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ferndale home inspection: #1 Album in America, August 1965 - 08/07/11 11:39 AM
In August 1965 what would later be referred to as the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band had their first #1 album on the U.S. charts. There are disputes about which band really deserves that title, but this band certainly wins on pure endurance and longevity.
Around the country, in 1965, the hit in the theaters was Julie Andrews in the classic Sound of Music which is one of the biggest selling soundtracks in history.
The music in that production could not be any more different than the music on the #1 charting pop album. Rock radio, by 1965, was heavily … (19 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Home Inspection: Clarity of Language and Documentation - 07/27/11 01:51 PM
In a tough real estate market, like we have now, tensions run high. Agents work hard to put together deals. Most agents do not have a problem with an issue, cited on a home inspection report, as long as it is valid and put in reasonable perspective. However, building houses is complicated and there are many safety guidelines that the properly trained home inspector looks for that might go "unseen" by someone who is not familiar with the job and requirements.
For that reason, when certain not so obvious problems are noted at an inspection, it can save later bickering if the inspector provides … (6 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) Guardrail Safety and Code - 07/17/11 11:56 AM
When a deck or a landing, outside or inside the house, is 30" or higher above grade or the floor, there should be a guardrail. And, to provide safety benefits for children and adults, it has to meet certain requirements. First, and pretty basic, it needs to be secure -- not wobbly. If a 200 pound person leans on it, heavily so, it may give a bit but not collapse or appear to be prone to catastrophic failure.
The rail, also pretty basic, must be a minimum of 36" high. That helps keep a kid from climbing over the rail or an adult from falling … (4 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Mexican Art - 06/26/11 04:23 PM
When my wife and I visit Oaxaca, Mexico in January of each year, so far at least for three years, we spend several days touring the area in a taxi. Taxis are very affordable there and we have a couple drivers we really like who, also, act as tour guides.
One of the top wood carvers in all of Mexico is located near Oaxaca. Two years ago, we visited his studio and it was fun watching the figures come to life. The carver works on them outside in the shop. Then a group of young adults and kids -- they have to … (3 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Stand By Me -- Bellingham, June 25, 2011 - 06/18/11 01:17 PM
A legendary soul and R&B performer is coming to Whatcom County next weekend, Saturday, June 25. Ben E. King was an original lead singer with the Drifters. He was the featured vocalist on This Magic Moment, There Goes My Baby, Save the Last Dance For Me, Spanish Harlem and other classic hits from the early years of rock n' roll.
But his pinnacle moment has to be his huge solo hit -- Stand By Me. This song has gone on to become one of the most respected rock and R&B songs ever recorded. Even the early Beatles were playing with this … (7 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Staged By Bank - 06/15/11 10:48 AM
Some of the homes that we inspectors have to enter these days require wearing a respirator while we are on the inside. They smell that bad. When a bank gets a property back, to say that many of these lenders do not spend any money in getting it cleaned and sold again is an understatement.
These photos are among the worst examples I have personally seen, but this is a foreclosure that was on the market here in Whatcom County. The bank was on the east coast and maybe they did not know what they were trying to sell, but it was … (22 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: King of the House Home Inspection -- Bellingham Home Inspections - 06/08/11 01:22 PM
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)
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ferndale home inspection: Whatcom County: Restaurants Hurt by Sour Economy - 06/05/11 05:14 PM
I read the other day that, on a national basis, the economy is killing many public amenities. For example, I guess that -- on a widespread basis -- many of the public pools are being shut in communities around the nation. Locally, and in the state, many teachers will be receiving pay cuts.
Locally, the newspaper did a story today that made sense. They said that the higher-end restaurants are being hit hard in Whatcom County. People might have the cash to shell-out for McDonald's or Taco Time, but many struggling families are no longer going to nice places that come … (3 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Hardie Plank is Not Bullet Proof - 05/27/11 07:41 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)
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ferndale home inspection: Miracle by Duct Tape - 05/07/11 05:31 PM
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)
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ferndale home inspection: Satisfied Client -- Hommage to the Master - 05/06/11 05:56 PM
As many of you know, my certifried home inspector assistant, Nutsy S. Wallenda, periodically does home inspections on his own. More often than not, that is the case when I loan him out to bail out Charles Buell down in Seattle when Charlie is up to his ears in work and needs a hand. Although he is my assistant, Nutsy is frequently -- and incorrectly -- thought of as Charlie's better half. This misinformation is somewhat enhanced by the fact that Nutsy has Buell Inspection business cards.
Lest anyone thinks that, by being a squirrel, Nutsy is not effective, well … (14 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Blaine Home Inspector (King of the House) Gutters - 04/08/11 12:51 AM
When gutters are allowed to fill up with organic debris, they are prone to leakage. That might be a leak over the top of the gutter, or it might be more subtle.
The high quality aluminum seamless gutters have ends and some have corners. These ends and corners are attached to the gutter and then mastic is applied to seal them.
In the photo above, we have a leak at the end of a gutter at a relatively new home. This is cement-based siding, not prone to rot like wood but, just the same, this is a conducive condition. This … (6 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Seamless Aluminum Gutter Leaks - 04/02/11 09:59 AM
In life nothing is perfect, I think we know that. But, in a wet climate such as we have here in the Pacific Northwest, aluminum seamless gutters are typically what the home inspector will suggest for a home that has no gutters or one that requires new gutters.
The term seamless sounds good. Instead of those plastic or old metal gutters where sections are spliced one to another, the gutters are "seamless". No seams, no leaks. That is kind of true, but not in real life. There will be ends on the gutters and they have a mastic applied, at that … (4 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Flashing the Deck or the Porch -- A Video - 02/17/11 06:45 AM
As many here at Active Rain know, I have recently been doing a few instructional narrated videos for my clients. So far, the reception for the videos has been excellent on the part of clients and their agents and Google loves the things to death too. They end up all over the search pages for key terms.
They are, frankly, a real pain to do and I spent years in broadcasting too. I try to stick to topics that are commonly found at my inspections in Bellingham and this region: Anobiid beetles, Carpenter ants, Rot, Knob and Tube Wiring, Water Heater … (13 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Slippery Slope -- Problem or Not? - 02/12/11 07:04 PM
Sometimes a professional home inspector has to point out, as a potential problem, a condition that may or may not end up being an "actual problem". An excellent example of that scenario is provided in the photo below.
Here in the northwest we have ongoing and frequent rainfall. This home is built into or at the bottom of a hillside, which is very common. That is a conducive condition when the earth slopes toward the building. At an older home, like the one above, there is some history so the inspector can look for signs of past moisture intrusion from … (5 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: 16 Degrees of Disgusted - 11/23/10 11:58 AM
This past weekend I posted a photo showing the, at that time, fresh and pristine coating of snow that had dusted Bellingham and Whatcom County. It was almost pretty enough to put on a Christmas card.
It is now Tuesday and the weather has turned warmer again and then colder again, sixteen degrees outside right now, and the roads and the sidewalks have turned trecherous. And the blanket of snow is, of course, now brown ice.
I just got back from walking to the tire store to get studded tires put on my company truck, something I have not had … (11 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: One Advantage Of Getting High (On the Roof) - 11/19/10 07:44 PM
Well, it has been awhile. But I got pretty high today. The way I saw it, by getting high, I would be able to have a totally different perspective than I had previously.
And I was absolutely right. When I got high, on a four or five story building, I had a wonderful view of the waterfront in Fairhaven. This was Friday morning, so one of the big Alaska ferries was in port. I am posting the photo below.
… (8 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspections (King of the House) Wood to Soil - 11/04/10 12:24 PM
I see this a lot in Bellingham and Whatcom County. Some wood is made to be in contact with soil. It is sold that way. This is referred to as preserved wood or pressure-treated lumber. The fact of the matter is that not all pressure-treated lumber is created equal. I have seen pressure-treated posts that were completely rotted away at the soil level after less than ten years. Then, personally, I have pulled pressure-treated fence posts from the ground, 20 years after planting them, and the below grade wood was as sound as the day I put them in the ground. … (9 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Tough Road To Hoe -- Service Clubs - 10/03/10 07:55 PM
I first joined a service club, Kiwanis Noon Club in Bellingham, in the early 1980's. I served as President of that club from 1989 to 1990. I took a hiatus for a few years but got actively involved in Kiwanis again about three years ago. I joined the morning club -- Kulshan Kiwanis Club of Bellingham. I wrote about one of the fundraisers for that club here.
Anyone who knows Kiwanis knows that the club, internationally, commits time and effort to many worthwhile projects. Knowing that, I regret to say that, as of last week, the Kulshan Kiwanis club faded … (7 comments)
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ferndale home inspection: Tiny Roof, Big Hole - 09/30/10 09:57 PM
A few days back I was inspecting a home that was, about 85%, a flat torch down roof. There was a small room built over the flat roof. The room was not much more than a sitting room. Honestly, it was small and I almost forgot to go up there. But I went down to the truck and got my ladder and put it up on the eave. Glad I looked. A hole in the roof is not something you want to miss in the wet Pacific Northwest and the Bellingham area.
First thing I saw was a shingle in … (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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