bellingham technical college: Washington State Approved Home Inspector Education
- 06/30/09 01:27 PM
Things are changing in the home inspection industry in Washington State. Come September 1 of this year, home inspectors will be state licensed. For a large percentage of home inspectors, who are presently working in the field, to qualify to sit for the test they must complete 120 hours of state approved education and 40 hours of field training. Without meeting those requirements, they cannot be licensed.
There are presently three education providers, and only three, approved by the state. Two of these are franchises, for in-house training, and the third is Bellingham Technical College.
The last Bellingham Technical College … (5 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Washington State Approved Home Inspector Education
- 06/22/09 05:42 PM
There are three approved courses, in the state of Washington, that meet the state's requirements for home inspector education. Bellingham Technical College, at this point in time, has the only course that is offered through the state college system.
BTC has a four-week "fundamentals" and field training course beginning on July 6, 2009. Students, who take this course, if they work with haste, should be able to meet the state licensing laws that go into effect on September 1, 2009.
BTC training includes not only the 120 hours of education but, also, students receive 40 hours of approved field training … (3 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Painful Transitions -- Caught in Catch 22
- 01/11/09 02:29 AM
Some of the consequences of the new Washington State Home Inspector Licensing Laws have ruffled a few feathers. Of course, that is to be expected and before it is all done I am sure that more feathers will be ruffled. Change, and rules, always lead to some disgruntled people. So far, one consequence that I did not see coming, involves home inspector training. As a member of the licensing board and the home inspection program coordinator at Bellingham Technical College, this one has me caught in the door as someone keeps opening and closing it on my head.
The problem is caused … (10 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Home Inspection Training -- Bellingham
- 03/31/08 03:46 PM
A week or so back, I announced that home inspection training would begin at Bellingham Technical College on March 31. This is an adjustment to that schedule. Instead, the program will be conducted in Bellingham beginning two weeks later starting on April 14, 2008. This was done as a matter of convenience, and with students agreeing to the change, to allow some other individuals from other parts of the northwest to attend the classes and make necessary accommodations.
Even as the rules of the new state home inspector licensing are yet to be fully formulated, one thing is certain -- the … (6 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Washington State Home Inspector Training
- 03/23/08 06:27 AM
Things will be changing in Washington State, now that a home inspector licensing law has been passed and signed by the Governor. The way it will all come out, ultimately, is going to be determined to a large degree by the home inspector licensing board. At this point, while generally established, the specifics on the education and testing are not formalized. However, one thing is certain. That is that the more training and experience one has, he or she is in a stronger position to meet all of the requirements when the law gets in full swing about a year … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Home Inspector Training Bellingham, WA
- 03/05/08 03:32 AM
For those of you in Washington State, who are not aware of it, both the state senate and the house are close to agreeing on new licensing requirements for home inspectors. It looks like passage is a foregone conclusion at this time after years of bickering.
The new rules would require people entering the field to receive adequate training and a test would be required prior to issuing a license. Today, serious home inspectors are licensed as structural pest inspectors. The training regemin specifies 120 classroom hours and 40 hours of field work, as in working with an inspector. It so happens that this … (0 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Last Call: College Level Bellingham Home Inspector Training
- 10/24/07 01:49 AM
Any inspectors or realtors in Washington state might pass this information on to anyone interested in the field of home inspection. The next four week professional level home inspector training course begins at Bellingham Technical College next Monday, 10/29. Minimum enrollment has been met, so the class will go. This time, which is pretty neat, we have a commitment from Dr. Dan Suomi of the WSDA to attend the session on wood destroying organisms. He is, among other things, the man who investigates complaints against inspectors and compliance to state law. Being an entomologist, he also knows the wood destroying organisms. We … (0 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Virtual Home Inspection Training -- To Be Or Not To Be
- 09/08/07 07:07 AM
In this high-tech age, everybody wants to learn to do anything and everything Online or by video. If it cannot be taught on the web, or on DVD, then it is too time consuming. I am coordinator of a state accredited, college level, home inspection training program in Washington State at Bellingham Technical College. We have had students from all walks of life -- individuals who sold feed, worked in the medical field and those who were from the trades such as plumbers, electricians, remodelers or builders. The experience levels vary. In the view of some prospective students, and in reality, this intense training seems prohibitive as far … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Regional Class Home Inspection Training: Bellingham Technical College
- 08/24/07 04:37 PM
Registration is now open for the home inspection training course that will be offered at Bellingham Technical College the end of October. This is a regional class, designed for Washington state, in that a number of students will be coming in from King county, Snohomish county and other areas of the state. This college level training prepares students to work in the field. Students will be able to pass the state WDO test and work as structural pest inspectors. They will, also, be prepared to take, and pass, any test that might be required to join any home inspection society or organization. This … (6 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Bellingham Washington Home Inspection (King of the House): Safety and Physical Requirements
- 07/12/07 05:19 PM
As the program coordinator of the home inspection training program at Bellingham Technical College, I get a call a week from an employment counselor or a rehabilitation worker, wanting to know if their client can handle the rigors of the job. I have also had people call up and say that they were injured in some other field, like fitting shoes, and they need to get into inspection to ease the physical burden. That one does not make too much sense to me. But, since I have to answer the question a lot, I thought I would post what I see … (4 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Home-brew plumbers
- 05/28/07 03:15 AM
Forget the leaks, stains and fungal growth beneath the leaks, forget the S-traps that should be P-traps (why that is a problem will be the topic of another blog). Forget the flex drain that will fit in that tight spot but has ridges like a vacuum cleaner house and is clogged all the time, forget the shoe goo and silicone broadly applied at all fittings. Forget the hot and cold water being reversed in sinks, tubs and showers. Now that we eliminate all of those common things found with home-style plumbing, what is the topic of this post? That topic is structural … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: New home shenanigans
- 05/23/07 08:36 AM
Active Rain realtors and inspectors often talk about the problems found at new homes. The topic always revolves around whether or not new construction should be inspected. Periodically, I plan to post some photos of things I have found at newer homes. The photo below was a home that was one year old and had not previously been inspected. It was being sold after a man lived in it for only one year. It is too bad it had not been inspected, prior to closing the first time. It would have saved lots of trouble, and gritty work, by putting the problem … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: College Level Home Inspector Training, Eastern Washington
- 05/22/07 03:04 AM
Bellingham Technical College, part of the state college system, has a home inspector training program that educates around the state. The next scheduled classes will be in two larger eastern Washington cities: Pasco, August 6-21; Spokane, Sept 9-Oct 5. This is a fast-track program of 160 hours of training in all aspects of home inspection including wood destroying organisms--which is essential in Washington state. It is my view that, in this wet state, if you have an inspection without a WDO inspection, you are pretty much missing the point of the inspection. Three members of active rain -- Charles Buell, David Helm, … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Santa Claus will cry about this one
- 05/21/07 02:10 PM
I saw this chimney this past weekend, and thought I just had to post it. If you look at the first photo, it does not look too unusual other than there is no rain cap. But, when you look down the flue, it has more creosote than any chimney I have ever seen before. The creosote was about an inch thick and caked from the top clear down to the inside of the stove. I got a pretty clear shot top to bottom and I am sure that everyone at AR, working in this industry, knows that this is a real fire … (10 comments)
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bellingham technical college: The truth about dry rot
- 05/21/07 01:46 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 be wood that is under a bathtub. People bathe, the tub leaks and a beam or joist below rots and a rot probe might go clear through the lumber. Even if the wood is dry, this IS NOT dry rot. I teach wood destroying organisms for the state college system, … (2 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Eldridge neighborhood, what a view!
- 05/16/07 06:04 AM
The Eldridge neighborhood, overlooking Bellingham Bay and the north side of town, is one of the most prestigious communities in Bellingham. Historically, it dates back to the 1860's and some of the founding fathers and families in Bellingham settled and built here: James Eldridge and Henry Roeder. Many of the residences are on the national historic register and a number of the homes have interior décor designed from imported hardwoods that were signs of status at the time the homes were built. Stained and leaded glass is original, and in wide use, in the neighborhood. The homes, on the bay side … (0 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Fairhaven, a scenic district in Bellingham
- 05/13/07 02:27 PM
Fairhaven was mainly called south Bellingham or the south side back when I was a kid. At that time it was thought to be a rundown and old part of town. But over the last few decades, it has risen like the phoenix and become one of the leading tourist attractions in Bellingham. It is a desirable place to have a business, or to wander, with quaint shops, excellent hotels, restaurants and small specialty retail stores. There are great bookstores, one of which is an anchor business for the whole city. The legendary character Dirty Dan Harris was associated with Fairhaven … (0 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Bellingham WA home inspections (King of the House): Carpenter ants
- 05/12/07 04:15 AM
The shavings, in the first photo below, are typical of what an inspector might see inside the home. And it is not caused by a lousy housekeeper. Although I suppose one could argue that a good housekeeper would keep a step ahead of the ants.
Carpenter ants are one of the few wood destroying organisms that tends to give itself away that it is working in the home. Note, I said "working" and not "dining." Carpenter ants are building their own home, inside your home. Because they DO NOT eat wood, they tend to toss out bits of shavings, known as … (1 comments)
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bellingham technical college: Bellingham, Washington for higher education!
- 05/09/07 03:37 PM
Bellingham, Washington has three prominent educational institutions of higher learning. I have attached website photos of the schools and included links to the home pages of the institutions. The comments are mine, as a Bellingham resident for more than 50 years.
Old Main, a fixture, at WWU
http://www.wwu.edu/
WWU: The oldest, and most dominant school in town is Western Washington University -- one of the largest universities in the state and, year after year, rated as one of the best small universities in the nation. Western is a liberal arts school that is known for producing top quality teachers. The … (0 comments)
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Things are changing in the home inspection industry in Washington State. Come September 1 of this year, home inspectors will be state licensed. For a large percentage of home inspectors, who are presently working in the field, to qualify to sit for the test they must complete 120 hours of state approved education and 40 hours of field training. Without meeting those requirements, they cannot be licensed.
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