bellingham wa home inspection: Plumbing Trap Air Gap (Bellingham Home Inspection) King of the House
- 02/15/14 09:15 AM
I remember riding the subway in London many years ago. Over and over on the PA system you would hear the words -- "mind the gap." This warning referenced safety when getting on or off the train. There is another kind of gap that enhances safety. At a potable water system, you do not want the sewer system, or gray water for that matter, contaminating the fresh water supply. It is necessary to avoid cross-connections. The cross connection that I see most frequently in my area involves water heater temperature-pressure relief valve drain lines that are routed down below the flood … (7 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) Bugs by the Number
- 10/22/11 06:09 PM
We have many problems with rot and wood destroying insects in this region. A few months back, I was inspecting an older house that had a number of issues with wood destroying organisms. Since many of the insect pests are attracted to wet and decayed wood, it is common to find wood destroying insects living in rotten and wet wood. At this particular crawl space, the first thing that I noticed, when opening the hatch, was frass or shavings from carpenter ants.
Honestly, that was no big surprise, since I had previously seen the little devils crawling around at … (20 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Conducive Conditions (King of the House) Bellingham Home Inspections
- 05/12/11 04:30 PM
In part, because the Washington State Department of Agriculture regulates structural pest inspections, a term that inspectors in this state know "intimately" is Conducive Conditions. That is a term that has been used for years by the WSDA. That is not a term that makes sense, just off the top of the head, for home inspection clients. However, conducive conditions are conditions that make a property more susceptible to rot or infestation by wood destroying insects. Some typical conducive conditions include: wood to earth contact, plumbing leaks, roof leaks, perimeter soil sloped toward the house, gutter problems. And the list goes on … (6 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Whatcom County Home Inspector (King of the House) Wood Decay
- 10/11/10 06:41 AM
Wood that is continually exposed to high moisture levels will decay. The term used mainly in this state is wood decay fungi. What is meant is plain old rot. Wood, when it is at 20% or higher moisture levels is prone to rotting. If I see a damp environment in a crawl space, I often will put in the moisture meter and see what kind of moisture readings I get.
The moisture readings here, under a modular commercial building in Bellingham, were over 30%. Overtime there is probably going to be a final consequence -- the wood will rot away. … (3 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Video Blogging: Temperature Pressure Relief Valves
- 09/17/10 02:32 AM
Keeping with my recent theme of producing short videos that better describe a problem to a client than can easily be done with words alone, I have produced a short video on water heater temperature pressure relief valve and drain line installation. Just yesterday I did a re-inspect at a new house here in Whatcom County. The first time around the builder had made a drain line out of PVC tubing. I cited that as wrong so he has now "fixed" it by using CPVC tubing that is routed up hill. It went from bad to worse. So far the videos … (10 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Chimney Issue
- 06/24/10 12:56 PM
This is something that I probably would not have seen had I not been perched on the roof at this house. The top was wide open on a metal wood stove chimney. This was high on the house and, without being up there and looking down, only a minimal view was possible. I probably would have figured out that something was amiss from down below, because the metal chimney was rusted. However, this was a situation where I was glad that the slope was such that I could safely access the roof.
Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
… (7 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: My Brick's Spalling
- 06/22/10 03:45 PM
A term used by home inspectors and masons is "spalling". It refers to a masonry surface that it coming apart, pieces breaking off. This is related to weather exposure and below is a very clear photo of a chimney that is being seriously afflicted by spalling.
In fact, those pieces are large enough that they could actually be a falling hazard -- down onto some unsuspecting person's head. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
… (10 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Good Weather For The Dog(wood)
- 06/18/10 11:11 AM
Today is a nice day but much of this year in the Pacific Northwest has been one wet and rainy day after another. A local joke, a week ago, was to say: "nice October day." My wife is finding that the vegetables and berries are not much appreciating this weather. However, many of the ornamentals are. For about five years now we have had a backyard dogwood tree. The white flowers are my favorite. And this year it is absolutely covered with flowers.
Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
… (2 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Mold Is All About Moisture -- Bellingham Home Inspections
- 06/05/10 04:36 PM
In the state of Washington, the state department of agriculture has defined mold and microbial growths as "wood inhabiting organisms." That is different from rot which is a wood destroying organism. Mold is a sign of excess moisture, a lack of ventilation or a combination of both. Below is a wall in a poorly heated home. This damp closet stayed damp and mold was the result.
A more startling view of mold can be had below. This is the underside of a manufactured home that was victim to a longterm, and ignored, roof leak. This is among one of the more … (5 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Connecting the dots
- 05/30/10 02:39 AM
It is always nice to be able to figure out why a problem exists. At a recent inspection I had noted some minor gutter and downspout maintenance issues prior to the deluge of heavy rain. But, when I was down in the crawl space, the otherwise dry area was really wet in one corner. This always requires further review from the outside.
Sure enough, when I got the fine tooth comb out, on the outside, the foundation drain was not functioning and water was running over the top of the drain and out around the downspout. You can see the … (7 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: King of the House Home Inspection -- Bellingham Home Inspection Video
- 05/29/10 08:28 AM
King of the House Home Inspection is operated by Steven L. Smith and the firm is based in Bellingham, WA. King of the House, Inc. serves Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties. Steven L. Smith is state licensed home inspector #207 and a state licensed structural pest inspector. You can view the King of the House Home Inspection video by clicking on the link below.
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bellingham wa home inspection: When Code Inspectors Are Nuts
- 05/29/10 08:04 AM
The photo was recently taken at a building owned by the city and leased to a leading local restaurant. Obviously, the establishment complies with the various city safety codes. The business in this location attracts adults and their children. Codes are designed to protect children and adults. Remember that when you look at the guardrail on the upper floor at this busy public spot. It is at least ten feet off the floor below.
The basic rule, with code, is that spindles in a high guardrail or a handrail must be spaced so a four inch sphere cannot pass through. Despite a popular misconception, codes DO … (14 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Dastardly Teredos Held At Bay
- 05/15/10 02:29 AM
Yesterday, over at Bellingham Technical College, I taught my regular course in wood destroying organisms. The class was, more so than usual, interested in the teredo. The teredo is a wood boring clam that historically goes back almost to forever and was much feared by navigators of the great oceans. They called it shipworm and Columbus, for one, lost several ships to shipworm when the mollusk broke through at the most inconvenient time. Glug, Glug, Glug! In the class, I was reading an article out of New York, where they were talking about what a huge problem the pest can be … (11 comments)
The voids or bubbles in the concrete above are examples of honeycombing. This dates back to when the foundation was poured -- insufficient compaction of the concrete. Basically, there is too little cement in the mix and too much aggregate that is not melded together with the cement. For the most part, honeycombing is a manageable problem that might even be a non-issue depending on circumstances. The biggest potential problem … (5 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Dishwasher Air-gap Device
- 05/08/10 03:15 PM
At a dishwasher the air-gap device is traditionally put in the system to assure a sanitary environment for our cups, saucers, plates and silverware and to protect against a cross-connection that could contaminate potable water. Properly designed and installed, an air-gap allows water to flow only in the desired direction. The photo below is a very basic diagram of an air-gap installation at a dishwasher and a kitchen sink.
For a close-up of the inside of the air-gap device itself, look at the diagram below. As you can see, this is not simply a continuous hose used as a drain. There is a gap in … (8 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Raccoons Came Calling
- 11/10/09 01:46 AM
The house below had signs of raccoons walking on the roof and partying under the soffit. It is really no big surprise if you have ever watched a raccoon climb a tree. Raccoons are large animals and the damage they can do to a home -- siding and soffit -- if they decide they want to make a nest or den, or whatever it is called, is extensive.
There are many reasons to keep trees cut back from a house: Leaves in gutters and on the roof, moss and fungal issues, damage to roofing and siding and trim, easy access … (11 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Sloping Lots
- 11/08/09 02:17 PM
Here in the Pacific Northwest, especially in wooded areas, it is common to find that the perimeter soil -- call it a hillside -- is sloped toward the home. When that is the case, if there is a basement or a crawl space, the home inspector will look for signs of past or present water intrusion. However, if the home is on a slab, there is not much to see. As building lots become more scarce, and people are building on lots that they would not have built on fifty years ago, the home inspector sees more and more of this … (3 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Crawl Space Structure
- 05/16/09 03:03 AM
This information, I assume, is somewhat universal. I know it to be the case where I inspect in Bellingham and Whatcom County. It is seldom the case in a newer house, because of modern construction and code requirements, but in older houses you find odd attempts at structural repairs. In this article we will look at a few post and pier problems in an older home. As a home ages, the chances of various problems increases -- settling, rot, wood destroying insect damage. So, when we get underneath a 100 year old home, the photos below would be typical. People have tried to solve immediate … (12 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: The Value Of Trained Professional Staff
- 05/13/09 09:01 AM
Two of my lesser known, but essential, home inspector assistants are Mr Tigretto Tartufo and Mr. Fratello Tartufo. These two gentlemen, of Italian linage, are excellent office assistants. Both of them have an interest in, eventually, graduating up to becoming certified rodent intervention specialists. But, since I believe that training is a gradual process, for the time being, this pair is learning the ropes in the office environment. Tigretto Tartufo (kind of translates to Little Tiger Mushroom or fungus) is a computer and marketing guru. His expertise at the computer is a joy to behold. And, when he is awake, his periodic batting, swatting and laying … (10 comments)
bellingham wa home inspection: Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- In-Service, Out-of-Service
- 04/22/09 02:43 AM
Outdoor receptacles (outlets) that do not have "in-use" or "in-service" waterproof hooded covers are not meant to accommodate plugs and cords on a permanent basis. If a person thinks about it, the reason is obvious. Water, from rain or watering a garden, can get into the receptacle and water and electricity do not mix well. The photo below would be an example of the problem inspectors often see. So what are those cords? It is hard to tell but they usually go to some yard feature -- a pond, a fountain, a timer, maybe low-voltage yard lights.
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.
I remember riding the subway in London many years ago. Over and over on the PA system you would hear the words -- "mind the gap." This warning referenced safety when getting on or off the train.
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