previous blogs, that the wife and I enjoy visiting Italy. Today marks the day that Vesuvius began erupting back in AD 79. That eruption led to the fascinating historical site known the world over as Pompeii. I first read about that in National Geographic when I was a kid. The photos gave me chills.
Three years ago we visited Pompeii and, even so many lifetimes later, it is still such an eerie site. The photos of the remains of those people who were overcome by the lava are some of the most terrifying and most … (6 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Scandalous: Home Inspector TP's House - 08/23/08 09:16 AM
Probably many of you, on first hearing this story, would think that it is never appropriate for a home inspector to TP a house. To make it even worse in your mind, what if the inspector TP's the house with the seller's own TP? Boy, I admit, that sounds pretty unprofessional.
Let me explain, since I did just that the other day and even took a photo of me doing so. Fact: I have a limited number of ways to determine if the bath fans will move the moist air out of the room. I don't smoke and that is bad berries … (11 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Active Rain Can Be The Power In Your Veins - 08/21/08 10:24 PM
It is with reluctance that I write this blog. I consider some of the information to be bordering on proprietary, so I will write around that. If you belong to Active Rain, never take this site for granted. Work in the rain, tend to your crop in the rain, and the rain will richly reward you with a bumper crop.
I see blogs from new people who state that they received their first business contact from Active Rain. I have a confession -- Active Rain is the power in my search engine optimization. Two years ago, I had a nice little website for … (66 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Nostalgia is Fun -- Jack Parr and the Beatles - 08/18/08 10:13 AM
A few weeks ago I was working on a blog for the world-famous Active Rain "Beatles" group. Yes, there is such a group here. If you are not aware of it, look in groups. I had done a blog on pirate radio in the 1960's and I needed "A Day In The Life." When I was snooping around looking for that, I found an amusing video.
The cut is from the Tonight show with Jack Parr -- one of the original TV talk show hosts. He started the Tonight show but ended up walking out on them. Johnny Carson gained the … (8 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Party Hearty - 08/17/08 10:19 AM
We home inspectors look for the party every chance we get. Not the party-party as in wild women, whiskey and song. Okay, some of us look for that. But when we inspect condos and multi-unit living facilities we look for a party wall between units. That is a relatively modern, in the realm of a lifetime, safety feature so if a fire starts in one unit, while it might travel, it is slowed down by the wall.
You are wisely thinking "but wood is flammable". True, but the idea is to block the area off so roof ventilation from the other units … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Veteran's Cup Soccer, Bellingham WA - 07/10/08 11:28 PM
We have a big sports event taking place in Whatcom County this year -- right now to be exact. The Veteran's Cup, a soccer tournament with 85 teams participating, has been going on since Wednesday and it will continue through Sunday. There are different brackets (age divisions) and teams from all over, and I mean all over, have arrived in Bellingham to play the game. Both men's and women's teams are participating and age is not a drawback. In fact, you cannot even play unless you are 30 or over and some of the teams are comprised of players who are 60 and over.
Talk … (11 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Wood Boring Beetles -- Flatheaded Borers - 07/09/08 08:51 AM
This is the first of a few blogs that will describe the common wood boring beetles that might be found at homes.
I will start with the flatheaded borer. Flatheaded borers tend to be non-reinfesting, at least at lumber in the house, so they are not considered to be a serious worry. That does not mean they do not leave distinctive exit holes in wood, it is just that once they have left the premises, they don't come back. Damage is not chronic or ongoing. That is not true of most of the roundheaded boring beetles, which will be described in separate blogs.
The exit … (0 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: God Save The Queen - 07/07/08 07:52 PM
In this case, not really. God need not save this queen. This is one queen that we would just as soon have check out as quickly as is possible, taking her groupies with her. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is not a beauty by any standards. This is a photo of a functional subterranean termite queen.
The mere mention of the word termite can send a homeowner into a state of depression. Fortunately, here in Washington State we do not have as many serious termite problems as in some other parts of the country -- … (44 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Thinking Vacation - 07/07/08 09:34 AM
The weather is nicer, finally and all of a sudden. The wife and I have been thinking about a vacation this year. Every year or two we go to Italy, sometimes Mexico. We had such a good time last year in the Veneto region of Italy that we are leaning in that direction. Realistically, though, if we were going to do that again this year we should have been planning it earlier in the season. We try to go in October, when there are fewer tourists but still nice weather in Italy.
Venice is the best known city in the Veneto, … (6 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: It's All About Form - 07/03/08 12:01 AM
Some photos do a better job of getting a point across than others. I think this one is pretty good. In Washington State, where most home inspectors are also licensed structural pest inspectors, there are a number of guidelines that we are required to follow and procedures we must adhere to. In the long run, while not always popular with sellers and their realtors, these procedures do make sense.
One conducive condition that we are mandated to cite, and some people do not understand or agree with, is shown in the photo below. This is form wood in a crawl space.
Form … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa home inspections: Ma, Is That A Radio Tower Goin' Through The Roof? - 06/20/08 07:16 PM
I didn't get too good a picture of the overall site. Why? Because the bloomin' tower was too tall to get it all in the shot. What I did capture is in the photo below. This is something I have not seen before -- a radio tower that extends through the roof of a house. It must have been a 25 or 30 foot high tower. Now, I have seen large steel towers beside houses before, but not one that starts at ground level, penetrates the eave and then goes on up. I used to work with towers, in my broadcasting days, but … (6 comments)
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Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
Bellingham,
WA
More about me…
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc
Address: Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Sumas, Nooksack, Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish, Anacortes, Mount Vernon, Whatcom County, Bellingham, WA, 98225
Office Phone: (360) 676-6908
Cell Phone: (360) 319-0038
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