mt vernon home inspection: Good Lookin' Bad Idea - 05/04/08 03:09 PM
Crowding. Crowding. Crowding the house. How else would you describe this? I am sure the homeowner likes this plant, probably likes the way it covers the siding. But the problem is that siding needs some space between it and the vegetation. How much? Well usually a foot is recommended. In actuality, … (8 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Nice Plumbing Repair - 04/17/08 10:41 PM
My friend Charles Buell is always very critical of duct tape -- the miracle cure of last century and still a hot commodity today. I have seen everything from the skins of mobile homes and fuel tanks to shoes repaired with the stuff. I always love it when I open a … (10 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Another Close, But No Cigar, Job - 04/17/08 10:15 PM
Below is an electric water heater with an installation that is close to right. But close is not good enough. There is a temperature pressure relief valve and the drain line from it is even routed down and out of the home. And the lower section of the drain is CPVC tubing … (4 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Common and a Real Mess! - 04/16/08 11:30 PM
The view in this photo is so very common, but I always hate to see it. When a roofer takes an old wood shingle or shake roof off, it seems that about eight times out of ten the wood debris ends up inside the attic. Just what a homeowner wants is … (16 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Gambler's Guide To Home Buying - 04/16/08 09:44 AM
In life there are many gambles. Anyone in business has to assume some risk and take some gambles. Even hanging out your shingle, doing whatever it is you plan to do, involves risk. I am not one who is afraid of some risk. One of the best business decisions I ever … (5 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: They're Alive, They're Alive - 04/15/08 10:35 PM
This is not an out of body experience, or some tale that will make you think I am any weirder than what you might already think. After all, you have probably heard stories of the dead coming back to life -- on shows like the Twilight Zone. Call it reincarnation, call it hibernation, … (10 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Steve's Greatest Hits And B Sides - 04/14/08 11:48 PM
I was looking at my statistics the other day and found that my first serious activity at Active Rain was one year ago yesterday, as in last Sunday. Wow, how time flies when you are getting all wet in the rain. A while back, a friend had suggested that he had … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Canada and US Border Communities - 04/11/08 09:37 AM
The local daily newspaper, the Bellingham Herald, had a story today that confirmed a trend I have noticed in my inspection business for the past eight months or so -- the rising Canadian dollar, which fluctuates from a bit below to a bit above the US dollar, has led to more Canadians spending … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Home Inspection, Why Must We Get Out Of The Car? - 04/09/08 10:02 PM
Charlie Buell and I sometimes joke around that there are times you could do a home inspection from the publicity photos of the property. It is amazing the things the trained eye can see and, from the photos, you know to look very carefully at certain areas or you might be … (1 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: If It Fits It Must Work - 04/09/08 08:48 PM
This photo has to go in that goofy and misguided category we home inspectors see so often -- "if it fits then it has to work". The photo below, believe it or not, is a dryer vent. If you have ever cleaned a dryer vent, or looked at all the lint … (4 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Little Mistake, Big Problem - 04/09/08 04:02 PM
Warning, unsafe workmanship on display. In some cases, getting something "close" to right will probably get you by for quite some time. There are other times when "close" just does not cut it. No truck driver thinks "close" is good enough if his or her semi whacks an overpass.
The photo below … (14 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: And The First Clue Was - 04/09/08 03:24 PM
We home inspectors look for clues to problems. For example, the leak from the bathroom sink might have also created conducive conditions or damage that is apparent in the crawl space. One component of a home that we look at carefully is the furnace. Especially gas and oil furnaces, are complex and can … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Mushrooms on the Siding or Anyone know a Mycologist? - 04/05/08 02:48 PM
L-P innerseal siding was the oriented strand board (OSB) siding that probably received the most negative media coverage and, among other manufacturers, was involved in a huge class-action lawsuit and a payout to consumers. This Louisiana Pacific product went off the market, officially, in the late 1990's. Fact is, as most … (5 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Another Close One - 04/05/08 02:23 PM
I have done a few posts in the last weeks about people with good intentions, who kind of understand something, but end up missing the mark. You might call it the "close but no cigar" category. The photo below is a good example. This installer must have known that routing gutter … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: You've Seen It From Both Sides Now - 04/03/08 10:35 AM
Especially at new homes, the builder often leaves a couple inches of clearance between the bottom of crawl space vents and the soil. Then the landscapers come in and they install landscape bark. In so doing, they (about 90% of the time from what I see) end up putting the bark … (3 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Pressure-treated Lumber - 04/02/08 02:23 PM
In the State of Washington, a conducive condition that is mandated by the state is "wood to earth contact". Wood to earth contact will, sometimes sooner than later, lead to rot or decay of the wood. Generally this is pretty clear cut -- if wood does not have proper clearances to … (5 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Oh My Achin' Back - 04/02/08 01:27 PM
It is like workin' on the chain gang. But the fact is, despite the title, my back is fine. The photo below is a good example of something that can really complicate and slow down a home inspection. And, since so many realtors have to ensconce themselves on-site during the inspection, that … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Hosebibb -- Two Or More Problems - 03/27/08 03:19 PM
A hosebibb, such as the outside faucet shown below, has a number of vulnerabilities. First, let's talk about freezing. This is not a frost-free installation. In the winter, water would stay in the pipe not only below ground but in all of the exposed pipe that is above ground. If, in … (9 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Roofs That Can't Drain - 03/27/08 02:11 PM
Earlier today I posted a blog dealing with large trees near homes. In that, I described that a primary consideration for the home inspector is the amount of organic debris such a tree will drop onto the roof. Most homes I see have low-sloped or sloped roofs. When roofs that are … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Your Roots Aren't Showing - 03/27/08 01:48 PM
Actually, the tree in the photo above does not support the home. It is a few feet to the south of the house but you would not know it from the photo. This tree presents a few potential problems. Some of those I will address in this blog and other problems I … (3 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Sweating Windows - 03/25/08 12:08 AM
Yesterday I wrote about mobile homes and the fact they really do need to have a vapor barrier underneath them. Mobile homes, especially the older ones, were noted for poor windows. This had to do with leaks and also it involved missing thermal breaks in the old metal windows. Charlie Buell says … (0 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Mobile Homes: Vapor Barrier Vs Vapor Barrier - 03/23/08 12:07 PM
Mobile and manufactured homes have some oddities of construction compared to stick-built homes. One of those, that is often misunderstood, is the issue of the "vapor barrier." Under a conventional home, everybody knows what we are talking about when we discuss the crawl space vapor barrier -- the plastic sheet over … (0 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Electric System Grounds - 03/22/08 12:10 PM
The photo below is of a grounding electrode that was never fully pounded down into the soil. We wonder why. Did they hit a rock down there, so they could not get it to go any farther, or did the installer just decide it was in deep enough? These things are … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bzzzzzzzzzzz - 03/22/08 11:02 AM
One thing people often do not think about is bees, the bad kind, gaining access to the attic area. I work with one realtor who looks for gaps from the outside to the attic while I am doing the rest of the inspection. I asked him why that is of such … (4 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Deck Flashings - 03/18/08 08:33 PM
No flashing! That is something that inspectors see over and over again at decks that attach to the exterior of the home. When the inspector states that there is no flashing and one is needed, virtually all sellers claim it is not necessary and they never heard of such a thing. Others … (4 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Pacific Northwest Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Wood Decay - 03/18/08 08:17 PM
Okay, I admit it, there is wood here. But what a mess it is. Take a look at those joists that are being beaten by our weather here in the Pacific Northwet. When you see these you realize why an inspector likes to see a deck with a sub-structure built of pressure-treated lumber. When … (5 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Debris on Roofs - 03/16/08 05:27 PM
It was a cold and rainy night. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have many conditions that lead to a high risk of roof leaks and water damage in the attic or in the home. Those conditions include lots of tall trees that shade a roof and, more significantly, they shed … (3 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Coiled and Ready to Strike - 03/16/08 04:55 PM
The menace is there, almost in plain sight, but not quite -- slightly concealed. It is not unlike a tightly coiled rattlesnake waiting to strike, except the snake will give you it's telltale warning that your life might be in peril. Not so with the danger that is lurking at the … (9 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: The Home Inspector As The Storyteller - 03/13/08 02:28 PM
A reference was made today, in a blog, to the home inspector as a storyteller. I look upon writing a report in much that manner. While not always possible, it is my goal to get the point across, good or bad, with detailed descriptions and interesting photos. Where possible, I try … (0 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Skylight Thinks About Leaking - 03/13/08 01:53 PM
You might argue that a skylight does not "think". That well may be true but I would argue that if a skylight could think, this one would be thinking about leaking. I know a roofer who says that there are two types of skylights: "Those that are leaking and those that are going … (2 comments)
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mt vernon home inspection: Let There Be Light - 03/13/08 11:33 AM
Lights, and determining if they operate, can be problematic for the home inspector. In old homes, and new homes, there might be combinations of burned out bulbs or missing bulbs. Also, light switches are unidentified (as in not labeled) so sometimes when a switch does not operate it can be hard … (4 comments)
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