Tagged : home inspection

Old Chimneys- Wenatchee Home Inspection Are you using your Chimney? Did you use to have an old oil furnace or other fuel burning appliance or have you removed a fireplace or woodstove? If the answer is yes then the chimney should be sealed off to reduce heat loss and prevent moisture, birds and debris from taking root in the chimney. It is very important to seal both the interior and exterior sections of the flue. If the chimney is in rough shape you may want to remove the chimney below the r... Read Full Post

Duct Tape is not an approved plumbing repair!- Wenatchee Home Inspections It’s a marvel of the modern times, or is it? I do not want you to be confused. Duct tape (Duck Tape) has been around longer than most people think. It dates back to WWII when the US military needed a waterproof tape. The story goes that is could shed water like a ducks back, hence the name “Duck Tape”.I have heard other versions of this story like the backing was called “duck cloth”. Who really knows but it ha... Read Full Post

I recently was the buyers agent for a couple looking for a good deal on a Tampa FL home they could remodel. We cam across a home in Carrollwood FL which is just outside Tampa. It was a 3BR/2.5BA/2CA with a screened in pool, on a cul-de-sac in a nice section of a golf community. This listing said "cats had lived there", come to find out it was 21 cats. The hardwood floors were beautiful but stunk like urine. The buyers assumed the entire floors would have to be replaced and knew that going in.... Read Full Post

Moss on Roof- A Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home Inspector They say a “rolling stone never gathers no moss” in old English “The rollyng stone neuer gatherth mosse”. But one thing we know is in the northwest roofs will gather moss and much of it if not kept in check. Moss is a mass of tiny plants called bryophytes. There are many ways to approach this problem. One way is the use of zinc or copper strips, they will help. You want to install the strip under a row of shingles close to the r... Read Full Post

Junction Boxes- Exceeding Fill Capacity- Doing the Math As a Wenatchee home inspector one item found frequently is junction boxes that have exceeded their fill capacity. Doing some calculations would ensure that the box capacity is not exceeded. Doing the math is all we need to do. But this is often overlooked.All junction boxes have capacity associated with them in cubic inches. Most non-metallic boxes on the home stores will have a Cubic Inch per junction box printed in them.(For metal junc... Read Full Post

Have you ever needed to hire a home inspector? What do you look for when shopping around for the right company? One of the biggest problems when looking for a home inspector is that people automatically go by price without digging any deeper into what they are actually paying for. Not all home inspection companies are created equal and most of those $100 dollar home inspections can end up in a lawsuit. When ordering a home Inspection take your time and don't be afraid to ask questions. The In... Read Full Post

Chelan and Wenatchee Home Inspection- I am a plumber or not. In the land of home inspections we are privileged to see many things. One of those things is DIY plumbing. "Plumbing" is the art of installing in homes the pipes, fixtures and other apparatus for bringing in the water supply and removing liquid and water-carried wastes. (plumbing art forms) "The Plumbing System” includes the water supply distributing pipes, the fixtures and fixture traps, the soil, waste and vent pipes, the house ... Read Full Post

Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspections- Attack of the giant hogweed Is gardening you passion, you want a botanical paradise at your home? I love plants and I love seeing someone that has a beautiful garden. But what I do not want to see is that paradise too close to the home. This turns you garden paradise into a wood destroying insect and organisms’ paradise and defined by the State of Washington is a condition conducive for such. Vegetation in contact with building materials do not al... Read Full Post

Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspections- Up on the Rooftops As a home inspection service in Leavenworth and Wenatchee Washington when performing the roof inspection I run into many practices that are less than ideal or just wrong. Attention to the detail in regards to the flashings and valleys installation can be critical because these areas are the most likely to leak. Some practices may void any warranties from the roofing manufacturer and may end up in you having to have the roof repair... Read Full Post

Wenatchee and Leavenworth Home Inspections- I can’t hear you Do you live in a home that seems to have very bad cell reception? Well there is a cure waiting for you. It is a called a Femtocell (or network extender). This device is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. It connects your service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL, Fiberoptic or cable). Current designs typically support 2 to 6 active mobile phones in a residential set... Read Full Post