blaine home inspector: Pacific Northwest Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Blowin' Hot Air
- 03/10/08 10:58 AM
If you have ever been in a new home and saw that 24 hour timer on the wall of the bathroom or the laundry room, then you are probably looking at the 24 hour ventilation system. These systems are designed to be set to operate automatically. This is done with one or more fans. In the simple systems that is usually just the one fan in a bathroom or in the laundry area. Sometimes there will be a fan on the furnace too. Essentially, regardless of the number of timers, they are set to run automatically and reliably run the fans to expel … (10 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- A Most Common Problem
- 03/07/08 11:07 AM
If somebody was to ask me to name the most common thing that I find at home inspections, I would have to ponder it a bit. And I am sure that answer varies in different parts of the country. In the Pacific Northwet we probably see more than our share of moss on roofs, earth to wood contact and rot. However, one of the most common things I find is the dryer hood being plugged with massive lint. This can lead to a number of problems. Obviously there is the big one -- risk of a fire -- but an appliance service professional … (0 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) When The Figurin' Comes Easy
- 03/07/08 10:45 AM
The photos below tell an interesting story. Sometimes it is hard to decipher or forecast all the ins and outs of a potential problem. Then there are times when the figuring comes easy. Case in point -- The gutters and downspouts at this home were, generally, well controlled as far as runoff water from the roof. The planning was good, but this downspout missed the foundation drain. This is something an inspector should call out. And, honestly, some people probably would think the inspector was overreacting. But here I actually have good cause and effect photos. Crawl space dry as … (2 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): What's Knot -- LP Siding
- 03/07/08 10:07 AM
I have written about this topic before, but then I have an experience that makes me think I had better write about it again. It seems like old hat to me, but that is not the case. Yesterday I was doing an inspection and a friendly appraiser was on-site. He was doing an appraisal for some federal loan program so they were asking him to make comments about things like wood to earth contact and the building materials. He asked me a few questions. I mentioned that the siding was in pretty good shape but that the home had L-P inner-seal … (2 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Roofing Tar
- 03/06/08 04:42 PM
The condition shown in the photo is not ordinarily seen by prospective buyers. Why? Because it is up on the roof where they dare not tread. When an inspector sees tar applied like this, it is a warning sign of amateur repairs. A real roofer uses tar more like glue - under materials to hold it down. In this case it is being used like a sealant or a dam.
Usually this type of application means one of three things, going from worst to lesser. (1) There was a leak and the homeowner raced to the home store and bought … (6 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Unsafe Wiring
- 03/04/08 05:12 PM
This photo was "officially" a professional installation. I criticized it and it ends up that it was, honestly, a water heater installed by a licensed plumber. Now, he did this bang-up job in his own home, so he must have lower standards for personal safety. This guy might have been a plumbing contractor but he obviously was not heavily into the finer points of electric wiring. Most of us might be more careful with the 240volt AC line than this ace plumber was. In theory, when a plumber installs a new electric tank he hooks it to a wire that an electrician installed. In practice, … (2 comments)
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blaine home inspector: New Homes, Forgotten Tasks
- 02/29/08 04:16 AM
There is, periodically, a discussion about whether or not there is a point in having a home inspection at a brand new home. My experience has shown me that the answer is a resounding "yes." The most serious problem I have found at new homes involves significant standing water in the crawl space and the builder is not telling about that. In the wet northwest, if you buy a house located on the downside of a hill, it might look crispy inside, but be soggy down below. Over the years that can lead to rot and mold, and the mold might … (2 comments)
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blaine home inspector: A Termite Manifesto: The Stranger Among Us
- 02/26/08 03:25 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, practically speaking, we have two types of termites to look out for on inspections. And, if you are in the Bellingham area, despite the propaganda you might hear to the contrary-- Yes, we too have termites!
The first, and uncommon in most parts of the country, is the Pacific Dampwood termite. Here in the northwest we see this insect fairly often. This guy, and the gals, are attracted to very moist, often decaying, wood. They are a secondary problem in that wood is way too wet to begin with if they find it appealing, so you have … (6 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Look To The Sky My Friend
- 02/26/08 02:08 AM
When a home inspector looks for leaks, where pipes and vents exit the roof, it can be a subtle process. If there is an accessible attic, the inspector will try to look around these appurtenances (big fancy word for stuff coming out of the roof). Another method, done in virtually every inspection, is to look at all of the flashings on the roof. Is the metal rusting, is the flashing done right, are the shingles or roofing around it holding up, has debris collected that blocks the flow of water?
The defect in the photo below was an easier find than … (0 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Whatcom County Home Inspections (King of the House): Scenes From This Old House
- 02/21/08 02:54 AM
This Old House -- a famous song and a famous expression. As a home inspector, I see lots of old houses. The one below was a classic example of a 100 year old plus farm house that had been built and lived in over all those years. The modifications and repairs were not always, in fact seldom, done right and the maintenance had fallen by the wayside over the years as well.
Sometimes people ask: "Why would someone pay an inspector money to report on such obvious problems?" I do not always have a good answer for that. With many homes the problems are subtle enough that it takes … (5 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Home Inspection Puzzle: Guess Why?
- 01/30/08 02:46 PM
Okay, you were not there so this is hard to figure out. But some of the home inspector types like Charlie Buell will probably come pretty close or nail this one. And, since it is my puzzle, I get to give you the clues as I see fit.
This was a home I was inspecting a couple weeks back. I had met with the seller, who was there that day and was walking around with me part of the time. I had begun working and one of the things I do, first off, is check the water pressure. A normal water pressure … (11 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Lost Aircraft Found During Home Inspection
- 01/25/08 04:11 PM
When I do a home inspection, I try to stay pretty focused on the job, despite the various distractions: deer, raccoons, buyers, sellers, mud, bees, etc. Yesterday I was inspecting a home and a creek ran behind it. I was taking a break and looking around. Low and behold, down by the creek was a pretty good sized plane. Now, we are not talking a people plane, but it was sure bigger than anything I ever played with as a kid. You can tell, by the proportion of it, compared to the weeds and the wall, that it is pretty large. What … (3 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Sudden Valley Home Inspection (King of the House): Unsafe Extension Cords
- 01/15/08 12:18 PM
This is a photo of a scenario that is not uncommon to find, especially in vacation homes. At this home a permanent appliance, that requires power, has been purchased and is located at the other side of the door. The problem is, there is not an outlet on that side of the door. So, the homeowner has purchased a really long extension cord and run it up the wall and over the door. That is kind of like taking a lesson from some of the wiring jobs I have seen the phone company come up with. The problem is, with AC, … (7 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Birch Bay Blaine Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl space variations and ventilation
- 07/15/07 05:58 PM
Recently, I saw a general statement telling people to block their crawl space vents permanently. I have made skeptical remarks on this, based on conditions I personally see out in the field inspecting in western Washington and based on Washington WDO laws.
While the practice of blocking vents might be a good idea in some areas, it is not a good one here. It is also mandated by WA state law, not simple building codes, that a home inspector must call out lack of proper ventilation: ineffective or blocked crawl space vents. My position is in reference to conventional crawl spaces. In this region, … (4 comments)
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blaine home inspector: Pacific Northwest Home Inspection (King of the House): Gas Services
- 07/12/07 03:43 PM
This is one of those problems -- not so glaring -- that could be missed by someone buying a house. In fact, this was missed by the municipal code inspector. The problem, if you think about it, is pretty simple. Someone pulling into this driveway has a strong potential of wiping out, creaming, having strong mechanical and physical contact with the gas service. It is kind of funny, but the house with this service was one I inspected for a Washington State trooper and that was one of the first things he said to me: "Isn't this supposed to be protected, I might hit … (0 comments)
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blaine 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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If you have ever been in a new home and saw that 24 hour timer on the wall of the bathroom or the laundry room, then you are probably looking at the 24 hour ventilation system. These systems are designed to be set to operate automatically. This is done with one or more fans. In the simple systems that is usually just the one fan in a bathroom or in the laundry area. Sometimes there will be a fan on the furnace too. Essentially, regardless of the number of timers, they are set to run automatically and reliably run the fans to expel … (10 comments)
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