burlington home inspector: And You Thought The Job Was Done - 07/15/08 04:34 PM
I have seen the problem pictured below many times before, as has every other home inspector. The seller is pleased to report, going into the inspection, that the home has a new roof and it is in good shape -- great selling point! The home inspector takes a look at the roof and it is nicely done.
Later on in the inspection, the home inspector opens the attic hatch. What does he or she find? The inspector finds the photo below.
 
What is all the litter? That is the old roof and wood scraps left by the roofers. Can you say unnecessary non-structural … (8 comments)

burlington home inspector: Open-ended Gutters - 05/06/08 02:07 AM
Many new homes in the Pacific Northwet, older homes too, have gutters installed that have open ends. These are almost always on dormers so they drain the water from that smaller roof down to the end of the gutter where it keeps on a movin' down the rooof to the main gutter system. Many builders, and buyers, feel that the look of open-ended gutters far exceeds the look of a long downspout going down the roof. That may be true to some people, but open-ended gutters have their own issues. One of those issues is they dump heavy water, especially during major rain, near the … (4 comments)

burlington home inspector: No Flashing, Big Problem! - 05/01/08 02:23 PM
This photo is a good example of why it is important to properly flash an exterior wall that is located at the side of the roof. Some short-sighted builders think that, since the water is going to be running down the roof, it will not hurt to have the wall touching the roof. That is why we call these builders short-sighted. They do not have the foresight to realize that only a few years down the road that wall is going to be soggy and rotten. Doubters only need to look at the photo below. That is not an OSB (oriented … (6 comments)

burlington home inspector: They're Alive, They're Alive - 04/15/08 03:35 PM
This is not an out of body experience, or some tale that will make you think I am any weirder than what you might already think. After all, you have probably heard stories of the dead coming back to life -- on shows like the Twilight Zone. Call it reincarnation, call it hibernation, or call it whatever you want but please don't call me late for dinner. Take this story as you will, perhaps you will think it silly, perhaps you will think it a miracle, but it is my story and here goes.
In December I did an inspection at Birch Bay and found … (10 comments)

burlington home inspector: Cricket, More Than Just A Game - 04/10/08 12:04 PM
No wonder people who are learning English go crazy sometimes. Take, for example, the word "cricket." You probably think it means an insect or a game the British favor that is similar to baseball. Well, there is a third meaning as you are about to learn. The photo below is a good example of a wide chimney, more than five feet across, that should have a "cricket" behind it, at the junction with the roof.
If you are wondering why anyone would want a cricket, as in a little insect, behind the chimney then you have never learned, or heard, that third … (4 comments)

burlington home inspector: Home Inspection, Why Must We Get Out Of The Car? - 04/09/08 03:02 PM
Charlie Buell and I sometimes joke around that there are times you could do a home inspection from the publicity photos of the property. It is amazing the things the trained eye can see and, from the photos, you know to look very carefully at certain areas or you might be able to predict a problem in advance.
The photo, an inspection photo, is one of those instances where you know most of the story from looking at the picture. If this was an inside shot, then the problem would be the missing cover on the receptacle -- little fingers can get … (1 comments)

burlington home inspector: Another Close One - 04/05/08 07:23 AM
I have done a few posts in the last weeks about people with good intentions, who kind of understand something, but end up missing the mark. You might call it the "close but no cigar" category. The photo below is a good example. This installer must have known that routing gutter water away from the home, and into an underground drainage system, is a good idea. They came up with a way to do this, but it is not working. They seem to have put in the drain and then they installed small grills over that. So the water coming out … (2 comments)

burlington home inspector: You've Seen It From Both Sides Now - 04/03/08 03:35 AM
Especially at new homes, the builder often leaves a couple inches of clearance between the bottom of crawl space vents and the soil. Then the landscapers come in and they install landscape bark. In so doing, they (about 90% of the time from what I see) end up putting the bark up past the bottom of the vents. Crawl space wells are one solution to protect the vents from debris, grading the soil back sometimes works too if it is practical.
Then there are the people who do not think it is a problem, either way. Those are folks who have … (3 comments)

burlington home inspector: Roofs That Can't Drain - 03/27/08 07:11 AM
Earlier today I posted a blog dealing with large trees near homes. In that, I described that a primary consideration for the home inspector is the amount of organic debris such a tree will drop onto the roof. Most homes I see have low-sloped or sloped roofs. When roofs that are designed to shed water cannot do so -- have no drainage -- that water has to go somewhere and it might be into the attic or the home below. The photos below are from the same house that was featured in the earlier blog.  It does not take much imagination … (2 comments)

burlington home inspector: Your Roots Aren't Showing - 03/27/08 06:48 AM

Actually, the tree in the photo above does not support the home. It is a few feet to the south of the house but you would not know it from the photo. This tree presents a few potential problems. Some of those I will address in this blog and other problems I will post in addiitional  blogs today. The main issue with the above photo is the amount of organic debris that the tree will drop on the roof. You will see, in the other related blogs, that this is a very heavy coating of material that will block drainage on … (3 comments)

burlington home inspector: Sweating Windows - 03/24/08 05:08 PM
Yesterday I wrote about mobile homes and the fact they really do need to have a vapor barrier underneath them. Mobile homes, especially the older ones, were noted for poor windows. This had to do with leaks and also it involved missing thermal breaks in the old metal windows. Charlie Buell says he will write an article on that. Go Charlie! In a nutshell, condensation that can be helped with thermal breaks involves the cold air outside hitting the warmer air inside. The hotter the house, the colder outside, the bigger the problem. People breathing and cooking inside do not help keep humidity … (0 comments)

burlington home inspector: Bzzzzzzzzzzz - 03/22/08 04:02 AM

One thing people often do not think about is bees, the bad kind, gaining access to the attic area. I work with one realtor who looks for gaps from the outside to the attic while I am doing the rest of the inspection. I asked him why that is of such interest to him. The answer was that yellow jackets got into his house one time and before they were done they made a nest and came out through a hole they made in the sheet rock. They swarmed the occupants of the home, and stung several people. Lucky nobody had … (4 comments)

burlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Deck Flashings - 03/18/08 01:33 PM

No flashing! That is something that inspectors see over and over again at decks that attach to the exterior of the home. When the inspector states that there is no flashing and one is needed, virtually all sellers claim it is not necessary and they never heard of such a thing. Others involved in the real estate deal will agree or disagree, usually depending on what they have to gain or negotiate. Because a flashing is so important, for sure here in the northwest, I cannot resist posting an illustrative photo that does a wonderful job of showing what happens when … (4 comments)

burlington home inspector: Pacific Northwest Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Wood Decay - 03/18/08 01:17 PM

Okay, I admit it, there is wood here. But what a mess it is. Take a look at those joists that are being beaten by our weather here in the Pacific Northwet. When you see these you realize why an inspector likes to see a deck with a sub-structure built of pressure-treated lumber. When an inspector sees a deck like this -- heavy  fungal growth, and obvious saturation by water, there is little choice but to probe the wood in a few places. That way, when you find the rot and tell them to have the wood replaced, you have evidence supporting your … (5 comments)

burlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Debris on Roofs - 03/16/08 10:27 AM
It was a cold and rainy night. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have many conditions that lead to a high risk of roof leaks and water damage in the attic or in the home. Those conditions include lots of tall trees that shade a roof and, more significantly, they shed debris down on the roof. The organic debris slows down water being shed from the roof. That increases the chances of a leak. Sloped roofs are designed to shed water quickly. Then the moss, that grows on the roof, largely caused by the tall trees shading the roof, is hard on … (3 comments)

burlington home inspector: The Home Inspector As The Storyteller - 03/13/08 07:28 AM

A reference was made today, in a blog, to the home inspector as a storyteller. I look upon writing a report in much that manner. While not always possible, it is my goal to get the point across, good or bad, with detailed descriptions and interesting photos. Where possible, I try to use the terms that people understand. While electricians use the term "receptacles" most people refer to those things you plug into on the wall as outlets. I say receptacle, but define what that means. Sometimes a simple tool, that takes a good photo, can get a point across … (0 comments)

burlington home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Skylight Thinks About Leaking - 03/13/08 06:53 AM
 
You might argue that a skylight does not "think". That well may be true but I would argue that if a skylight could think, this one would be thinking about leaking. I know a roofer who says that there are two types of skylights:  "Those that are leaking and those that are going to leak." If this one was to leak then it would sure have a mighty good excuse for doing so. And, when it does leak, if it is the norm, the homeowner can use the old bowl or bucket technique importalized in song,  to capture the stray water.
Without getting too … (2 comments)

burlington home inspector: Let There Be Light - 03/13/08 04:33 AM

Lights, and determining if they operate, can be problematic for the home inspector. In old homes, and new homes, there might be combinations of burned out bulbs or missing bulbs. Also, light switches are unidentified (as in not labeled) so sometimes when a switch does not operate it can be hard to determine what that switch went to. Sometimes they go to lights, other times to wall outlets or even fans and other devices. Sometimes a switch is dead because something has been removed. So, when I say let there be light, it can be harder to figure out whether or … (4 comments)

burlington home inspector: Double Whammy Gutters - 01/15/08 11:38 AM
This photo was taken yesterday during a heavy rainstorm. As you can tell, the home is surrounded by trees -- not normal trees but basically a forest. As is usually the case in that environment, unless someone is continually cleaning the gutters, the gutters are fully blocked with leaves and debris. In this case, here at the east end of the home, water is cascading out of the top gutter and cascading out of the lower gutter too. Water is, for obvious reasons, not being controlled. According to laws regulation structural pest inspectors in the State of Washington, this is a … (2 comments)

burlington home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Missing Flashing - 01/14/08 02:50 PM
The photo is a bit dark, sorry, but the poor camera was flooded today. What a downpour. Anyway, there are a couple things here. First, the steps are built up over the composition wood siding. The T1-11 siding does not look too favorably upon being wet all the time. And, moisture collects at points like this, and that leads to decay of the siding. It should be cut away from the steps and a metal flashing is used to fill the gap. To make things worse, for the siding and the steps, the steps are covered with carpet and it is … (2 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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