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whatcom county: 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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whatcom county: 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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whatcom county: Johnny's Donuts Opens In Bellingham - 08/24/11 07:46 PM
Last Saturday, August 20th, John and Karin Koons opened the doors, for the first time, at Johnny's Donuts. I was born about five blocks from the shop and this is a great neighborhood in which to have a donut shop. The neighbors have been very supportive of the new venture and they are enthusiastic about the donuts.
Johnny's Donuts is at 2201 Cornwall Avenue, just down the street from two landmarks -- Bellingham High School and the Assumption Church. The shop is open 7AM to 3PM every day, except Monday.
Johnny's Donuts is an old-fashioned shop. John prepares 30 varieties of donuts and related pastries. When … (9 comments)
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whatcom county: Berried in Rain - 07/24/11 11:43 AM
Well, the wet and cool northwest summer has been a big story in this area. Nationally it is, certainly, not the big news that the heat has caused in other parts of the country. In the past week, the Seattle weather forecasters said that, defining summer as 80 degrees F or better, then Seattle has had a 78 minute summer.
Well, yesterday, the local paper had an article that says that, so far, Bellingham has yet to have ONE DAY this year to reach 80 degrees. So, as of now, we have yet to have an official summer day.
There is … (3 comments)
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whatcom county: Bellingham's Snow -- Yucky - 02/24/11 05:55 PM
First, if I am going to have snow I want it over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. That way it is less likely to screw up one's business. I do not much hanker to do home inspections where the realtor, the clients and me, the inspector, are looking out at the snow piling up -- each person wondering whether or not he or she will get home that night or if we will all be stuck in the vacant house. I was in a mountain area the other day, and we were all wondering.
Obviously, based on the level of snow … (10 comments)
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whatcom county: Whatcom County and Bellingham Home Staging Professional -- Melissa Young - 02/08/11 02:59 PM
Bellingham (and Whatcom County) is, in the realm of things, a small community. The city and the county are growing but, compared to the Seattle area, we are still small. Therefore, some of the professions that are commonly found in larger cities are not present here, or, if they are present, there are fewer people working in the field.
I work with real estate agents all of the time and I run into many people who are involved in real estate in the affiliated fields: appraisers, bankers, title companies and various other specialty inspectors.
One profession that I do not run into very often is the home staging professional. … (3 comments)
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whatcom county: Rental Housing You Can Live Without (Whatcom County, WA) - 02/07/11 05:08 PM
We have an interesting development, a really strange rental dwelling in Whatcom County near Lynden, that made the local newspaper, The Bellingham Herald.
Whatcom County building officials, office based in Bellingham, have issued over $21,000 in fines against a Canadian landowner. Among other oddities, the business office for the "apartment complex" is reported to be in a cargo container and the site consists of tenants living in multiple dwelling units that have not been permitted.
The building in the photo below, one of multiple buildings at the site, was designed to be a commercial building. It has, as an example of the modifications made here, reportedly … (9 comments)
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whatcom county: Outdoor Kitchens by Mark Palmer, Bellingham,WA -- Part Two - 02/07/11 03:44 PM
Yesterday, I discussed the popularity of outdoor kitchens in this corner of the Pacific Northwest. You can read that article here. In that post, I had said that I would be sharing two more photos of outdoor kitchens that were built here in Whatcom County by licensed general contractor, Mark Palmer.
Now, if you saw yesterday's post, at the link above, you will have seen one of Mark's larger kitchens. The two examples below are smaller, but they are clearly well-crafted and either one would be a welcome addition to any home.
These kitchens are custom designed to meet the homeowner's wants and needs. … (10 comments)
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whatcom county: Move-in Ready House -- Not! - 12/22/10 11:59 AM
I cannot recall how many times, I have had an individual tell me that a new home has passed all of the municipal code inspections and it is "move-in ready". In fact, I have had agents discourage their clients from paying for home inspections at new homes for that reason.Granted, a code inspection is better than having had no inspection at all but such inspections are minimal and often there are oversights or they lack good old common sense.Let me give you a couple examples:
Does the deck below look safe to you? I think the municipal inspector forgot about requiring guard … (10 comments)
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whatcom county: So You Want Larry Trujillo, Bellingham (Whatcom County, WA) -- Then Don't Call Me! - 12/12/10 10:04 AM
If you want Larry Trujillo, for whatever reason, then DO NOT call 360-676-6908 or 360-319-0038 (cell). If you do, then you will greatly annoy Steven Smith of King of the House Home Inspection.
Back six years ago, when I got my main King of the House landline and cell phone -- 360-676-6908 and 360-319-0038, I kept getting calls for someone named Larry Trujillo who reportedly lives in Whatcom County or Bellingham, WA.
This might have been as many as four calls a day, which was more than the number of business calls I got in those early days. The callers seldom … (16 comments)
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whatcom county: Homage to the Home Inspector - 11/16/10 09:32 AM
I had an occasion to be in the Shoreline area of Washington over the weekend. As many of you know, when Charles Buell goes on vacation, my certifried home inspector assistant Nutsy Wallenda moves into Charlie's house and runs the firm down in Shoreline.
I believe that while Charlie is away, Nutsy does an incredible job for the reputation of his firm. In fact, while in Shoreline area I drove by a home that Nutsy had inspected a few months back when Charlie was away. And, boy did I get a surprise. The owners, Nutsy's clients, had put a statue … (15 comments)
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whatcom county: Carpenter Ants -- Reading the Frass - 11/01/10 05:40 PM
Carpenter ants present a big pest problem in Bellingham and Whatcom County. I was doing an inspection a few weeks back and saw sawdust on a shelf near the attic access. I thought ... hmmmm? It looked like typical shavings or frass thrown down by carpenter ants at work. But I had, up until that point, not seen other signs of carpenter ants even though the house was in the woods. You can see the pile of shavings below.
If you look carefully at the photo, there is a clue, to the trained eye, that this might be the work … (12 comments)
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whatcom county: Jingle Bell Run (Saturday December 11, 2010) Bellingham, WA - 10/31/10 07:15 PM
Whatcom County residents seem to, pretty much universally, believe that the Jingle Bell Run/Walk is one annual event in Bellingham where everyone can go out and dress funny and act silly, while being serious about raising dollars for charity -- the Arthritis Foundation. Participants come in all sizes and shapes. The walkers and runners may go out in groups, with some specific theme or matching costumes (photo below) or bring pets along. Many people wear bells on their outfits.
All of us know someone with arthritic pain of one type or another. Statistics being as they are, you might have arthritis yourself. One … (3 comments)
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whatcom county: General Contractor Bellingham, WA -- Mark Palmer - 07/13/10 11:12 PM
In my job, as a home inspector, I run into any number of electricians, general contractors, plumbers, etc. Some of these professionals I refer to others. Being an inspector, I end up getting feedback if someone is not happy with a recommendation that I make. I recommend those people who please my clients.
The contractor that I refer most of the time anymore, except for crawl space and under house work, is Mark Palmer. Mark is state licensed, experienced and a conscientious contractor. I practice what I preach and here he is working on a deck at a property that … (5 comments)
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whatcom county: The Brand New Key -- Gas Fireplace Safety - 07/03/10 05:03 PM
Once again, we have a wonderful example of why we should not expect new homes to, necessarily, be completed in the correct or even a safe manner.
I was at a home the other day and fully expected to find a gas shutoff valve that was easy access inside the gas fireplace. They are always there in new homes -- right? Nope not this time.
I mentioned that to the client who was looking around the house as well. In a couple minutes he said to me: "Do you think that they never got around to installing this?"
This … (8 comments)
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whatcom county: Fourth of July in Bellingham, WA - 07/02/10 05:05 PM
The big 4th of July celebration in Bellingham has morphed over the years. I remember, clear back when my daughter was a kid, the celebration was called Red, White and Hullabaloo.
Over the past few years, a local grocery chain, Haggen, has taken over the sponsorship of the festivities. The day's events will include, you guessed it, a spectacular fireworks display and seven musical acts. There is a kids zone too. That will keep the youngsters busy.
Bellingham is a gorgeous city and has the perfect place to host such an event -- Zuanich Point Park -- right down on the water of … (9 comments)
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whatcom county: Procrastinating Washington State Home Inspectors -- Test Now! - 05/11/10 07:52 PM
People tend to procrastinate. When putting something off might put you out of business, it is a bad idea to put off until tomorrow something that can be done today.
I am speaking of unlicensed but legally working home inspectors. That is a small group, that had limited experience and education but they were given extra time by the state last year to get licensed. To work in an uninterrupted manner, they have until July 1, 2010 to complete a supplemental training course, complete 40 hours of supervised field training and to pass state exams.
In my capacity at Bellingham Technical College, … (18 comments)
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whatcom county: Bellingham Carpet Cleaning -- European Quality Carpet Cleaning - 05/11/10 01:53 PM
In my role as a professional home inspector in Bellingham and Whatcom county, clients often ask for recommendations as to who they might hire to provide professional services or repairs. In some cases I will gladly give out recommendations, other times not. If clients require carpet or upholstery cleaning I am always happy to give out Steve Lindsey's name. I have confidence in the consistency of his work.
Steve is the operator of European Quality Carpet Cleaning. I have a number of rental units and, in between tenants and special problems -- pet stains or other stains -- I count on Steve … (4 comments)
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whatcom county: Home Inspectors and Preferred Vendor Lists - 05/02/10 11:51 AM
In Washington state, home inspectors are prohibited by law from participating in preferred vendor lists. What is a preferred vendor list? The concept is simple -- the participants in preferred lists pay the fee and, as a result of paying that fee, they are promoted or included on a list that is given out by another party such as a real estate firm. This vendor list might be operated by an affiliate of a real estate company and could be called a service, maintenance or home service company. Regardless of the mechanics involved, the firms give out a list of inspectors that have paid to be … (2 comments)
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whatcom county: Licensing Deadline Looms -- State Approved Supplemental Home Inspection Course - 04/17/10 04:10 PM
Time is running out for those people who are presently doing home inspections in Washington state without a license. As of July 1, 2010, anyone doing home inspections without a license is violating state law.
There are many who have, previously, taken home inspector training but the hours of training were not sufficient to meet current state guidelines. The applicant is down to the wire now and must have completed the supplemental training, and have passed the state exam, before July 1, 2010. Failure to do so means that said person will have to quit inspecting until he or she has completed a … (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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