rot: Painting Over Wood Rot - 04/15/08 09:26 PM
Painting over wood rot is not too smart. It's doesn't work for one, and secondly hiding a problem is a great way to get into trouble.Erol KartalPro Inspect Chicago Home Inspection … (9 comments)
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rot: Wood to Earth Contact - 03/27/08 02:55 PM
The photo above is a commonly seen issue for the home inspector. At least I know that is true in the Pacific Northwest. What you see there is the post at a deck. It is buried in the soil. The problem is our old nemesis known as wood to earth contact. … (0 comments)
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rot: 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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rot: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Wood to Earth and Rot - 12/10/07 02:56 PM
This photo is a classic example of what happens when soil is piled against wood. This is the side of a garage. The garage, especially an unattached garage, is a common place to find this problem as the structure is often ignored compared to the house. There was a concrete foundation here, … (0 comments)
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rot: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): Conducive Conditions and Rot - 11/13/07 04:44 PM
People tend to take gutters for granted, that is for sure. Even at new homes, just being sold to someone for the first time, the builder will not clean gutters that have large quantities of accumulated debris -- from pieces of shingle and nails to organic matter that collected in the … (4 comments)
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rot: Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House): Follow The Water - 11/13/07 04:14 PM
In investigative reporting, or trying to track racketeers, they always say: "follow the money." In Washington state, to be a competent structural pest inspector, one needs a similar philosophy and catch phrase. That catch phrase is "follow the water." Wood decay fungi or rot is common on wood with a moisture … (0 comments)
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rot: Water in crawl spaces - 10/24/07 09:42 AM
Here in the Seattle area we are known to receive a fair share of precipitation. It is no surprise to me when I crawl under a home and find ponding, pooling water. Modern homes typically have a footing drain installed around the exterior foundation perimeter during construction. Inside the space they … (5 comments)
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rot: Bellingham Washington Home Inspector (King of the House): Unsafe Decks - 10/05/07 02:00 PM
People tend to take decks for granted. Sellers, buyers, realtors, and inspectors too, will go right up on the deck - usually - without thinking twice about it. That is especially true of lower decks. They are simple and common structures- right? True, but often decks, even the low ones, can … (0 comments)
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rot: 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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rot: 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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rot: The truth about dry rot - 05/21/07 08:46 PM
More often than not, when you hear the words "dry rot", the term is being misused. It is often incorrectly used by the general public, builders, realtors, remodelers and (ugh) even home inspectors. Often what is called dry rot is merely rot (wood decay fungi). The common example of wrong usage would … (2 comments)
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rot: Wood + Water = Termites - 03/28/07 11:41 PM
Most house built in the south are framed with wood framing: good-old soft #2 pine studs. Under normal conditions the wood studs will last your lifetime and mine combined.
But add water and their days are numbered. Wet, soft, and maybe even rotting wood is like an invitation to an all-you-can-eat buffet … (4 comments)
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rot: Buyer Tip #1 - Reasons Buyers use to lower Purchase Price - Add yours... - 09/23/06 10:52 PM
What are Buyers mostly negotiating for (% of buyers who would negotiate money off the purhase price)1. Roof needs replacement (usually $3000-$7000) 2. Electrical Systems are not built to code (replacement cost from low $1500 to many thousands) 3. Dampness, rot and mould (suprisingly low in importance - maybe because not easily identifyable!)4. Length of leasehold (shorter terms preferred … (4 comments)
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