blaine home inspector: Unwelcome Prowlers - 06/24/11 08:59 AM
We are talking security here. This is important. Every homeowner wants to think that his or her home is difficult to break into. A breach of security can have devastating consequences. Homeowners often buy the best doors, the best locks and they join block watch groups. But sometimes those consumers miss the most dangerous prowlers when those prowlers are on-site and casing the joint. If you think that is an exaggeration, then let me show you a photo of a prowler that I saw recently. 
 
This prowler was scoping things out from the outside, in the backyard, in broad daylight. When such … (6 comments)

blaine home inspector: Home Inspection Basics -- What We Inspect - 06/22/11 03:08 AM
 I am often surprised to find that buyers, and even their agents, do not know what to expect from a professional home inspection. Inevitably, there are things that they "think" we inspectors will be looking at when, in fact, that system or component is excluded -- burglar alarms, cable and telephone, yard irrigation systems. Then, on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those things that we inspect in detail that end up surprising many people -- the fact that we remove the cover from the electric panel, remove the cover on the furnace.
Home inspections vary from state to state, and from association … (9 comments)

blaine home inspector: From England With Attitude -- 45 Years Ago Today - 06/21/11 04:49 PM
The year was 1966. What was happening in San Francisco was in the news all over the world.
 
There were new words "hippie" and "flower power".

Some music critics claim that rock music was at its best in those years -- that it would never be better than the music that was created by the artists of the mid to late 1960's. The band that held the #1 position for that two week period in mid-June 1966 was from the other side of the ocean.
The guys in this band were known as that "other" super group from England. Despite their European … (7 comments)

blaine home inspector: Number One With A Bullet -- 50 Years Ago This Week! - 06/19/11 04:24 PM
I used to write posts about music, from Top 40, to country to soul. I spent years in the radio industry so I enjoyed researching and writing these pieces. It was like re-living history. Due to personal commitments, and an increasing workload, I backed-off on that for about a year. 
Despite still being very busy at work, I need a distraction, so I have the hankering to write a few similar posts once again. These posts will appear about once a week, maybe more or less, and they will be in the context of "on this day in history". The posts will highlight a … (13 comments)

blaine home inspector: Righteous Music - 06/14/11 04:31 PM
From my teen years, and as a young adult, I well-remember the music of the Righteous Brothers. Who can forget some of their blue-eyed soul classics -- Unchained Melody, Ebb Tide, You've Lost That Loving Feelin', You're My Soul and Inspiration, Go Ahead and Cry.  These were all giants in the mid to late 1960's.
The Righteous Brothers consisted of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. Unfortunately, Bobby Hatfield passed away a few years ago. But Bill Medley still has the talent and he is, regularly, embarking on tours around the world. On a drive to Seattle today, I heard on the … (13 comments)

blaine home inspector: King of the House Home Inspection -- Bellingham Home Inspections - 06/08/11 06:22 AM
I have completed a video about the home inspection process and my firm, King of the House Home Inspection, which operates in Bellingham and Whatcom county, WA.
After going to the effort to produce this narrated slide show, I have tried to post the youtube link at some other sites that I use for my online marketing. For some reason, the video link is rejected at some sites but my Active Rain links always work great. Therefore, I am embedding the video here and writing this explanatory post. I am going to post the Active Rain link at the various sites.
If you … (3 comments)

blaine home inspector: I Saw Bobby Again Just The Other Day - 06/05/11 08:45 AM
The home inspector is one form of urban archaeologist. If an inspector is busy, he or she is seeing the inside of many homes.
I see people's art and their posters hanging on the walls and in closets. Based on my experience and observations, there is one mythical figure in pop culture who is most favored by the masses.  This icon's poster is very often found in houses that are occupied by college age students who were born after he died.  You would think that they would have their own rock icons to worship, instead of cruising back to my generation.
In case … (5 comments)

blaine home inspector: Insufficient Roof Slope - 06/04/11 10:53 AM
The composition shingles that we see on houses are designed for sloped roofs. They will shed water but they are not waterproof membranes. Ideally, a roof will have a slope of 4/12 or better, but generally, if a roof is 3/12 or steeper, the inspector probably won't say much about it.
This is a roof slope gauge. It is on a composition roof. The slope is about 1.25/12. Now, as an inspector, I have to cite that as a potential problem. In some cases, like at manufactured homes, the factories use minimal slope but we hope that they use a good system of underlayments … (6 comments)

blaine home inspector: Electric Safety and GFCI's -- The Basics - 06/04/11 03:33 AM
 In the State of Washington, regardless of the age of the house, an inspector must recommend that the clients upgrade to GFCI protected receptacles in those areas where they are, today, standard. The state standards of practice dictate that recommendation. Any argument that codes are not retroactive, so GFCI's are not necessary in an older house, fly out the window on this one. The law does not support that position.
GFCI receptacles should be installed in many locations, a few of the most common ones are -- kitchen countertops, near laundry or wetbar sinks, outdoors, in garages, in bathrooms, in unfinished basements.
(3 comments)

blaine home inspector: I Am A Big Loser! - 05/30/11 03:44 PM
I don't think I am the only one in the field of home inspection who is a big loser. I know several inspectors who, based on what they tell me, are losers as well. Why are we losers?
Well, in the course of this job, we are focused on many different tasks. Often we are in dark, tight and untidy spots. Therefore, we are prone to misplacing or losing tools. I, personally, have lost a pocket camera, camera batteries, flashlights, electric receptacle testers, voltage alert testers, rot probes, a digital thermometer and probably lots more that has not yet come to mind. … (19 comments)

blaine home inspector: Hardie Plank is Not Bullet Proof - 05/27/11 12:41 PM
Many times I have had builders argue that, since the siding they installed was cement-based, it was not necessary to put a flashing, and to establish an appropriate gap, between the siding and a deck. I have even had agents question why such a flashing would be required with Hardie Plank. After all, they say, it cannot rot.
Well, I will agree that it does not rot. But when it is exposed to too much moisture, too often and for too long, it will deteriorate. It, more so than rotting, de-laminates and falls apart in layers and pieces. Take a look at this photo.
(6 comments)

blaine home inspector: Vegetation -- Over and Over and Over Again - 05/26/11 04:29 PM
I do not think it matters how much we inspectors harp on the topic. People still ignore the vegetation and let it take over. This photo might as well be from any of the several homes that I inspect every week.

Heavy vegetation against the siding and the roof might, in fact, be more normal than finding a house where the bushes have been cut back, a foot or so, away from the house.
People often cannot understand why this is a problem. The answer is simple: (1) building materials do not dry when they have bushes against them (2) … (44 comments)

blaine home inspector: Excellent Spewage Photos - 05/25/11 06:34 AM
The average home inspector sees a fair bit of spewage, of various types, while on the job.  The spewage from drain or waste lines tends to be the least popular spewage in the eyes of the inspector. Spewage from rodents, down in the crawl space, tends to also be pretty high on the list of not so pleasant things to find.
I was looking through my photos and found an excellent shot of major spewage. This is an outside faucet that requires a bit of work.

This type of fresh water spewage is certainly preferable to some of the other … (12 comments)

blaine home inspector: Can You Say "Rusty" - 05/23/11 04:35 PM
In the damp Pacific Northwest, the home inspector sees lots of rust. Rust occurs, sometimes quite quickly, when metal is exposed to moisture. And, if salt water is nearby, that process may be exacerbated. The home inspector often finds rust at metal flashings on plumbing stacks or on steel electric masts. The electric mast below is a good example.

It takes a long time but, over time, rust will lead to holes in metal. It becomes weak or leaks can develop. When rust is prominent, often the metal components have to be replaced. In some, specific, instances the metal can … (9 comments)

blaine home inspector: Question the Facts -- Mistakes Can Bite! - 05/22/11 08:41 AM
 In the field of home inspection, the inspector first learns about a house from a client or a referring real estate agent. Sometimes, the inspector will be directed to the MLS listing which, generally, is fairly accurate. However, under no circumstances should anyone, especially the inspector, ever depend on the MLS listing or the agent description. Here are only a few things that I have found on inspections that seriously varied from the real estate information that was provided to me.
Age of the house, per the county assessor, was a dozen years older than the MLS data
Single pane windows were … (8 comments)

blaine home inspector: Coffee: Two Times Around If You Please - 05/18/11 03:43 AM
Part of my morning ritual, when I go out into the field for an inspection, is to get a warm cup of coffee at a drive-thru coffee stand. Grande Americano if you please.
For years, I did this strictly as a treat. But I found out, sometime later, that there is an added benefit to getting that morning cup of Joe.  Here is the scoop. I often test built-in microwave ovens, at least as far as to see that they heat.
I used to, still do actually, carry with me plastic beakers for heating water. Problem is, it is easy to … (18 comments)

blaine home inspector: Wood to Earth Contact -- The Conducive Condition - 05/15/11 05:14 AM
 I explained in a previous post the term "conducive condition." It means any condition that is likely to cause rot or increase the odds of an infestation by wood destroying inspects. There are many such conducive conditions -- uncontrolled runoff water, plumbing leaks. But, in my view, probably the most basic conducive condition is the one that I see the most often -- wood to earth contact. 

When wood is in contact with earth (not simply soil but gravel and beauty bark, etc) that leads to high moisture content in the wood and, before too much time passes, the wood … (5 comments)

blaine home inspector: Lucca, Italy - 05/15/11 03:38 AM
Five years ago, when my wife and I were in Italy, one of the cities we visited was the ancient city of Lucca, which is in the Tuscany region. Lucca was founded by the Etruscans and became a colony of the Romans way back in 180 BC. One feature of Lucca, that lets you know it is ancient, is the moat and the wall around it.

Lucca was a very pretty and historically interesting city. On the day that we were leaving Lucca -- an ill-fated train ride that ended with the train going five miles and then all the … (6 comments)

blaine home inspector: Gutters -- Not As Benign As Homeowners Think - 05/13/11 04:38 PM
 Homeowners look upon blocked and clogged gutters as no big deal. To them, a clogged gutter is not unlike having mud on the tires. Instead of worrying about it, no harm done, simply wash the mud off when the spirit moves you.
That might work with tires, but it can be a costly attitude to have when dealing with gutters. Below is a photo of a bank owned property. It is not hard to imagine, in the hard rains we have had this year in the Pacific Northwest, that the gutter overflows on a regular basis.
 
When the gutter overflows, … (9 comments)

blaine home inspector: Miracle by Duct Tape - 05/07/11 10:31 AM
I will admit it for the group: We home inspectors tend to be critical of duct tape repairs. You have heard us complain about it before -- the rusted-out P-trap repaired with duct tape, the hole in the sink patched with duct tape, or the homeowner's favorite, the heat duct held together with duct tape. I am one of the leading purveyors of the theory that a duct tape repair is not the right way to go about one's business.
However, I must admit that, as of this week, I am not practicing what I preach. I have a home inspection camera that, at this point, looks … (12 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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