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king of the house: Relocation Inspections (Whatcom County) King of the House Home Inspection - 05/26/12 08:06 AM
The number of people moving to this very northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest, Whatcom County, is ongoing and the numbers are impressive. This is, to a large degree, the result of our geographical location -- the proximity to the USA-Canada border.
We have major border crossings in the county -- Blaine (two crossings), Lynden and Sumas. The Department of Homeland Security, over the last several years, has been moving more personnel to this part of the country. That includes U.S. Border Patrol, Customs, Immigration and all of the staff that guards or manages the border. The other phenomenon that we … (4 comments)
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king of the house: Level II Chimney Inspections (King of the House) Bellingham WA Home Inspector - 05/11/12 10:02 PM
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), states that, at the time of a real estate sale or the transfer of a property, a certified chimney sweep should perform a Level II chimney inspection. This suggestion makes sense. The home inspector is a generalist and provides only a very basic visual inspection of a wood or solid-fuel burning appliance and any associated flues and chimneys.
Clients want to know what is involved in a Level II chimney inspection. The inspection begins with the chimney sweep examining (inside and outside) the chimney, flue and the associated fireplace or stove. The … (6 comments)
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king of the house: Attic Venting (King of the House) Bellingham, WA Real Estate Inspections - 04/29/12 09:02 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, we have lots of precipitation and moisture. Since those of us who live here realize that, you would think that houses would be built in a manner that makes them resistant to moisture problems. It is amazing to me how many houses in our climate have roofs with poor to no drainage and poor or missing gutters or downspouts that empty next to the house.
Another problem, maybe not as intuitive to understand, is the case of the under ventilated attic. General guidelines for building state that attics should be ventilated. Around here that venting, usually, consists … (7 comments)
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king of the house: Home Inspector Training (Washington state approved) Bellingham Technical College - 04/16/12 10:06 AM
Bellingham Technical College is an approved provider of home inspection training in the State of Washington.
The state law requires anyone who wishes to enter the field of home inspection to complete a 120 hour course in the fundamentals of home inspection. To sit for the state test, that individual must, also, obtain 40 hours of in-the-field training. If any prospective inspector does not meet those basic requirements, he or she is not allowed to take the state exam.
The next four-week program, offered by Bellingham Technical College, is scheduled to begin on April 30, 2012.
Above is a photo of students … (2 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) Neoprene Stack Flashings - 04/16/12 09:54 AM
The commonly installed neoprene rubber stack flashings may be acceptable for a few years when used to flash the plumbing vents where they exit the roof. But these flashings are prone to problems, including deterioration as a result of the harsh environment up on the roof -- UV rays being primary, but also wind. This is a problem I run into frequently at inspections in Whatcom County and Bellingham.
If they are used with a roofing surface that has a fairly short design life, then they might last about as long as the roof or develop problems simultaneously with the roof. … (2 comments)
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king of the house: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words - 04/03/12 03:44 PM
We have all heard the expression -- "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words." Every once in awhile, on an inspection, there is a photo-op that turns out to be quite amusing. Often, for whatever reason, the photos, at least in my case, involve some pet that decides to help me out while I am on-site with my camera.
I think, even if this guy is innocent (or not) the photo is pretty funny with the report text.
The weatherstripping on the garage-house door is shredded, suspected pet damage. Recommend replacing the weatherstripping so the door seals when shut.
… (10 comments)
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king of the house: Garage to House Fire-Resistance (King of the House) Whatcom County Home Inspections - 03/26/12 07:56 AM
I find myself loosely using the term "firewall" on occasion when I am reporting on the garage at a house I am inspecting. I am working on breaking that bad habit since "firewall" is one of the most misused terms in construction. I cannot even guess how many times I have heard someone, including we inspectors, reference that an attached garage at residential construction has a problem at the "firewall." The reality is that, in residential construction, a garage does not require a firewall. At a single family residence with an attached garage, the proper terminology is "limited resistance to the … (3 comments)
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king of the house: Bang the Drum Slowly: Mexican Wedding Procession - 02/01/12 11:02 AM
My wife and I are back home, in Bellingham, after our annual jaunt down to Oaxaca, Mexico. Secret: We missed the big winter snow and wind storm that took place here in Whatcom county. Oaxaca is near Guatemala, so almost to Central America. We love it in the city and we have made some fine friends among the Mexican people since we have been going there for four years now.
We enjoy the color, the sounds and the lively atmosphere. The environment is anything but bland. The public square or zocalo is full of poinsettias in bloom, people in bright clothes, … (5 comments)
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king of the house: You're In Hot Water -- Bellingham Home Inspection - 01/24/12 03:24 PM
My wife often tells me that I am in hot water. Actually, in most cases, that is an expression that refers to my poor behavior versus anything to do with water.
However, in the course of doing home inspections in Bellingham and Whatcom county, I often find water heaters that are set too hot -- the water temperature set so high as to lead to a high probability of a scalding burn.
In this photo, the water is almost 137 degrees F. To reduce the probability of a scalding burn, water should be set no higher than 120 degrees F. … (6 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) Perimeter Slope - 01/21/12 12:07 PM
One issue, often found to be present during the course of a home inspection, is perimeter pavement or soil that slopes toward the home. Here in the northwest, more often than not, houses have crawl spaces and not basements. I have even seen soil or pavement slope directly toward a crawl space vent. Below is a shot from an inspection, this is my indicator to myself, often displayed in reports, to get the point across about the slope of the soil.
This is, in most cases, not difficult to correct by grading soil. But, if the problem is not corrected, … (3 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) Water pressure - 01/17/12 11:00 AM
Assessing the adequacy of water pressure, among residents of a home, is often a case of perspective. I have seen people, used to a well system out in rural Bellingham or Whatcom county, move into a city home that had marginal pressure, per city standards, and they were thrilled. Other times, I have seen people look upon what I considered to be adequate pressure as poor pressure. It is all relative to what you are accustomed to.
Despite my saying it is relative, there are tests, and parameters, for pressure -- done with a simple water pressure gauge. The gauge above is showing water … (6 comments)
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king of the house: Whatcom County WA -- Rare Snowy Owl Migration - 01/12/12 04:01 PM
My friend Curtis Brown, of Curtis C Home Inspections, is not only a competent and an excellent home inspector, whom I often recommend to others, but he is, also, a wonderful photographer. Curtis loves to shoot (with his camera of course) birds. I have, with his permission, used his excellent bald eagle photos in past blogs and online videos. That shot above, taken locally by Curtis, is one of my favorite eagle photos. Well, here is something new and interesting. About a week ago, Curtis had a long awaited and an exciting opportunity. He received a call from a past client, who said … (10 comments)
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king of the house: Stepping Back In Time: Appropriate Song for Christmas Day - 12/25/11 12:42 PM
The first Billboard Top 40 Charts of the rock era emerged in 1955 when the Bill Haley classic "Rock Around the Clock" hit #1. Anyone who is into the era, and the evolution of the music, knows that rock 'n' roll was a derivative of the soul and gospel music that was created and popular with African Americans.
It is not surprising that the first #1 hit by an African American group was on the horizon, shortly after the inception of the Top 40 Charts. This group, today, is lesser known than some of the big 1960's soul groups -- Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops. However this … (6 comments)
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king of the house: You Can't Always Do What You Want (Bellingham Home Inspections) - 12/25/11 11:09 AM
It is my goal, at a home inspection, to try to look at all components and systems. That not only earns me repeat business from clients and agents, but it provides some insulation against potential client complaints. Logic prevails: The more you see the less important stuff you miss.
It is not possible to find everything that might be wrong at a house. Finding 100% of the problems is not achievable within the confines of a home inspection. Sometimes mother nature herself interferes. This time of year, it is not unusual for the home inspector in this region to have restricted roof access … (1 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) It's Cold Outside - 12/22/11 01:25 PM
Recently, as the weather has gotten colder, I did an inspection on a cold day -- at least it was cold based on our wimpy Pacific Northwest standards. It was 28 degrees F.
At first, I thought that someone had left the garage door to the outside ajar or open. On closer examination, the fit of the door was something less than ideal.
Since it was cold outside, and my little knees were knocking together, it made me think of an appropriate song for the season and the weather.
… (7 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham, WA -- David Lanz Winter Concert 2011 - 12/10/11 11:18 AM
Since David Lanz , a musician of international acclaim, moved to Bellingham about six years ago, he has been performing wonderful, and intimate, small Christmas or solstice concerts here in his new hometown.
David Lanz was one of the innovators of "new-age" music more than 20 years ago and he has had several best selling albums and numerous Grammy nominations. David had a #1 Billboard Hit, on the new age charts, with the instrumental Cristofori's Dream. This year's show will be Saturday, December 17, at the Amadeus Music Project on Cornwall Avenue. The concert is now sold out but it will be a … (5 comments)
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king of the house: First Ever #1 Hit By A Girl Group: January 1961 - 12/07/11 10:47 AM
There is much debate about what was really the first rock n roll song. One fact that cannot be disputed is that the firt rock song to top the charts, July 1955, was by Bill Haley and the Comets -- "Rock Around the Clock". To the casual observer, that might have seemed an anomaly, a blip on the radar, at the time, but the hot 100 charts would never be the same again.
Moving forward to January 1961, the charts had another first: The first ever #1 hit by an all girl group.
How time flies, that was 50 years ago.
… (7 comments)
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king of the house: Happy Thanksgiving from King of the House Home Inspection - 11/24/11 12:04 PM
On behalf of the King of the House staff, I would like to wish all of my Active Rain friends, and my associates in Bellingham, a great Thanksgiving and a holiday season. I was reading an editorial today, in the newspaper, that claims that the period we are going through as a nation, right now, only compares in misery to, in order, the Civil War, the Great Depression and WWII as far as national gloom. It stated that the "true" unemployment rate is 17% -- taking into account those collecting unemployment, those who have been dropped from the rolls because their benefits ran out, and … (10 comments)
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king of the house: Whatcom County Home Inspections (King of the House) Crawl Space Water - 11/18/11 03:40 PM
In the wet Pacific Northwest, an ongoing problem is trying to inspect crawl spaces that have an abundance of crawl space water or flooding. The concern is, at the least, three-fold. First, the water should not be down there and it is conducive to creating all sorts of problems -- wood decay, attracting wood destroying insects and high humidity levels that can cause microbial activity. Second, at times it is hard to determine if the issue is the result of runoff water or if it is caused by plumbing leaks. And, third, sometimes you cannot figure out the source of the water at all, … (5 comments)
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king of the house: Better Safe Than Sorry (King of the House) Bellingham Home Inspections - 11/04/11 11:03 AM
A couple years ago I tossed one of those orange safety or hazard cones in the back of my truck. Somewhere along the line, at one of the Washington State Home Inspector Licensing Board meetings, a member made some mention that such a cone could be very handy. For example, such a device might be valuable if you had a hatch open that someone, like your buyer, the seller or an agent, might fall into.
Up until recently, although it rides quietly in my truck, I have never used the cone. Actually I found a use for it the other day. … (28 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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