king of the house home inspection: Lummi Island Ferry Dilemma - 11/29/09 05:51 AM
Here outside Bellingham, we have what you might call a bedroom community on Lummi Island. Lummi Island is a small island, part of the San Juan Islands. The last census, another one is going on now, put the population at 822. A real estate office on the island states that, as a result of the building boom a few years ago, there are now about 900 houses on the island.
I know, and have known over the years, many people who live on Lummi Island. They work in Bellingham and Whatcom County and take the ferry off the island a couple times, … (4 comments)

king of the house home inspection: My Achin' Back -- A Story About Home Inspection Training - 10/11/09 06:24 AM
As many people at active rain know, I am program coordinator and an instructor of home inspection at Bellingham Technical College. We offer one of the few state approved "fundamentals of home inspection" courses in the state.

Here is the story that goes with this post. The first three weeks of the course are dedicated to classroom training, 120 hours of it. The final week is spent in actual field training, where instructors -- who must be state licensed -- take students on field inspections. Below is a photo of students descending on a house for a full home inspection as part … (10 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Congratulations to BJ Van Leuuwen - 10/03/09 04:50 PM
I had a funny coincidence today. I was doing a home inspection in Lynden. I was on my way back to Bellingham when I took a turn into a credit union parking lot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this sign and the name on it was familiar.
It was the Whatcom Educational Credit Union, and the bold sign -- low and behold -- had a name on it that I recognized. It said: Congrats BJ Van Leeuwen. Well, it just happens to be that BJ is the son of a very good friend of the wife and … (4 comments)

king of the house home inspection: The Best Berries In Northwest Washington -- Sakuma Brothers - 08/08/09 06:47 AM
If you are looking for the best berries in northwest Washington, check out the Sakuma Brothers in Skagit County. I live in Bellingham, but it is only a short drive away.

For as long as I can remember, this family has been a jewel here in the Pacific Northwest. I had the opportunity to introduce my daughter and my grandson to the wonderful Sakuma berries just yesterday.
The Sakuma family has been known for their fresh berries for many years. In fact, I first heard the name Sakuma when I was in grade school. That is fifty years ago. My brother-in-law (older … (7 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Knee High By The Fourth of July - 07/04/09 05:16 AM
Anyone who knows age-old gardening expressions knows this one -- "Knee high be the Fourth of July."
That refers to the corn crop, of course. Last year, at my house, due to circumstances, we did not have much of a garden. This year, things are better. But, there was still some tension. Is the corn crop "knee high by the Fourth of July?"
The wife and I had some discussion about it, we thought that the answer was borderline at best. Maybe yes, maybe no. Then, good news, we had a visitor who happens to be the grandson and he confirmed for us, … (11 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Stories Behind the Music -- I Found Zager, Do You Know Evans? - 02/05/09 03:38 AM
Not all one-hit-wonders had "big" hits. Many books that list one-hit-wonders will name artists who had songs that made a respectable showing on the charts, even if they did not hit the top ten. There are other one-hit-wonders who released songs that were so big that they dominated the #1 position for weeks and sold millions of copies. Today, we will focus on such a song. Michael Thornton from Tennessee mentioned this song once, so I thought that I would write about it.
Denny Zager and Rick Evans were Nebraska natives. They met at a talent contest. Before long, they were playing together in the … (7 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Stories Behind the Music -- Diamond in the Rough - 01/13/09 07:24 AM
When I was a youngster, hooked on AM radio, I remember the first song that I ever heard by Neil Diamond. To this day I think it was his best song.
Diamond developed his songwriting skills after seeing Pete Seeger perform. Neil tried hard and wrote a number of songs, over the years, that went on to be hits for other artists. I'm a Believer, as performed by the Monkees, is a good example of his success at writing songs for others.
Neil Diamond has had an outstanding career performing his own songs. That song I mentioned earlier, that I first heard … (7 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Stories Behind the Music -- You Give Me Fever - 10/12/08 06:35 AM
 Peggy Lee, North Dakota born in 1920, had been successful for two decades in the music business before her defining moment. She had co-written much of her own material but, no doubt about it, the crowning achievement of her career came in July 1958. She released the song "Fever." The tune had been recorded more rock n' roll style a few years earlier by Little Willie John. This song, now a standard, was written by Eddie Cooley and the brilliant African-American songwriter, Otis Blackwell -- Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Great Balls of Fire.
Lee took Fever and made it her own. Her artistry, with this … (5 comments)

king of the house home inspection: Serious Offer To California Fire Victims - 10/26/07 09:42 AM
Active Rain members, when this was sent to me by a business woman whom I know professionally (I inspect homes for her as she acquires them as part of her short-term rental and vacation home business) I asked if I could help out by sharing the power of Active Rain to publicize her offer. Lori is a business pro and her sole business involves property and rentals. She has this wonderful vacation lodge in British Columbia and she has extended a generous humanitarian offer to some family that has been seriously hit by the fires in California. I am -- with her … (4 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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