king of the house: Marketing Jingles - 12/02/07 11:59 AM
Well, another week has gone by where circumstances were such that I did not get the time I wanted for AR blogging. However, I thought that some members might find this post interesting. As many of you know, prior to inspection, I worked as an engineer and finally the manager and owner … (0 comments)
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king of the house: Pictures From Italy: Verona - 10/11/07 03:05 PM
A city that we had never visited before was Verona. Verona is only a few miles from Venice and part of the Veneto region. We had four days to fill, before meeting another couple in Lake Como so my wife picked Luca and I picked Verona. The architecture and the people are … (0 comments)
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king of the house: Virtual Home Inspection Training -- To Be Or Not To Be - 09/08/07 02:07 PM
In this high-tech age, everybody wants to learn to do anything and everything Online or by video. If it cannot be taught on the web, or on DVD, then it is too time consuming. I am coordinator of a state accredited, college level, home inspection training program in Washington State at Bellingham Technical College. … (2 comments)
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king of the house: Regional Class Home Inspection Training: Bellingham Technical College - 08/24/07 11:37 PM
Registration is now open for the home inspection training course that will be offered at Bellingham Technical College the end of October. This is a regional class, designed for Washington state, in that a number of students will be coming in from King county, Snohomish county and other areas of the state. This … (6 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: Bellingham Real Estate Inspection (King of the House): Vinyl Siding, Some like it Hot! - 06/09/07 05:21 PM
If you like it hot, then this photo is for you. After all, it is not everyday you get to take a peak at a melted house. Now, you may be asking, what happened here? And the honest to goodness truth is, I really don't know. Your guess is as good … (22 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: It's snowing in Bellingham! - 06/04/07 11:03 AM
Okay, it is not snowing right now. I admit it, I lied here at Active Rain. But with the hot weather in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to give you a photo that would cool you down and be informative too. It is like having an ice cream. Last year, because of … (3 comments)
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king of the house: A puzzle: Can you figure it out? - 06/03/07 10:50 AM
This photo is from a very nice home at Point Roberts. The roof had been installed within the last few years and the shingles were still in good shape. It was 3-tab composition material, neatly installed and with a uniform overlap so the self-sealing tabs lined up correctly on each course … (2 comments)
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king of the house: Bellingham home inspections: (King of the House) Concealed problem - 06/02/07 09:01 PM
In Washington State, most home inspectors are licensed structural pest inspectors. In fact, there are some real tight rules on that and any inspector doing home inspections for real estate deals is violating state law if the pest inspection is left out completely or done by an unlicensed party. Anyway, that … (5 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: College Level Home Inspector Training, Eastern Washington - 05/22/07 10:04 AM
Bellingham Technical College, part of the state college system, has a home inspector training program that educates around the state. The next scheduled classes will be in two larger eastern Washington cities: Pasco, August 6-21; Spokane, Sept 9-Oct 5. This is a fast-track program of 160 hours of training in all aspects … (2 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: Bellingham WA home inspections (King of the House): Carpenter ants - 05/12/07 11:15 AM
The shavings, in the first photo below, are typical of what an inspector might see inside the home. And it is not caused by a lousy housekeeper. Although I suppose one could argue that a good housekeeper would keep a step ahead of the ants. Carpenter ants are one of the … (1 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: Bellingham, for reading, arts and coffee - 04/29/07 08:39 PM
If you are thinking about moving to Bellingham, one thing is certain. You should be happy with the cultural activities and the Bellingham Public Library. For years now, Bellingham has been ranked near the top in the nation as far as highest per capita use of the public library and it's … (1 comments)
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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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king of the house: 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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