ferndale: Never Answer The Same Question Twice -- Woodboring Beetles
- 12/26/10 03:49 PM
This is another post in response to Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog and challenge -- "Never Answer the Same Question Twice". The goal is to sanitize, and share, Emails that were sent to us by clients with a goal of selecting and publishing those Emails, and the replies, that provide valuable information for the public. Over the years, due to all of the online writing I have done on the topic, I have received many questions from around the country on the subject of anobiid beetles. The initial Email question to me is at the top. My Email reply follows. Mr Smith, I live in New
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ferndale: Never Answer The Same Question Twice -- Sharing A Moldy Old Email
- 12/24/10 10:31 AM
If you read Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog, you know that he has a task for us. He has asked us to, after sanitizing them, post some of our past Emails that will answer important questions and make valuable information available to the public. Mold has been a hot topic here in the rain lately, so I thought that this would be a good Email exchange to share. The initial Email question to me is at the top. My Email reply follows. Hi Steve, I have clients who have mold in the kitchen ceiling as a result of a roof leak in
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ferndale: Move-in Ready House -- Not!
- 12/22/10 03:59 AM
I cannot recall how many times, I have had an individual tell me that a new home has passed all of the municipal code inspections and it is "move-in ready". In fact, I have had agents discourage their clients from paying for home inspections at new homes for that reason.Granted, a code inspection is better than having had no inspection at all but such inspections are minimal and often there are oversights or they lack good old common sense.Let me give you a couple examples: Does the deck below look safe to you? I think the municipal inspector forgot about requiring guard
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ferndale: Squirrel-Listed: As Good As It Gets
- 12/21/10 02:56 AM
I saw something the other day at an inspection that I thought was funny. The first thing that I noted at the side of the tiny wood stove was the logo (squirrel sitting with the acorn). When I got down behind the unit, to try to figure out who manufactured it, I was pleased to see the manufacturer's tag. If you look at the top, right beside where it says model 1410 and 1440, you will see that this unit is "squirrel listed." Charles Buell had told me, and my certifried assistant, that he would never buy this story of
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ferndale: So You Want Larry Trujillo, Bellingham (Whatcom County, WA) -- Then Don't Call Me!
- 12/12/10 02:04 AM
If you want Larry Trujillo, for whatever reason, then DO NOT call 360-676-6908 or 360-319-0038 (cell). If you do, then you will greatly annoy Steven Smith of King of the House Home Inspection. Back six years ago, when I got my main King of the House landline and cell phone -- 360-676-6908 and 360-319-0038, I kept getting calls for someone named Larry Trujillo who reportedly lives in Whatcom County or Bellingham, WA. This might have been as many as four calls a day, which was more than the number of business calls I got in those early days. The callers seldom
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ferndale: Two Thumbs Up: Lummi Store Cafe -- Lummi Island, WA
- 09/19/10 02:04 PM
This morning I had to do a quick roof re-inspection on Lummi Island. This is an island that is only about a ten minute ferry ride from the mainland. Of course, from my house, driving to the ferry landing takes about a half hour. I was trying to talk my wife into riding along and she was hesitant. I suggested that we ride over and then stop for breakfast at the Beach Store Cafe. I had heard good things about it so we had a deal. You can see, from the sign below, that it is an attractive and atmospheric older
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ferndale: Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Subtle Oops
- 09/05/10 04:47 PM
In the course of a home inspection the inspector looks at hundreds to thousands of items. And, let's face it, it can be hard to remember to look at and process and report all of the information. A checklist helps but it goes way beyond that and there are so many distractions during an inspection that dedication, experience and being unflappable tend to lead to the most thorough home inspections. Regardless, every home inspector misses a few things when doing the job -- that is life. You try not to miss the significant stuff! I attempt to determine, during the course
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ferndale: Window Window On The Wall
- 07/30/10 04:31 PM
One component at new houses that is sometimes "iffy" is the mechanical operation of new vinyl windows. On many occasions, I have found that the windows do not track properly. They stick or do not latch or, somewhere along the way, they bind. This is usually not a big deal with new windows, appropriate adjustments can be made, but it sure is a good thing to discover this problem in advance so the builder can deal with the "fiddling factor" instead of clients who usually know nothing about windows and window installation. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
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ferndale: Wood Destroying Organisms in Bellingham and Whatcom County, WA
- 07/24/10 06:19 PM
Over the years, people have asked Steven L. Smith, King of the House Inc., for information on the various species of wood destroying organisms that might be found in Bellingham and Whatcom County. Steven L. Smith is well-versed on this topic as state licensed home inspector #207 and as a state licensed structural pest inspector. This narrated slideshow, produced by King of the House Home Inspection, provides localized information on the topic of wood destroying organisms that are commonly seen in the Pacific Northwest.
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ferndale: General Contractor Bellingham, WA -- Mark Palmer
- 07/13/10 04:12 PM
In my job, as a home inspector, I run into any number of electricians, general contractors, plumbers, etc. Some of these professionals I refer to others. Being an inspector, I end up getting feedback if someone is not happy with a recommendation that I make. I recommend those people who please my clients. The contractor that I refer most of the time anymore, except for crawl space and under house work, is Mark Palmer. Mark is state licensed, experienced and a conscientious contractor. I practice what I preach and here he is working on a deck at a property that
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ferndale: Rescued Once Again
- 06/01/10 10:24 AM
Recently I was in a crawl space, part of my job. Fortunately for me, that crawl space was first "cleared" by my certifried home inspector assistant Nutsy S. Wallenda. When I say it was cleared that, of course ties in with Nutsy's strong police and military background. He let me know, going in, that he had been forced to neutralize one perpetrator who he felt I would not want to deal with. As is usually the case, Nutsy was right on target. I was very pleased, distasteful as he still was, that the perp was now still and would not be
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ferndale: 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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ferndale: 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
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ferndale: Bellingham Carpet Cleaning -- European Quality Carpet Cleaning
- 05/11/10 06:53 AM
In my role as a professional home inspector in Bellingham and Whatcom county, clients often ask for recommendations as to who they might hire to provide professional services or repairs. In some cases I will gladly give out recommendations, other times not. If clients require carpet or upholstery cleaning I am always happy to give out Steve Lindsey's name. I have confidence in the consistency of his work. Steve is the operator of European Quality Carpet Cleaning. I have a number of rental units and, in between tenants and special problems -- pet stains or other stains -- I count on Steve
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ferndale: Angle of Repose, Footing and Foundation Work
- 04/10/10 12:52 PM
Recently, I have been involved in a discussion between contractors and professional engineers regarding excavation work in the crawl space at an older home. The issue came up when the contractor, who is in charge of establishing proper clearances between structural lumber and the dirt floor of the crawl space, stated that he was concerned to dig anywhere near the foundation wall for fear of creating structural instability or undermining the foundation. That is, of course, a valid worry. During the discussion, the term "angle of repose" came up. I will explain how that term comes into play in a moment. But first,
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ferndale: And The Problem Is
- 03/18/10 02:21 AM
From this shot, taken inside the garage, the top of the water heater looks normal. Nothing for the inspector to scratch his or her head about. No problem. But when the inspector enters the attic above, that scenario of no problems changes. The B-vent, which reaches temperatures of 300 degrees F or more, is nestled snuggly in the insulation. Problem! Where a B-vent passes through an attic there should be one inch of clearance from the vent to any combustibles and that includes the insulation. This is easily done with a metal collar, an insulation shield that goes around the
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ferndale: Fundamentals of Home Inspection Course
- 02/27/10 12:41 AM
I looked at the calendar today and, surprised, realized that the week after next is the beginning of the next fundamentals of home inspection training class at Bellingham Technical College. Monday, March 8, is the day. The beginning of the class, without fail, means I have to watch my schedule. Although there are several of us who teach the class, classroom duties on certain days, shall we say, make scheduling inspections for clients a challenge. This is a four week course and the first three weeks are comprised of 120 hours of fundamentals training and instruction while the
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ferndale: Christmas In February
- 02/09/10 02:00 AM
When we were in Mexico, a couple weeks ago, colors were vibrant and everywhere. That included the brightly colored buildings and also the plants. When I got home to Bellingham, it was quite balmy here. Yet, on the other hand, it did not compete with Mexico as far as being warm. One thing that I did notice, once we got home, was that one of our rhododendrons was in full bloom. This is one that we bought years ago and it is the earliest bloomer of the rhododendrons that we have. It is appropriately named "Christmas" because it blooms so early. I do
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ferndale: State Approved Home Inspection Training At Bellingham Technical College, part VII
- 08/26/09 02:26 AM
This is another post in a series on home inspection training as is provided by Bellingham Technical College. Bellingham Technical College is now one of the leading technical colleges in the state. Therefore, many students who are in class for various programs -- nursing to commercial truck driving to home inspection -- come to the school from out of town. We see students from the Seattle area and from eastern Washington. Bellingham, not being the small city that it used to be when I was growing up, is harder to get around in than it used to be. Therefore, below,
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ferndale: Home Inspection Training at Bellingham Technical College -- The College, Part III
- 08/17/09 02:53 AM
This article is part of my series on the Washington State approved fundamentals of home inspector education that is offered by Bellingham Technical College. This time, we will look at the college and it's history. Bellingham Technical College, pictured above, is one of the most respected of all of the technical colleges in the state. Initial planning for a vocational college in Bellingham goes clear back to the year 1952. The 21-acre campus, which is still the home of the college today, was established here in 1957. BTC offers a diverse curriculum: Construction and Engineering Technology Culinary Arts Fisheries and Aquaculture Health
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