home inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Rot is not a normal and acceptable part of aging - 06/09/07 08:52 PM
As a Bellingham home inspector, in the Pacific Northwet, I see this problem a lot. A month back, I wrote a blog much like this regarding moss on roofs. In a similar vein, I have heard sellers claim that their wood shake or shingle roof would last 50 years, guaranteed. Then, when … (1 comments)
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home inspection: Lake Padden Park, Bellingham - 06/07/07 05:03 PM
Lake Padden Park has to be one of the busiest parks in all of Whatcom County. If you can name it, it takes place at Lake Padden. The lake is noted for its trail, all the way around the lake, and it is a favorite for hikers, bikers and walking and … (7 comments)
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home inspection: Give me a cricket, or a saddle -- I don't care! - 06/02/07 08:44 PM
Home inspectors often talk about a cricket. Another name is a saddle flashing. Either way, often clients and even realtors do not know what an inspector is talking about. A photo of a cricket is below. This is a device for routing runoff water around a chimney that is of the … (5 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham home inspector(King of the House): This photo will shock and disgust you! - 05/29/07 11:40 PM
Okay, it is not as bad as the headline makes it look but, if you understand what you are looking at here, this is a pretty evil arrangement. Prior to the home inspection, it was mentioned to me that the bathroom had an "off smell." This is the attic view of … (36 comments)
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home inspection: RE: Squirrel Convention, Bellingham, Washington June 2007 - 05/29/07 04:31 PM
While this squirrel convention has yet to have a specific date, and please understand it is difficult to get a group of chattering squirrels to agree to anything, it sometimes seems like this event is ongoing year-round in almost every Bellingham neighborhood. As a 50+ year resident, I really do not know … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Georgia Pacific waterfront redevelopment - 05/28/07 07:28 PM
One of the most daunting, and exciting at the same time, projects on the horizon in Bellingham is the waterfront redevelopment of the Georgia Pacific site, just past the downtown area, on Cornwall Avenue. G-P is vacating in the next few years and their departure will make available a large area of prime … (1 comments)
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home inspection: Washington State's official flower and a tale of a strange election - 05/28/07 07:01 PM
In Washington State our state flower, in grand bloom this time of year, is the rhododendron. Some of these colorful bushes are really coming on right now, others are loosing their splendor as the blooms wilt. Regardless, whether talking about the early or the late bloomers, this is the time of year when … (2 comments)
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home inspection: Home-brew plumbers - 05/28/07 10:15 AM
Forget the leaks, stains and fungal growth beneath the leaks, forget the S-traps that should be P-traps (why that is a problem will be the topic of another blog). Forget the flex drain that will fit in that tight spot but has ridges like a vacuum cleaner house and is clogged all … (2 comments)
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home inspection: Alaska Marine Highway System - 05/28/07 12:01 AM
In 1989 the Alaska Marine Highway System, known to locals in Bellingham as the Alaska Ferry, made Bellingham the southern-most port for the ferry. That was a surprise and a triumph to many Bellingham residents who remembered that the city had lost out on the ferry two decades previously. It went … (2 comments)
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home inspection: I hear the train a comin' - 05/24/07 01:11 AM
The Amtrak station is on Harris Avenue in Bellingham's Fairhaven district, right next to the terminal for the Alaska Marine Highway System (the Alaska Ferry). On a daily schedule, Amtrak travels from Vancouver BC to the Eugene area in Oregon and passes through Bellingham four times each day, both morning and evening. … (0 comments)
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home inspection: New home shenanigans - 05/23/07 03:36 PM
Active Rain realtors and inspectors often talk about the problems found at new homes. The topic always revolves around whether or not new construction should be inspected. Periodically, I plan to post some photos of things I have found at newer homes. The photo below was a home that was one … (2 comments)
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home inspection: Big cracks and a foundation - 05/23/07 11:42 AM
A dilemma for home inspectors is when to call for further evaluation, and when not to. Some cases are pretty clear cut, like when an inspector finds a number of exposed wiring splices or a chimney like the creosote coated wonder I posted a couple days ago. Foundation cracks are one … (4 comments)
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home inspection: Santa Claus will cry about this one - 05/21/07 09:10 PM
I saw this chimney this past weekend, and thought I just had to post it. If you look at the first photo, it does not look too unusual other than there is no rain cap. But, when you look down the flue, it has more creosote than any chimney I have ever … (10 comments)
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home inspection: Boulevard Park, Bellingham - 05/21/07 06:03 PM
Boulevard Park, below the south hill, is one of the most spectacular parks in all of Bellingham and Whatcom County. And, between the city and the county, our region has parks that I believe are among the best in the nation. Boulevard Park has really changed from those days, 40 plus … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Marine Park, Fairhaven - 05/21/07 05:10 PM
Marine Park is not the first park most residents would think about, when they think of the Bellingham city parks. It is not as widely use, or known, as two other nearby parks: Boulevard and Fairhaven Parks. Marine Park is great for kids, but not specifically designed for them -- no … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Eldridge neighborhood, what a view! - 05/16/07 01:04 PM
The Eldridge neighborhood, overlooking Bellingham Bay and the north side of town, is one of the most prestigious communities in Bellingham. Historically, it dates back to the 1860's and some of the founding fathers and families in Bellingham settled and built here: James Eldridge and Henry Roeder. Many of the residences … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham Property Inspection (King of the House Inc): Serious Mold - 05/16/07 08:48 AM
So how do you like the two places below? Ever seen anything like the first one? Think that they need the services of a really good home stager? As most of you know, home inspector contracts usually exclude hazardous waste and mold as things we are responsible for. Actually, in most … (5 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Asbestos puzzle - 05/15/07 09:31 AM
Yesterday I wrote a blog on asbestos and, in it, mentioned asbestos fiber siding. Here is something that might be of use to realtors. If you did not know it, striated cedar siding is sometimes confused with asbestos. So, if you are ever at a house and decide the siding is … (1 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham WA home inspections (King of the House): Asbestos - 05/14/07 11:30 PM
Home inspectors, and realtors, hear a lot about asbestos. We know what it is of course and know that it was used for years in flooring, siding, heat duct insulation and unfortunately, due to the vermiculite mines being so close to the asbestos mines, some of it ended up in the … (5 comments)
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home inspection: Fairhaven, a scenic district in Bellingham - 05/13/07 09:27 PM
Fairhaven was mainly called south Bellingham or the south side back when I was a kid. At that time it was thought to be a rundown and old part of town. But over the last few decades, it has risen like the phoenix and become one of the leading tourist attractions … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Moss is not a normal and acceptable part of aging - 05/13/07 02:08 PM
Here in the damp Pacific Northwest, it seems that homeowners and even some realtors look upon heavy moss growth on the roof of a home as a normal part of the roof's aging process, as if that was factored in by manufacturers. Granted, without care and maintenance, it will be present in … (1 comments)
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home inspection: Edgemore neighborhood - 05/12/07 09:45 PM
The Edgemore area, going back longer than when I was a kid some 50 years ago, is one of the most scenic neighborhoods in Bellingham. Most of the homes have a bay view. It is a prestigious and favorite location for many of the successful doctors, lawyers, and business owners. Word, … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Lummi Island - 05/11/07 05:56 PM
Earlier, I wrote about the ferry ride, on the Little Chief, to and from Lummi Island -- which is part of the San Juan Islands and located near Bellingham, WA. Lummi Island has a tiny population. At the sign that welcomes you, they claim just over 816 residents and the 2000 … (3 comments)
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home inspection: Seven bucks and six minutes - 05/11/07 05:31 PM
So, how far can you get in ten minutes, for $7.00. The most populous island community near Bellingham, Washington is Lummi Island. Now, it is not very populous, but it has a thriving island community. I will write more about Lummi Island, with some photos, in another blog. This time, I … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham WA #2 on "Cities ranked and rated" list - 05/10/07 11:42 PM
I saw another member's post regarding the nations best cities. I was just at a meeting this morning, with the mayor, and he said that Bellingham came out #2 in the nation as far as the best places to live, right behind Gainesville, Florida. Obviously, there are different lists for different folks … (5 comments)
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home inspection: Bellingham, Washington for higher education! - 05/09/07 10:37 PM
Bellingham, Washington has three prominent educational institutions of higher learning. I have attached website photos of the schools and included links to the home pages of the institutions. The comments are mine, as a Bellingham resident for more than 50 years.Old Main, a fixture, at WWUhttp://www.wwu.edu/WWU: The oldest, and most dominant … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Point Roberts USA, a unique city - 05/06/07 04:05 PM
Point Roberts, Washington, is a little known and unique American city. Even most realtors in Whatcom County leave Point Roberts properties to those agents who are based at Point Roberts. Point Roberts, if you have not heard of it, is an enclave (meaning a part of a country that is mainly … (0 comments)
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home inspection: Would this legally make the bathroom also a bedroom? - 04/28/07 01:10 AM
Sometimes it is amazing where certain individuals choose to sleep. So, in this case, could this bathroom legally be classified as a bedroom? And could the sink be considered a bed that is thrown in for free? It seems to me this would be really uncomfortable and it makes it hard … (8 comments)
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home inspection: Amazing advertising pictures for the soon to be high rise in Bellingham! - 04/28/07 12:25 AM
Believe it or not, the image above and the link below, are promotional material depicting the soon to be Bay View Tower in Bellingham. After some local debate, among residents and planners, people in Bellingham have been learning more about this new high rise condo that is going in by … (1 comments)
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home inspection: Is there any point to an inspection at a new home? - 04/17/07 10:22 AM
There is an ongoing debate about whether new homes should have home inspections or not. This debate goes on with buyers who wish to save money where they can, with realtors and with the builders themselves. I think it appropriate to make a few comments. I am sure that it can … (11 comments)
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home inspection: Do it yourself home inspectors - 04/13/07 07:12 PM
As a working home inspector, and an instructor of home inspection for the state college system, people often ask me if they should do their own home inspection. Usually, even if someone has worked as a carpenter or a builder, it is still a bad idea. A competent home inspector, in … (3 comments)
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