seattle home inspectors: Is that MOLD?
- 11/12/10 08:01 AM
I can’t count the number of times I have been pulled aside during an inspection to check out "MOLD."
Sometimes the first time I hear about it is on the phone----about how there is mold here or mold there----and they want to know how big a problem it is. With these calls I just let them know that I will be sure to check out the area of their concerns when I am at the inspection.
Almost invariably the concern evaporates under the light of investigation----as it turns out the suspected offender turns out to be something less sinister.
One … (36 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: The doctor is in----and I promise----no colonoscopy!
- 11/10/10 01:08 AM
I went to the doctor the other day for a routine checkup-----actually that is not true. This is what I should do! Now most people might go to the dentist a couple of times a year----and keep things in their mouth tuned up---but when it comes to regular doctors, most people, unless they are hypochondriacally disposed, put off going to the doctor until something is actually wrong.
I guess our minds take the possible things that can go wrong at the dentist and multiply it by 100 to arrive at the number of more things that can be found out at … (24 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday in Cummington, Massachusetts
- 11/10/10 01:07 AM
… (7 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Are there really gofers in Seattle?
- 11/08/10 01:11 AM
As a builder we always had someone on the job called “Gofer.” You know the guy---that has to “gofer this” and “gofer that?” As a worker, before starting my own business, I paid my dues as a gofer too.
One of the best gofer stories I remember is when I was being a gofer for my dad. My Uncle Bob---who worked for my dad----sent one of the newest gofers (with less seniority than me) down to the local auto repair shop to get a muffler belt. Another time is was to the hardware for ten pounds of 17 penny nails.
The … (38 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Makes me want to go take a nap in the sun.
- 11/05/10 05:35 AM
Cats and lying in the sun are almost synonymous.
When the code changed to require more insulation in the walls of our homes, a result was that walls became thicker. These thicker walls meant wider window sills----perfect for a cat to spread out on and bake in the sun for a while.
On a recent inspection I noticed some dirt marks on the window sill that almost looked like the patterning of mold. Nothing in the home would lead anyone to suspect mold but there it was. It turned out that is was merely kitty footprints.
… (24 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday----Falling in the Bog
- 11/03/10 04:19 AM
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seattle home inspectors: Reflections
- 11/03/10 04:04 AM
It is easy to feel separate from the things around us---from other people-----from the whole world. It takes a lot of work and courage to see how interconnected everything is. There is even a worldwide movement that sees the earth as a superorganism where humans are but a part of the whole organism----some might argue a cancer the way we act at times.
The total degree to just how interconnected we all are may be outside the grasp of the mind’s current state of evolution. Add to that the various pressures to deny interconnectedness and some people can live … (16 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: The house smokes like a chimney!
- 11/02/10 03:55 AM
The roof was flat----really nice for walking around on.
The first thing I noticed was the strong smell of cigarette smoke. I figured someone must be in the yard smoking----perhaps a neighbor. I walked around the perimeter of the roof performing the inspection, while at the same time keeping an eye out for the smoker. Alas, there was no one in sight.
As I moved to the center of the roof, to where the chimney was, I noticed that the odor was getting stronger. The odor was actually coming out of the chimney----and nobody was home! I have … (61 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Nothing weighty here----just a matter of scales----and keeping your underwear on.
- 11/01/10 03:57 AM
How many homes have scales in them?
There are none in mine----unless you count the postage scale.
With so many people watching their weight, or needing to watch their weight, I guess it should be no surprise that lots of homes have scales in them.
But why are they almost always in the bathroom?
Sometimes they are even called “bathroom scales!”
Is there some kind of metaphor about “excess” or “getting-rid-of” or “shedding”----or something else I am missing?
Perhaps it is private in the bathroom and one can be naked with one’s self image. … (32 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: There are almost always GHOSTS in your ductwork!
- 10/31/10 02:28 AM
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seattle home inspectors: Drinking the Kool-Aid.
- 10/30/10 01:47 AM
All of our parents fed us Kool-Aid
Our grandparents fed our parents Kool-Aid
Our great grandparents fed our grandparents Kool-Aid.
All of us will feed our children Kool-Aid.
Our children will feed their children Kool-Aid
Our children’s children will be feed their children Kool-Aid.
Even before they knew what to call it, parents have given their kids Kool-Aid.
Eventually they named it, “Kool-Aid”
The packaging has changed over the years
It comes in all kinds of flavors
It comes in a rainbow of colors
It can even be disguised as Jell-O
And Popsicles.
Some parents are careful … (33 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: When was the last time you looked at yours?
- 10/29/10 01:49 AM
Grey water.
Sounds appetizing doesn’t it? Water that drains from your kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, laundry sink, dishwasher, and clothes washer is considered “grey water.” In other words----not quite as nasty as the "brown water" that drains from toilets.
A leak from either can be nasty but not quite as bad as leaks from toilet drains can be. If you have to pick a type to leak for 30 years into your crawl space, you would want to pick grey water. For example a leak from a kitchen sink drain. The resultant crud that would end up in … (24 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Neighbors are only too happy to help.
- 10/26/10 09:34 AM
“Hey Milly----your gutters are overflowing,” said Fred, Milly’s next door neighbor.
“Yes I know----and it is ruining my Daffys," answered Milly.
“Would you be a sweet heart and figure out why,” she pleaded with him?
“OK---but it will cost you,” he winked.
Fred went to his garage and got out his ladder and set it up against the gutter. When he got to the top of the ladder, Milly called up to him, “What do you see?”
“Rabbits,” answered Fred.
“What the heck are rabbits doing in my gutter,” asked Milly in disbelief?
… (23 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: The tide is turning----and I am on my way!
- 10/25/10 12:41 AM
Getting to work can be difficult at times. Traffic can be a bear. The weather can be a problem.
I spent a lot of winters in the Syracuse and Oswego, New York areas so I know a lot about driving in the winter. Almost always, the worst part about driving in the winter is dealing with other drivers on the road that have no clue about driving in the winter. It is actually considered a winter sport by some----something that makes winter and going to work during the winter somehow worth it. But that is whole other story for … (25 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Mom----why is the glass all over the stairs?
- 10/24/10 12:31 AM
I don’t get my panties all wadded up over broken seals in windows or skylights typically. Broken seals don’t “drastically” affect the thermal performance of the unit----certainly the cost of replacement will NEVER pay for itself in savings relative to the damaged seal.
I consider broken seals a cosmetic issue----and only important if seeing through the unit is important. Depending on the windows location to views it may be very important or not important at all to most buyers. I have buyers tell me that is very important until they find out what it is going to cost to … (29 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Why are my plumbing vents flashed with Latte cups?
- 10/23/10 02:06 AM
One of my pet peeves as a home inspector is the use of inadequate flashings for pipes that penetrate the roofing materials. My opinion is that the flashings chosen should be designed to last as long as the roof is projected to last----if possible. There are some types of roofs----like slate or steel where this may be difficult----but let’s at least do the best we can.
On a recent wood shake roof, that was about 25 years old-----and at the end of its life----we can see a good example of a flashing that should never have been used with … (19 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: This is 911----what is your emergency?
- 10/22/10 01:02 AM
Inspectors are always harping on not letting vegetation get too close the home. In Washington State it is considered a conducive condition for wood destroying organisms and insects and must be reported on by Licensed Home Inspectors and Licensed Structural Pest inspectors.
It also creates pathways for rodents into the structure. In many homes if rodents can get to the gutters of your home they can find a way into the roof structure----or make a way of their own.
Vegetation can also affect electrical wires running to the home.
Another thing that vegetation can do is … (19 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley
- 10/21/10 01:42 AM
When I was inspecting the outside of the house I didn’t think too much about this planter on the edge of the walkway. Looked pretty much like a planter on the edge of the walkway. What do you think?
When I was inspecting the interior and got to the teenage boy’s room at this location----and saw the dirt and foot prints on the window sill I realized this planter was actually stairs----disguised as a planter.
Now I couldn’t tell whether this was to let the girlfriend in the window, or for him to get out the window … (32 comments)
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seattle home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday----headed back to my Connecticut spawning grounds
- 10/19/10 11:51 PM
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seattle home inspectors: Be like a radio----receive the signals---- turn the volume up and break the knob off!
- 10/19/10 02:14 AM
Well the contest is over.
I want to thank all those that took up the challenge and got an entry in.
While picking something under the kitchen sink was seemingly mundane I can tell from the entries that came in that most of you were able to find many different ways to connect these mundane things to your businesses and find ways to blog about it.
This contest was never really about “what” was under your sink, but was an attempt to get you to see that anything can become blog fodder----if we bring “ourselves” to the … (52 comments)
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I can’t count the number of times I have been pulled aside during an inspection to check out "MOLD."
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