In this state we talk a lot about conducive conditions. Conducive conditions are even written into the Washington State law -- part of the structural pest inspector law. I took this photo at an inspection yesterday and thought it does a good job of illustrating a point. In an earlier blog, I spoke about vegetation against siding and how that can lead to moisture issues: fungal growth, siding not drying, potential for rot or insect pests. The photo below is vinyl siding. Look at just how green it is where the bushes are crowding the home. It is continually damp. If you imagine this as wood siding, consider just how much duress that would put the wood siding under. It is likely that with that much fungus, there would be rot present or beginning. You could almost count on the siding being soft and swollen if it was oriented strand board (OSB) -- a composition wood siding.

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Bellingham Home Inspection

Steven L. Smith