windows: An idea whose time has not come.
- 07/22/14 01:28 AM
I was a design build general contractor for more than 30 years and I have been a home inspector for more than 10 years. I have seen a lot of interesting things in houses over all those years. At a recent inspection, I found a type of window installation from the 1930’s that I had never seen before. Being a child of the 60's, I am not unaccustomed to seeing things I have never seen before, and that is part of what makes my job so interesting. However, this window installation was particularly unusual. Most of the windows in the … (72 comments)
windows: Windows----weep for me.
- 06/24/13 10:55 PM
I am sure that many of my readers have vinyl windows in their homes. What you might not know about these windows, if you have them, is that some of them---depending on the style and manufacturer of the windows---have weep holes at the bottom edge.
Most single or double hung type windows have a track on the bottom that will fill up with water if the weep holes are not maintained free of debris.
You might be asking yourself, why would debris collect in these weep holes? Water inside the hole will grow moss/algae/mold as well as just … (48 comments)
windows: These vinyl windows may not be as rosy at all.
- 06/05/13 10:56 PM
A couple of years ago a window repair company did a presentation for a continuing education class I attended. At the presentation the outrageous claim was made that an inordinate amount of premature failure of vinyl window seals was starting to happen. The problem involved a particular type of spacer used to separate the panes of glass. Being skeptical, I did a quick Google search of the issue and could find nothing. All I could find was page after page of nothing but praise for the new technology of these spacers—called “warm edge” technology. Even now, two years later, there is … (58 comments)
windows: Screwed & glued or just plain screwed? Your vinyl window installation
- 08/25/12 09:39 AM
Lately I have been finding an epidemic of improperly installed replacement vinyl windows; or, if they are “properly” installed the installations are not working out as planned. I am talking about windows where the old windows have been removed and new windows are installed in the same opening. There are correct ways and wrong ways to do this. There are ways to do it that are considered “best practice” and installations that are “less than ideal.” These poor practices are a little bit more like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear as they say. In … (41 comments)
windows: A Window on the World
- 07/09/12 10:58 PM
Carpenter Ants are pretty amazing insects. To appreciate them it is best to think of them “outside” of our homes. For some reason Carpenter Ants cannot distinguish between the wood in our homes and the wood in the woods. When hiking it the Northwest it is very common to come across trees that have fallen across the trail and the section of tree that crosses the trail is cut away to maintain the trail. Carpenter Ants infest can infest these downed trees---and perhaps they were in it to begin with and its falling was related to the damage they had … (10 comments)
My blog is intended to provide information related to home inspections in Seattle, surrounding communities and anyone else interested. Sometimes I will provide information that has nothing to do with home inspections. Enjoy!
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