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point roberts home inspector: New Deck, Unsafe - 04/09/11 12:36 PM
Below is a photo that I took the other day at a million dollar property....brand new. This is a high deck overlooking the bay. The home inspectors will notice, right away, that this deck is not ANCHORED to the home at the ledger board. There are no through-bolts nor are there lag screws. All good building practices, and codes, call for positive anchoring of a deck to a home. Otherwise, collapse or "pull-away" is a strong possibility over the years. And, of course, the higher the deck more risk of serious injuries or loss of life.
If you would like … (14 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Moss-Back from Mossy-Back - 04/08/11 09:29 AM
Those of us who live in the northwest are often referred to as "moss-backs." It is not because we are naturally dirty. It is because it rains so darn much. And, honestly, the last couple of years have to be some of the heaviest rain years I remember in my 50 plus years living in this region.
The heavy rain, no doubt about it, is hard on our buildings. A main truth that we teach in home inspection is this -- "water is the enemy in the case of buildings". The role of water is to, eventually, turn your building into … (9 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Moisture Ant Infestation -- The Video - 02/27/11 05:05 PM
Moisture ants are wood destroying insects that many people have never heard of. Actually, if you havea wood destroying insect on premises, moisture ants are better to have than many of them -- such as anobiid beetles or subterranean termites.
Moisture ants are not, specifically, a single species of ant. They are comprised of different species (not unlike carpenter ants) that have similar characteristics. The attribute that makes moisture ants less of an ongoing problem than some other wood destroying organisms, such as anobiid beetles or subterranean termites, is that they only invade a home if there is extremely wet or rotten … (7 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Peace Arch Border Report -- Olympics - 02/12/10 09:56 AM
I had a pleasant surprise yesterday. I had to do a home inspection up in Point Roberts. There have been times, in the past, where I had a half hour wait going into Canada and two hours coming home. I dread those delays. That is the problem with Point Roberts, you have to go through two borders each way and, as an inspector with tools, you cannot get a Nexus pass. The traffic to the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver had me nervous.
Earlier I had talked to an inspector friend of mine, Curtis Brown of CurtisC Home inspections, because he had … (3 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Equality: Not Alway Good - 08/27/08 02:10 PM
This is not a political statement, it refers to plumbing.
When it comes to plumbing, I repeat, equality is not always good. Case in point -- I see this minor plumbing concern at bathtub/showers and at kitchen sinks. The problem is subtle and few people, other than inspectors or plumbers, seem to notice it. Here is the deal, inside a faucet assembly there is a diverter valve.
This valve moves up and down and has a simple and specific purpose. When the water is coming out the spout or the tap, then no water should be coming from the shower head … (12 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Clarity of Information (Bellingham Home Inspector) King of the House - 06/29/08 01:57 PM
There are many people, primarily sellers and sometimes realtors, who prefer it if the home inspection report is brief and has only the most vital information. There are others, who like detail and clarity of information. The side that wants minimal information usually feels that too much detail spooks or unnecessarily alarms or distracts the buyer.
That could, of course, be true depending on the quality of the information being provided. A home inspector who does not understand something, can create problems that should have been avoided. I would argue however, that sometimes providing detailed information can actually make things go better.
The … (10 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Wood Destroying Organisms That Aren't - 05/18/08 06:49 PM
In Washington State, there are laws regulating wood destroying organism inspections. The laws even define what qualifies as a "WDO". Clients sometimes find the definition, or what makes that list, confusing. They are surprised that a mouse or a rat is not included, nor are certain bees or wasps. In this state, and that is not the case in many others, we have no wood destroying bees or at least if they are found they are interlopers from warmer climates and they are in small quantities so they are not a problem. As far as vermin, they will chew their way into … (12 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: New Homes, Forgotten Tasks - 02/29/08 12:16 PM
There is, periodically, a discussion about whether or not there is a point in having a home inspection at a brand new home. My experience has shown me that the answer is a resounding "yes." The most serious problem I have found at new homes involves significant standing water in the crawl space and the builder is not telling about that. In the wet northwest, if you buy a house located on the downside of a hill, it might look crispy inside, but be soggy down below. Over the years that can lead to rot and mold, and the mold might … (2 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: A Termite Manifesto: The Stranger Among Us - 02/26/08 11:25 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, practically speaking, we have two types of termites to look out for on inspections. And, if you are in the Bellingham area, despite the propaganda you might hear to the contrary-- Yes, we too have termites!
The first, and uncommon in most parts of the country, is the Pacific Dampwood termite. Here in the northwest we see this insect fairly often. This guy, and the gals, are attracted to very moist, often decaying, wood. They are a secondary problem in that wood is way too wet to begin with if they find it appealing, so you have … (6 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Look To The Sky My Friend - 02/26/08 10:08 AM
When a home inspector looks for leaks, where pipes and vents exit the roof, it can be a subtle process. If there is an accessible attic, the inspector will try to look around these appurtenances (big fancy word for stuff coming out of the roof). Another method, done in virtually every inspection, is to look at all of the flashings on the roof. Is the metal rusting, is the flashing done right, are the shingles or roofing around it holding up, has debris collected that blocks the flow of water?
The defect in the photo below was an easier find than … (0 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House): Oh Lordy! My Fungus Has Turned Green - 02/03/08 12:19 PM
People in the Pacific Northwest sometimes feel like they are living in a rain forest. And, of course, some parts of the region are in rain forests. The rest of us, who are not in rain forests, still have lots of rain. Moisture and shade, that leads to a lack of drying potential, causes not only moss on roofs but also a green fungus, like algae, on many surfaces. When this fungus is on wood, the problem goes beyond cosmetic. The growth of the green fungus is a clear sign that rain, and probably shade, is having a severe impact … (5 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Home Inspection Puzzle: Guess Why? - 01/30/08 10:46 PM
Okay, you were not there so this is hard to figure out. But some of the home inspector types like Charlie Buell will probably come pretty close or nail this one. And, since it is my puzzle, I get to give you the clues as I see fit.
This was a home I was inspecting a couple weeks back. I had met with the seller, who was there that day and was walking around with me part of the time. I had begun working and one of the things I do, first off, is check the water pressure. A normal water pressure … (11 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Point Roberts Home Inspection (King of the House): Pyromaniacs Inside Your Walls! - 01/23/08 11:43 AM
The title above might be there to get your attention, but the problem is very real -- electric baseboard and in-wall heaters that are unsafe and are known to cause fires. I see lots of them out there and, over time, an inspector kind of learns which ones to be suspicious of. I operate all heaters and try to look inside covers on these heaters, if I think they might be recalled units. There are a number of heaters, from various manufacturers, that have been deemed unsafe. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we see a lot of recalled Cadet fan-assisted in-wall … (4 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspections (King of the House): Downspout Leads To Rot - 01/15/08 07:50 PM
In a previous blog today, I showed a photo of two gutters that were full of debris and water was running out of them onto the structure. At the same home, here is a downspout that is the site of decay of the T1-11 siding. It could be that the decay is, in part, due to a blockage of the downspout at the elbow. On the other hand, I think it probably more likely that, in this wet and shaded location, the rain is traveling on down the the outside of the downspout. This downspout gently slopes against the side of … (0 comments)
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point roberts home inspector: Skagit, Whatcom County WA Home Inspection (King of the House):Reverse Perimeter Slope - 09/25/07 01:49 PM
One thing a home inspector should look at, at least in a wet climate like the Pacific Northwest, is the slope of the property. Is the slope of the land going to lead to water running back against the structure of the home? If the answer is yes, and soil is involved, it is hard to predict exactly what might happen. But if the soil is heavy clay, and drainage is pour, it could lead to moisture issues -- such as in the crawl space. On the other hand, if the soil has great drainage, then it may not be any … (0 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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