bellingham wa property inspection: Ferndale WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Disconnected Heat Ducts - 02/14/08 02:40 PM
The photo below gives an example of a problem detected upstairs, that would be hard to impossible to troubleshoot without going into the crawl space. I was at an older home and had my laser thermometer out testing the accessible heat supply registers -- while the furnace was running of course. … (6 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: This One Curled My Hair And Gave Me A Charge! - 02/14/08 01:43 PM
I found something at an inspection the other day that was not only dangerous, but pretty illogical too. This was another house where a "builder" had been doing his own projects. He might have been a builder, but an electrician he was not. The photo to the left is an AC … (8 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): New Home Inspection Issues - 02/11/08 11:17 AM
This is probably a surprise to most people, it was to me the first few times I saw it. I am referring to the number of times in new houses, where the heat ducts have not been hooked together or, if they have, they have come loose. Sometimes I think it … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Homeowners Doing Crazy Things With Trees - 02/10/08 04:10 PM
Earlier today I posted a photo of a nice tree house. In thinking about that, I started reflecting on any other unorthodox uses for trees, that are nuts, insane or crazy that I have seen on real, honest to goodness home inspections. Unfortunately, back when I did this inspection, I was not … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Everson WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl Space Debris - 02/07/08 12:12 PM
Earlier today I wrote about old roof debris and the huge mess it creates in an attic. At that time I eluded to a different, but similar, scenario in the crawl space. In the crawl space the builders will often leave the old wood forms around the poured footings or piers. … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA home Inspector (King of the House): Attic Debris - 02/07/08 12:02 PM
So the owner of the home is really proud of the new roof that replaced the old wood shake or shingle roof. The owner says it was a major improvement and, in fact, it probably was. Then the home inspector goes into the attic. This is another of those things an inspector … (2 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Sumas WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Crawl Space Water - 02/05/08 03:29 PM
Here in the Pacific Northwest, from about September through March or April, the home inspector is likely to see a number of crawl spaces, or even basements, with the affliction shown below. Dirty water, or any water, in the crawl space or basement is a conducive condition and, need I say … (8 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Monty Python Trees - 02/05/08 02:28 PM
I remember in one of the old Monty Python movies, there were trees that would reach out and grab people. I kind of felt like that when I saw this tree. This is one of the best examples I have seen of a tree, at a main public street, that has … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Romans Knew Thy Wood - 02/05/08 09:44 AM
I was pondering Charlie Buell's blog called "What Would Impress The Romans" and thought I would pull out a couple photos of Roman work that impressed me. This is the bottom of an ancient Roman-built building in Bologna Italy. Bologna, like much of Italy, was run, or overrun, by Romans (or Greeks) at one … (2 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Antique Modern - 02/05/08 09:15 AM
I ran across this photo this morning. It is one that came from my trip to Italy last fall. We were standing on top of a hill, looking down on the city of Verona, and I saw this power pole. It had the old glass insulators. I have seen a number … (3 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Everson WA Home Inspector (King of the House): The Picture Conveys A Thousand Words - 02/03/08 07:41 PM
I have gotten many gasps, comments and mileage from the photo of the fresh water supply that is pictured below. In fact, a few weeks back it helped me tie for number one in the "bozo bathroom" awards here at Active Rain. (I would have won outright, but the other party, who … (2 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Oriented Strand Board - 01/30/08 11:08 PM
I have written about oriented strand board (OSB) a number of times before. The topic most often comes up when talking about L-P innerseal siding. However, OSB is available in sheets as well and is used for other applications such as sheathing that is covered by other material. This photo below is … (8 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Failed Caulking At The Tub - 01/29/08 10:38 PM
This is a simple blog, but I had this pretty good photo of a common problem and thought I would post it. When a home inspector checks a tub and/or shower, he or she should take a look where the floor and the tub meet. At the floor, especially if it … (7 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Safety and Seller Ethics -- Don't Know? Or Just Not Telling? - 01/29/08 12:20 PM
Normally, when performing an inspection, I find that sellers really do not know the various problems at their home. That includes outlets that are not properly polarized or grounded (they do not know the difference if appliances work when they are plugged in); subtle flashing problems or issues at roofs, windows … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Positive Spin On Home Inspection Issues - 01/28/08 05:46 PM
I have run into people who think that we home inspectors are too negative -- glass half empty types. To counteract that belief, I thought I would do something to the contrary. I have posted here a photo of a roof. Now, there are inspectors who would think that this was … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): Analysis Of An Invasion -- Carpenter Ants - 01/27/08 03:23 PM
A pest that we see often in the wooded Pacific Northwest is the carpenter ant. Carpenter ants are not all exactly the same size or color. In fact there are many different species but they get their name, as a group, because of the way the ants categorized as carpenter ants chew the wood … (3 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House): Improper Flashings - 01/27/08 03:02 PM
It is always kind of sad, sometimes amusing, when a homeowner knows that some component is required at the home but does not know the correct way to install it. Here is a photo of a metal flashing, above the eave on a sloped roof. The fellow who installed it figured … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Property Inspector (King of the House): Electric Panel Safety - 09/01/07 02:08 AM
This is the photo of the inside of an electric panel. Granted, the big bent nail off to the side is not so impressive, but at least it is staying in one place. The thing that you need to see is in the lower left hand corner. That is oh so … (7 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Open Ended Gutters - 08/29/07 09:45 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, where we have so much rain, gutters are a pretty important part of a home. They control the rain and runoff water. Around here, when you see a house without gutters and downspouts there is almost always a big pile of mud under the eaves, caused by the … (2 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Home Inspections Bellingham WA (King of the House): Fallen Insulation - 08/25/07 10:40 AM
When a home inspector sees crawl space insulation that has fallen, such as this, it usually means one of a couple things. In this case, the crawl space is wet and the moisture has evaporated up into the insulation and it is heavy and no longer supported. The little metal rods … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Real Estate Inspections (King of the House): Metal Roofs - 08/23/07 09:33 PM
Metal roofs, over recent years, have developed a good reputation. There is a catch however. The metal roof that is generally considered to be high quality is the standing seam metal roof. This popular roof is durable and has a minimum of exposed screws or fasteners. That catch I described is that … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: When In Rome - 08/20/07 10:20 PM
As I said in a previous post, in about a month, I will be visiting Italy again. Even though the construction is so different over there, I can still pick up on some things. They are not very useful tips in the Pacific Northwest, but interesting anyway. Most of the roofs … (6 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl space vegetation - 08/17/07 01:24 AM
I have been in lots of crawl spaces. The one today was blooming out all over. Best foliage I have ever seen down under. This was a post and pier foundation and nobody had ever put down a vapor barrier. Access was pretty much impossible, there were ferns and various weeds … (2 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Wa. Washington Home Inspector (King of the House): Unsafe Wiring Practices - 08/16/07 10:08 AM
Here is another one I see frequently on inspections. This is the case of running the live electric wires over, inside, or through the gutters or downspouts. The gutters and downspouts are obviously not designed for this purpose and the wires usually move around and wear the insulation off the conductors. … (0 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House, Inc): Trip Hazards and Wires! - 08/14/07 09:56 AM
I always find it amazing, at inspection sites, the number of homeowners who will have extension cords draped across paths, sidewalks and high foot traffic areas. Usually these supply power to a pond, a fountain or some type of water feature. There are a couple problems. First, just the trip hazard … (0 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Property Inspection (King of the House, Inc): Electric Heater Safety - 08/13/07 03:36 PM
Sometimes I am amazed at how casually people treat the areas around their electric heaters. The heater might be in a bathroom and a towel rack is mounted over it, towel hanging down. Or maybe the curtains hang down over the baseboard heater in the living room. In the photos below, … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Not Such A Spiffy Biffy - 08/06/07 09:55 PM
One of the most common problems with toilets is the loose toilet. People have heard that if they tighten a toilet too tight to the floor, they can crack the porcelain. That is true, but the usual problem is that they overcompensate the other way. They leave the toilet loose to … (5 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham WA Real Estate Inspection (King of the House): Asbestos Cement Siding - 08/05/07 10:29 PM
Probably the biggest problem with asbestos cement siding, that is still in place today, has to do with areas that have been cracked or damaged. This was the early cement-based siding, with asbestos fibers. Everyone hears the word "asbestos" and gets nervous, however asbestos siding itself is not airborne or friable unless … (7 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: King of the House Inc: Telltale Signs -- Underground Storage Tanks, Pt 2 - 07/31/07 01:46 PM
The photos below are more examples of telltale signs. These are all from inspections that I performed. I will show the clues and describe the outcome. As to realtors, since you are not going to be down in the crawl space (where the clues are seen probably 60% of the time) you … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: A King size sigh of relief: The meme is done - 07/30/07 12:18 AM
Well, it took me more than a week to mull it over but, as of this weekend, I did my meme. On top of that, tonight I selected my three victims -- Michael Eisenberg who is at Fairhaven Realty and quite the AR competitor in this market, also Eric Badgley and … (4 comments)
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bellingham wa property inspection: Bellingham Property Inspection (King of the House, Inc): Carpenter Ants and Wood Destroying Organisms - 07/25/07 08:53 AM
Those of us who are home inspectors get used to our own lingo. And the realtors who have been in the business for some time understand most of it. Today, I had a reminder, in speaking to a realtor, that all the technical words we inspectors think are common might not … (10 comments)
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