bellingham home inspection: Bellingham WA home Inspection (King of the House): Venting Your Home
- 07/26/07 09:41 AM
This is a topic that impacts all of us including realtors, home inspectors and home buyers. In new construction it seems to almost always be done correctly, at least in my area. But in older homes and mobile homes, plumbing vent stacks can be really messed up or missing completely. Venting the drain and sewer system seems like a straight forward enough concept. The vent pipes go up and outside, through the roof usually. If they terminate under eaves, are cut off in the attic, terminate in front of a window that opens, that is yet another installation problem. My topic … (7 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Bellingham Property Inspections (King of the House): Condo, Manufactured Home, Apartment Electrical
- 07/22/07 09:59 AM
Here is something that not everyone knows. As a realtor, ever look in a condo and find the "main" electric shut-off inside the panel in the house. Or maybe you saw that at a mobile home. Fact is, at least in my area, most of the time that panel is not the main. It is a distribution or sub-panel, which might have a shut-off but it is not really the main! The real main is usually hiding outside, at a post or another similar venue at a mobile or on the exterior wall or in a special equipment room at a condo. Tip: Look … (0 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Creepy photo -- The crawl space that made Indiana Jones whimper
- 07/14/07 04:38 AM
Remember in the first Indiana Jones movie, probably 30 years ago now, where he said something about "I hate snakes." People at AR, when crawl spaces come up, often talk about snakes. This is the best I can do. I borrowed the photo from a friend. We use it in class and I think it is a boa constrictor. The photo is a bit gross (beware of that) and more startling than anything I have ever found, or crawled over, in a crawl space. In the home inspection training class at Bellingham Technical College, a small section of our power point is on … (10 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Pacific Northwest Home Inspection (King of the House): Gas Services
- 07/12/07 03:43 PM
This is one of those problems -- not so glaring -- that could be missed by someone buying a house. In fact, this was missed by the municipal code inspector. The problem, if you think about it, is pretty simple. Someone pulling into this driveway has a strong potential of wiping out, creaming, having strong mechanical and physical contact with the gas service. It is kind of funny, but the house with this service was one I inspected for a Washington State trooper and that was one of the first things he said to me: "Isn't this supposed to be protected, I might hit … (0 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Employee killin' me: All he wants to do is blog, talk on the cell and nap
- 07/11/07 09:28 AM
First, I want to state that King of the House, Inc is a smaller firm. There are basically two employees, me and I own it, and the hired hand who is of Italian descent, Mr. Topolino Stromboli. I have spent lots of money on training this employee. He is supposed to do office work and some inspection duties. He is fully trained as a "certified attic technician" acronym C.A.T. On top of that, he is certified as a rodent intervention specialist. And he is about two weeks away from being certified in quick books. The point is, I have spared no … (35 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Summer in the City: Frozen pipes
- 07/10/07 12:11 PM
Well, the pipes are not frozen now, after all it is summer in the city and it is as hot as a fourth of July firecracker. However, especially on some newer houses, I am just now finding outside faucets (even the frost free variety) that ruptured due to freezing this past hard winter. A frost free hose bibb looks about the same but internally has a long valve that actually shuts the water off inside the structure (warmer location) and the excess water drains outside. So the hose bibb, exposed portion, retains no water. EXCEPT, that does not happen if a … (2 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Bellingham Wa home inspections (King of the House):Choosing a home inspector
- 07/05/07 08:01 AM
This blog was written for Bellingham, Wa. and Whatcom County, but it applies about anywhere. People, including realtors, often ask what a consumer should look for in a home inspector. Those of us who work in the inspection field as professionals, and also teach home inspection for Bellingham Technical College, are often put in the position to view other inspector's reports -- sometimes as interpretors or advisors if there are disputes. I have gone in crawl spaces after another inspector's inspection, more than a few times, as part of this process. Put simply: We see lots of reports and the variation between them is amazing. Some are excellent … (4 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Up on the rooftop
- 06/29/07 10:50 AM
We home inspectors spend lots of time up on rooftops. What we are usually looking at is the installation of, and the condition of, the roofing materials. That includes the flashings, appurtenances, the chimneys, B-vents and other things that we can see up on the roof. One of the things we look for is sewer venting. Proper venting is crucial if the drains are going to work properly. You have, in real life, probably experienced the scientific principle this is based on. I remember, as a kid, trying to pour Hawaiian punch into a cup from a big can, with only … (0 comments)
bellingham home inspection: Birch Bay Home Inspection (King of the House): Great Views At Birch Bay WA
- 05/21/07 11:50 AM
Some of the best views in Washington real estate are found at Birch Bay. Birch Bay addresses are part of the small city of Blaine, and it is north of Bellingham near the border. I remember back 35 years ago and recall that Canadians have always had a strong presence at Birch Bay. The young people would come down to party at Birch Bay State Park and the adults would establish second homes for summers and weekends. People were smart enough, even back then when I was a kid, to know the beach was a good place to be. Today there … (0 comments)
Steven L. Smith, King of the House Home Inspection, provides information for real estate buyers, sellers and real estate industry professionals.
Blog posts emphasize issues commonly found in Bellingham, WA and Whatcom County. Smith is Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #207, a state licensed structural pest inspector, ASHI certified inspector #252760 and one of the most experienced inspectors in the northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest.
Steven L. Smith is lead instructor of home inspection at Bellingham Technical College and teaches classes for Washington State University and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Steve was a two-term member of the state licensing board.
This is a topic that impacts all of us including realtors, home inspectors and home buyers. In new construction it seems to almost always be done correctly, at least in my area. But in older homes and mobile homes, plumbing vent stacks can be really messed up or missing completely. Venting the drain and sewer system seems like a straight forward enough concept. The vent pipes go up and outside, through the roof usually. If they terminate under eaves, are cut off in the attic, terminate in front of a window that opens, that is yet another installation problem. My topic … (7 comments)
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