bellingham home inspector: Seeking Experienced Realtors: Zero Lot Lines - 09/09/07 04:03 PM
I would be interested to hear from some of you out there. In this area of the country where, historically we had lots of room, we did not have many, or any, zero lot line homes. Over the past few years a number of them have sprung up. I look upon … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Shifting Sands and Murky Waters: Condo Inspections - 09/09/07 03:43 PM
In my part of the country, we are seeing more and more condos. Often like the condo in the photos below, these condos afford residents spectacular water front views. A private homeowner frequently cannot afford a lot in such an area, but common ownership by all the unrelated parties makes it possible. … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Oh My Leaking Roof: Chimney Flashings - 09/09/07 12:58 AM
While I would not say it is unusual, it is also not all that common to be able to capture the photos below which go together so nicely and illustrate a point. Home inspectors see a multitude of problems with old metal chimney flashings. Often roofers do not help matters when … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Connecting those dots! - 09/08/07 05:57 PM
I was doing an inspection at a nice condo. Checked the dryer vent outside, or what I thought was the dryer vent, just to see if it had lint inside of it. Prior to looking, I had turned on the dryer. I was surprised to find that no warm, or cold, … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Just To Prove I'm Not A Model A! - 09/08/07 03:23 PM
I recently wrote a blog explaining why I think there is limited validity to attempting to train serious home inspectors merely by supplying them with videos and Online courses. Now, I did not say that I do not think there is a place for modern technology in the training of inspectors. Much … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Realtor Clock-Hours In Washington - 09/08/07 10:47 AM
As we come into the fall season, again Bellingham Technical College will be offering a professional, state-accredited clock-hours class for realtors who are working in the Pacific Northwest. This three hour class is affordable and taught by the home inspection faculty from Bellingham Technical College. Realtors who take the informative course … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Strange Things People Do - 09/05/07 05:35 PM
The crawl space photos below show, at least, a couple obvious concerns as far as the longterm well being of this home. The first issue, and I will cite it first as it is mandated as a concern by Washington State law, is that the so-called piers under the posts are wood. … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Municipalities Do It Best - 09/01/07 04:22 PM
I thought I should share this. I have made a number of posts lately regarding unsafe wiring. This is NOT home owner wiring. I was digging through some photos and, again, this is a photo I took near Cancun, Mexico. This is wiring in a public park. Seriously, this is a … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House Inc): Off With Their Pointy Little Tips - 09/01/07 02:54 PM
Okay, you are probably wondering what type of politically incorrect statement I am about to make here. In fact, I was wondering if I ought to post this or not. So, I decided that to backup my opinion, and to clarify the matter, I would supply a photograph of their little pointy … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Property Inspector (King of the House): Electric Panel Safety - 09/01/07 02:08 AM
This is the photo of the inside of an electric panel. Granted, the big bent nail off to the side is not so impressive, but at least it is staying in one place. The thing that you need to see is in the lower left hand corner. That is oh so … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): Counter that Flashing - 08/31/07 07:25 PM
It is kind of obvious if you think about it: Water runs down. So, when protecting against water intrusion, that is the direction it is most likely to be coming in from. Obviously there are times when wind-blown rain might be an issue too. This photo is not unusual. It is … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House Inc): Log Houses - 08/30/07 11:48 PM
Inspecting log homes is a specialty in itself. In fact, there are specialists in that field. In our region of the northwest, even with mountains and woods there are still not that many of these homes. So such inspections ore only occasional things. A problem with logs is that the pests … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Open Ended Gutters - 08/29/07 09:45 AM
In the Pacific Northwest, where we have so much rain, gutters are a pretty important part of a home. They control the rain and runoff water. Around here, when you see a house without gutters and downspouts there is almost always a big pile of mud under the eaves, caused by the … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House): Conducive Conditions and Crawl Spaces - 08/25/07 12:21 PM
A common problem in crawl spaces is the plastic vapor barrier being out of place or missing altogether or at least missing in some areas. The photo below is a crawl space that is very damp, as you can see. As a result of that the insulation fell down and that … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Home Inspections Bellingham WA (King of the House): Fallen Insulation - 08/25/07 10:40 AM
When a home inspector sees crawl space insulation that has fallen, such as this, it usually means one of a couple things. In this case, the crawl space is wet and the moisture has evaporated up into the insulation and it is heavy and no longer supported. The little metal rods … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Property Inspector (King of the House): Up On The Roof -- Tar - 08/25/07 10:13 AM
When a home inspector sees tar around the chimney are the vent stacks, or roof vents, it usually means one of two things: The roof leaked there and this was a repair or that the person who did the roof was not a professional and trained roofer. A professional roofer might, … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Washington Home Inspector (King of the House): Condo Wiring - 08/24/07 10:16 AM
Below is a photo of the main breaker at a condo. Inside a condo, people see an electric panel and assume that it is like the main panel inside a home. Usually that is not the case. At condos the panel inside is usually a distribution or sub-panel. The main breaker … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Real Estate Inspections (King of the House): Metal Roofs - 08/23/07 09:33 PM
Metal roofs, over recent years, have developed a good reputation. There is a catch however. The metal roof that is generally considered to be high quality is the standing seam metal roof. This popular roof is durable and has a minimum of exposed screws or fasteners. That catch I described is that … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Home Inspection Bellingham (King of the House): My Leaking Pipes -- Galvanized Pipes - 08/23/07 09:07 PM
The photo below is something seen a lot when inspecting older homes. This is an old galvanized system of drain pipe that is now beyond its useful life. You can see the moisture around the threads and there was water on the vapor barrier -- a conducive condition. Whenever such pipes … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: When In Rome - 08/20/07 10:20 PM
As I said in a previous post, in about a month, I will be visiting Italy again. Even though the construction is so different over there, I can still pick up on some things. They are not very useful tips in the Pacific Northwest, but interesting anyway. Most of the roofs … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Crawl space vegetation - 08/17/07 01:24 AM
I have been in lots of crawl spaces. The one today was blooming out all over. Best foliage I have ever seen down under. This was a post and pier foundation and nobody had ever put down a vapor barrier. Access was pretty much impossible, there were ferns and various weeds … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Washington Home Inspector (King of the House): Unsafe Wiring Practices - 08/16/07 10:08 AM
Here is another one I see frequently on inspections. This is the case of running the live electric wires over, inside, or through the gutters or downspouts. The gutters and downspouts are obviously not designed for this purpose and the wires usually move around and wear the insulation off the conductors. … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Property Inspection (King of the House, Inc): Electric Heater Safety - 08/13/07 03:36 PM
Sometimes I am amazed at how casually people treat the areas around their electric heaters. The heater might be in a bathroom and a towel rack is mounted over it, towel hanging down. Or maybe the curtains hang down over the baseboard heater in the living room. In the photos below, … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: $16 Bucks Will Get You Some Real Excitement - 08/10/07 06:30 PM
Boy, just look at what $16.00 will get you today. I had been under the impression that real excitement was more costly than that. However, just the other day I saw one of these gizmos in use and realized that a person could spend seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, months and years watching it. … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Lillies - 08/10/07 05:54 PM
Folks seem to like my photos of my wife's flowers better than my graphic photos of termites. So here are a couple lillies that are responding well to the nice weather in the PNW. As the weather begins to get a bit colder, as the season moves on and the days … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: How Much Information Do You Really Want Your Client to Have? - 08/07/07 10:44 AM
This basic question comes up time and time again, sometimes from realtors and sometimes from associates. That basic question is, how much information do you really want your client to have? David Helm and I, who work together as adjunct faculty at a technical college, often compare notes. More often than … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: America's Most Wanted: Have You Seen This Criminal - 08/07/07 10:11 AM
This is, obviously, lower profile than the violent crimes or kidnappings perpetrated by vicious criminals. However, since we now have the goods on this criminal, I think it is time to see if the public can help identify him so law enforcement can, finally, track him down. First, let me setup … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Automobile Theft - 08/07/07 09:44 AM
Yes, this is a bit out of my field of expertise, other than having been a victim a few years back, I thought I would pass this along. As far as being a victim, I owned a Honda, driven by my daughter. She was at work one day at a large … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Not Such A Spiffy Biffy - 08/06/07 09:55 PM
One of the most common problems with toilets is the loose toilet. People have heard that if they tighten a toilet too tight to the floor, they can crack the porcelain. That is true, but the usual problem is that they overcompensate the other way. They leave the toilet loose to … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Home Inspection (King of the House): Slower Than A Speeding Bullet - 08/06/07 09:38 PM
Well, here is a crawl space decimated by anobiid beetles. This pest works slowly, over the years, but when it has taken a hold -- BROTHER! Again, as always, it was a conventional crawl space and intended by design to have open crawl space vents. The primary conducive condition was vents that … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Real Estate Inspection (King of the House): Asbestos Cement Siding - 08/05/07 10:29 PM
Probably the biggest problem with asbestos cement siding, that is still in place today, has to do with areas that have been cracked or damaged. This was the early cement-based siding, with asbestos fibers. Everyone hears the word "asbestos" and gets nervous, however asbestos siding itself is not airborne or friable unless … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bees on site: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) - 08/01/07 03:22 PM
Sometimes, when working as an inspector, it is easy to forget that unexpected, and sometimes dangerous, surprises could await you. Not only do you have to make sure you do not do a high wire act from your ladder but, also, you can run into pests such as the nest below. … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: King of the House Inc: Telltale Signs -- Underground Storage Tanks, Pt 2 - 07/31/07 01:46 PM
The photos below are more examples of telltale signs. These are all from inspections that I performed. I will show the clues and describe the outcome. As to realtors, since you are not going to be down in the crawl space (where the clues are seen probably 60% of the time) you … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Washington Home Inspection (King of the House, Inc): Chimney liners - 07/31/07 01:16 AM
It was the norm many years ago: They vented the fossil fuel furnace, the wood stove and maybe the fossil fuel powered water heater all into the same masonry chimney. Many homes like this are still around today. While this is may not be something to panic over, based on modern thinking, this … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Washington Home Inspection (King of the House): Oh Rot! - 07/31/07 12:37 AM
I inspected a house recently. The gutters and downspouts had been replaced in the past couple months -- all new and good quality aluminum seamless gutters. The funny thing is, whichever company installed the downspouts, they did so in a manner that helped perpetuate problems that already existed at the home. In the … (9 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Misunderstanding: Wood to Soil and Wood to Concrete - 07/31/07 12:18 AM
It seems that most people in the real estate field know that wood to earth or soil contact is not good. With pressure treated lumber, the wood might last several years but even pressure treated lumber lasts longer if it is not down in the dirt. The other side of that … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Nice blog! Cheers - 07/30/07 09:20 AM
This post is primarily directed to newer members of AR. As people become serious about building a standing at AR, they have a few ways to do this: Invite points, localism, but most of us rely on blogging and comments as the mainstay of our quest. A person trying to get to … (13 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: A King size sigh of relief: The meme is done - 07/30/07 12:18 AM
Well, it took me more than a week to mull it over but, as of this weekend, I did my meme. On top of that, tonight I selected my three victims -- Michael Eisenberg who is at Fairhaven Realty and quite the AR competitor in this market, also Eric Badgley and … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA home Inspection (King of the House): Venting Your Home - 07/26/07 04:41 PM
This is a topic that impacts all of us including realtors, home inspectors and home buyers. In new construction it seems to almost always be done correctly, at least in my area. But in older homes and mobile homes, plumbing vent stacks can be really messed up or missing completely. Venting … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Washington, WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Veneer and Oriented Strand Board - 07/24/07 10:10 AM
Recently I posted on OSB, or oriented strand board, which is so often found as siding on manufactured homes. In fact, it is found on lots of different homes, however the vertical panel style (not lap) is what I am concerned about in this post and that tends to be on … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Home Inspection Bellingham WA (King of the House): Siding and Your Manufactured Home - 07/22/07 05:13 PM
It might vary in different areas, but around here, most of the siding one finds on manufactured homes is oriented strand board. It is commonly called OSB. By the way, the famous siding that had so many problems -- L-P siding, was oriented strand board. Even though they have done some … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Home Electricians: If You Do Not Care About Yourself, Think of Someone Else - 07/21/07 09:20 PM
As a home inspector, I see lots of do it yourself work. Some better than others. Universally, the worst and most dangerous work I see is do it yourself electrical. Most people just flat do not know what they are doing -- despite what the box store might tell them they are … (14 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Washington Home Inspection (King of the House): TPR Drains - 07/21/07 06:44 PM
Actually, I do not need to be vindicated by the photo, as my concern in this post is based on standard plumbing practices. But this posting of the two photos makes a great point! I can tell you that, time and time again, an inspector will go under a home and … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Crawl space ventilation and Washington Law - 07/20/07 01:28 AM
There have been a number of blogs, among us home inspector types, discussing crawl space ventilation and lack of same. Some inspectors in other parts of the country are recommending that crawl space vents be closed. As I have pointed out, in this state the rules on this go beyond mere … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspections: College level training, October 2007 - 07/20/07 12:40 AM
Many of you know that three of us here at AR teach home inspection for the Washington state college system.Bellingham Technical College has, for several years, had a professional home inspector training program. I am the program coordinator and other AR members who are instructors in the rigorous class are David Helm … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspections: Raindrops Keep Fallin' In My Flue - 07/17/07 09:14 AM
Bellingham, Whatcom county and the great Pacific Northwet have enough rain that the title of this post is among the more called out items at home inspections -- especially at older homes. Often we see the brick chimney or a clay flue liner and there is no chimney cap over it. … (9 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. Washington Home Inspection (King of the House): Safety and Physical Requirements - 07/13/07 12:19 AM
As the program coordinator of the home inspection training program at Bellingham Technical College, I get a call a week from an employment counselor or a rehabilitation worker, wanting to know if their client can handle the rigors of the job. I have also had people call up and say that … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Employee killin' me: All he wants to do is blog, talk on the cell and nap - 07/11/07 04:28 PM
First, I want to state that King of the House, Inc is a smaller firm. There are basically two employees, me and I own it, and the hired hand who is of Italian descent, Mr. Topolino Stromboli. I have spent lots of money on training this employee. He is supposed to … (41 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Summer in the City: Frozen pipes - 07/10/07 07:11 PM
Well, the pipes are not frozen now, after all it is summer in the city and it is as hot as a fourth of July firecracker. However, especially on some newer houses, I am just now finding outside faucets (even the frost free variety) that ruptured due to freezing this past … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bow Washington Home Inspections: Puzzle -- See if you can figure this one out - 07/10/07 06:26 PM
I could say, only in the wet northwest, but will hold back on that in describing this photo. The picture below was taken at a new home that I inspected. Odd as it may seem, the downspout was turned in towards the floor of the deck and drained onto it. So that … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Firehall in Fairhaven - 07/10/07 06:08 PM
I went to lunch today with a friend. Due to lots of street work in the primary restaurant area in Fairhaven, we ended up at the firehall. This is at Harris and 14th Streets. It is a pretty neat idea. For most of my adult life this was a working firehall … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Poppy's got a brand new bag - 07/08/07 12:08 PM
If I get arrested, incarcerated and sent away for life for this blog, then it was nice knowing you. I have to tell you about an odd-ball practice, a crime I guess, that has been going on in my neighborhood for more than 20 years and it involves my wife's poppies. These poppies … (5 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Whatcom and Skagit County Home Inspection (King of the House): When fire safety makes you less safe! - 07/08/07 11:16 AM
We tend to assume that commercial buildings have fewer ill-planned designs, that are safety hazards, than our homes that have assorted home owner modifications. After all, the city, county or state code inspectors and planners get heavily involved in new buildings or converting old buildings: specifying elevators, handrails, steps, egress and many other … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Birch Bay State Park, Blaine WA - 07/05/07 12:58 PM
Earlier in the week I had an inspection right by Birch Bay State Park. So I decided to drive into it, something I have not done since about 1975 -- yes about 1975! I was last there on a company picnic 30 plus years ago. Birch Bay State Park has quite … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Point Roberts bomb story - 07/04/07 10:52 AM
Those of you who read my blogs know that I spend a fair bit of my time inspecting homes in Point Roberts. Getting there is a chore. It is a US city, landlocked,and to get there from the USA one has to first cross into Canada and then back into the USA … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Still spewing after all these years - 07/03/07 11:48 PM
At an inspection today, I overheard two people speaking: One explaining to the other that the air-gap on the sink was an overflow for the dishwasher. She commented that, at her house, it always dribbles water back into the sink. This is the second or third time I have heard that … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Let Me Take You Down: Crawl Space Horror, part 4 - 07/03/07 11:17 PM
I thought I would show you the photo below. It is quite illustrative of just how damaging to wood a water leak can be. That is the case, at least, if said leak is not noticed right away and goes on for a long time. I have no idea how long this … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Let Me Take You Down: Crawl Space Horrors Pt 3 - 07/02/07 12:59 AM
Yesterday, when I posted part two of Crawl Space Horrors, a realtor mentioned that she could not understand how people could be so oblivious to what is happening under their home. With a few exceptions, I find that people have no clue. Now, if the toilet drain was never hooked up … (10 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Thank you berry much - 07/01/07 11:47 PM
Well, the sunshine was out today and I had a day off and some time out in the garden. It has been several days, but I took a look at the berries. I tend to grow some of the fruit, the wife does the flowers and vegetables. The first photo is … (9 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Let Me Take You Down: Crawl Space Horrors, pt 2 (this photo might gross you out) - 06/30/07 06:20 PM
Yesterday, when I posted part one of my blog "Crawl space horrors" I saw that there were lots of comments among non home inspectors about what we see down there. It seems there is an uneasy fascination with crawl spaces, like with horror movies -- fun to speculate and watch but do not … (8 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: 8 Miles High and not ducting worth a darn - 06/30/07 05:22 PM
Pardon the title but I always liked the tune 8 Miles High. I saw this duct the other day and it was the longest and worst bathroom exhaust fan duct work I have seen -- shy of those that vent directly into the attic. At least the homeowner made an effort … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Is the home inspector just being a petty jerk? - 06/30/07 10:36 AM
I have met people who feel that a home inspector, who points out some smaller issues such as gutters full of debris, is a petty jerk. They say: "That is not a real problem! Too minor to mention." Obviously a gutter can drain with some debris in it, but it depends on … (8 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Wa. home inspections (King of the House): Crawl space horrors - 06/29/07 09:46 PM
A Bellingham WA home inspector sees an awful lot of issues with wood destroying organisms. In Washington State, those of us who do structural pest inspections must be tested and licensed by the state. We are regulated by the WSDA. One rule that sometimes upsets sellers, or their agents, is the state … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Connecting the dots - 06/29/07 05:37 PM
Sometimes, when dealing with mechanical or electrical devices, one has to think beyond the obvious problem. For example, in the photo below, the initial reaction would be: "Boy what a mess, that is gonna be a pain to cleanup." The next thought might be: "Boy all that moist, hot air floating … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: We're gonna have a blast! - 06/27/07 12:15 PM
The photo below has got to be one of the most misunderstood safety devices in all of plumbing. Safety devices in plumbing? What could be the big deal, you ask. After all, as one plumber explained to me once: Plumbing is pretty easy, if you put water in a pipe it … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Broken limbs and overworked code inspectors - 06/26/07 01:24 PM
Many people feel that if they buy a new home they can count on the state, the city or the county code inspectors to catch anything that is wrong. Sometimes that is true, but not all government employees are created equal and some of them are swamped with inspections. I have … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Railroad Avenue, Bellingham - 06/26/07 12:12 PM
There is always something happening on Railroad Avenue. It might be good and it might be bad, but something will be going on. Railroad, historically, was a center for street car and train operations in Bellingham. Those industrial uses are gone and today it has a huge assortment of people -- … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Testing 1, 2, 3, testing - 06/24/07 09:04 PM
It seems, from past discussions, that realtors and home inspectors are generally in agreement that it makes sense to have new homes inspected. The thought, out in the general public, seems to be that it is optional or overkill. Builders of course hate it and try to get around the inspector by offering … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Boring details, part II - 06/24/07 04:43 PM
Yesterday I wrote about bonding of electric panels, main panels and distribution or sub-panels. That post showed a sub-panel that had the neutrals and the grounds connected, which was incorrectly done. Below, is a photo of a correctly wired sub-panel. The neutral buss (left) and the ground buss (right) are not bonded to … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House): Boring details - 06/23/07 06:09 PM
I have to be careful here that I do not make this too boring, as it is more detail oriented than what I would normally write about at a non-technical forum. If you are a realtor, have you ever had an inspection report where the inspector made some comment about the … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Three silly lillies - 06/23/07 12:45 AM
I had the camera out today and we actually had a few hours of sunshine in Bellingham, prior to a number of cloudbursts. I wandered about the wife's garden and took photos of three different lillies. She has probably a dozen and they all bloom at different times. Here are three … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Lorraine Ellis Park, Bellingham - 06/23/07 12:13 AM
In Bellingham's Columbia neighborhood is a small park. Lorraine Ellis Park. It is not far from either Elizabeth Park, Bellingham's oldest park, or the other small park, Carl Lobe Park. Lorraine Ellis Park is a nice spot but not far from the traffic. It's not big but there are attractive old trees … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Anobiid Beetles -- Smaller than a grain of rice yet they destroyed this home! - 06/22/07 11:53 PM
Yesterday I had the unpleasant job of letting a realtor and my client know that a home that was other wise not too bad, had been destroyed underneath by a secretive and very destructive wood destroying organism. I am speaking of the dreaded anobiid beetle. I have heard people say, "ah, don't worry about … (11 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Peace Arch Park, Blaine WA - 06/22/07 10:34 PM
When I drive to Point Roberts to do home inspections, or just to visit the Vancouver BC metro for a show, I usually go through the border at Blaine, although there are a number of other border crossings in the county as well. Peach Arch Park, known for the world famous … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts, WA - 06/20/07 06:31 PM
Lighthouse Marine Park is a Whatcom County Park that many Whatcom County residents have never visited. Why? Because it is in Point Roberts, and it takes some effort to get there. Many locals never take the trek by venturing across the Canadian border at Blaine and then heading back into the … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Gossage Garden, Bellingham - 06/20/07 06:14 PM
There is a pretty little neighborhood garden,right along Cornwall Avenue, which is one of the main streets in Bellingham. Actually, it is at the intersection of Cornwall, Alabama and F streets. This is Gossage Park and it is a colorful monument to the fact that you are entering into the letter street … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: What to do if your flat roof has a slope! - 06/19/07 10:24 PM
First, don't be fooled by the title. If your flat roof has slope, that is good design as is explained below. The other day a blog I wrote about mold received a lot of interest from the real estate community. I decided to give the details of an inspection I did at a … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: I want you to see my mussels! - 06/18/07 09:02 AM
Well, I am off across the border this morning. That is an odd thing about working out of Bellingham, hopping over to Point Roberts: going out of the US, into Canada, and then back into the US. Then reversing that to get home. If one was afraid of the customs, or … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham, WA -- This time long ago, White City Amusement Park - 06/17/07 02:22 PM
In the Silver Beach neighborhood by Lake Whatcom, 101 years ago, White City Amusement Park was built. It closed in 1919. Having been in this region since I was a child, I knew people over the years who remembered and told me about the excitement of this great amusement park. We … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Air accidents, pilots and a city park - 06/17/07 01:49 AM
Carl Lobe Park, in Bellingham, is a tiny park in the Columbia-Eldridge neighborhood --children's play equipment and a small ball field. This park has been around as long as I can remember, but most people have no clue who it was named after. Who was Carl Lobe? Information is scarce. When I … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham has inherent charm - 06/17/07 01:00 AM
I have lived in Bellingham all of my life. Infact my family tree has roots deep in this area. There does seem to be a certain something about this little corner of the world we call home (Even though it rains 10 months of the year). I am proud to say … (3 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: An oyster a day - 06/16/07 10:30 AM
I remember, back to the 1950's, when my aunt worked at an oyster farm on Chuckanut Drive. At the time, it was called Rockpoint Oysters. Well, it has changed hands but, and I swear, some of the best oysters you will get anywhere are farmed right here in our corner of the … (4 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Where do all the vegetables come from? - 06/16/07 10:27 AM
Recently I wrote a blog about a nursery, with great flowers, here in Bellingham. This time, I am switching to vegetables. Clear back when I was a child, my mother would talk about getting produce from Joe's Garden, over on the south side. It was operated by an immigrant from Italy, Joe … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Mold In The Home - 06/15/07 10:28 PM
" John, is that bad mold growing in the attic?" I heard that conversation one day between a couple in a restaurant. The simple answer, and I did not interupt the conversation, was "yes, any mold in your attic is bad.!" As a Bellingham home inspector, I sometimes see mold from water … (12 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Edison 50 years later - 06/15/07 08:08 PM
As a Bellingham Home Inspector, I was in the Bow, Edison area today, so I thought I would take a couple photos. This is my old stomping grounds, from when I was a kid. It seemed like all my relatives lived down there and I used to visit them almost every weekend. … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: If you sell real estate the ability to recognize either photo below will save you lots of grief - 06/15/07 12:12 AM
Have you ever heard the term, or seen an inspection report, listing the plumbing supply tubing as polybutylene. If so, the inspector is not doing this to make your life miserable by citing the issue. Polybutylene was a plastic pipe that had widespread use (most often in mobile homes) during the late … (7 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Where have all the flowers come from? - 06/14/07 06:25 PM
Excuse me, but I had to take a stab at changing the title of an old 1960's protest song. It was my lame effort to grab your attention. Those of you old enough to have been around back then probably remember "Where have all the flowers gone." Well, this is "Where … (2 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Waterfront Park, Bellingham, WA - 06/13/07 11:33 PM
You hear the term less often now, but years back the area of Holly Street down by the train station was called Old Town. In his advertising, a businessman named Lou Parberry, always called himself the "mayor" of Old Town. It was a fictional title, but people remember that today. It seems … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Cornwall Park Rose Garden - 06/13/07 11:08 PM
Bellingham, and all of Whatcom County really, is an area with an abundance of parks. Our parks have trees, trails and blooms galore this time of year. One really lovely little spot, not far from downtown, is the Cornwall Rose Garden. It is at the north end of Cornwall Avenue, just … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Old memories return at Memorial Park, Bellingham, WA - 06/11/07 06:11 PM
One of the parks that is in Bellingham, and would probably not immediately come to mind, is Memorial Park. It is in the Sunnyland neighborhood, right behind Sunnyland Elementary School (where I went to school for one week in the 1950's before they redistricted me elsewhere.) This park is at King streets … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Skagit County Home Inspection (King of the House): Tree Roots and Structural Damage - 06/10/07 04:12 PM
Tree roots are a judgement call for home inspectors. A Bellingham home inspector, due to all the trees in the community, has to make lots of such judgement calls. Tree roots from large trees often damage sidewalks and walkways. We see an abundance of this in Whatcom and Skagit counties. In such … (8 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Cornwall Park in Bellingham - 06/09/07 11:54 PM
Cornwall Park is one of the first parks I remember visiting when I was a child back in the 1950's. It was in my neighborhood and I went to Parkview elementary, that adjoins the park, and we were never allowed to go down into the park, except the last week of school we … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: Elizabeth Park, Bellingham's oldest city park - 06/09/07 09:46 PM
Elizabeth Park is Bellingham's first city park, created in 1884 and established on land donated by Henry Roeder. The park has abundant trees: walnut, chestnut and maple, plus flowering trees such as azaleas and rhododendrons. Many of the old growth trees are more than 100 years old. There is a pretty fountain, … (0 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: 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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bellingham home inspector: Bellingham Home Inspector: Why Hire a Home Inspector? - 06/09/07 07:55 PM
Buying a home is the most important invest in one's life, a small investment of 3-4 hundred dollars can save homebuyers thousands should a problem arise. As a professional realtor I recommend to each and every homebuyer to hire a home inspector prior to buying. What to look for in an inspector:1. Is the … (1 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: 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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bellingham home inspector: 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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bellingham home inspector: 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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bellingham home inspector: 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 … (6 comments)
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bellingham home inspector: 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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