About Grant County, WA

I crawl because I can- Quincy Home Inspection

On this particular home inspection I was not performing a structural pest inspection because one had already been performed.

When I perform a home inspection my standard is to always perform a structural pest inspection but in this case one had been done recently, or was it?

I always do the crawlspace last because, well it is the nastiest area of the home generally and I do not want to re-enter the home after my little foray with the spiders and muck. (I usually do not smell too good either!)

So during my inspection of the crawlspace I come to this interesting little area.

Now if this home had a previous pest inspection why is this in the condition I found it? Nothing has been disturbed in this area and by our standards we are to crawl all areas of the home unless we are obstructed or there is a perceived danger by the home inspector (maybe it was the creature from the black lagoon lurking ; ).

If any conditions that limit the inspection have been encounter they must be noted on the report.

Here is what else I found after de-webbing the area.

When hiring a home inspector it would be wise to ask how they will perform the crawlspace inspection. This is a very major area that needs a very thorough inspection.

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

Steve Jobs

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

www.ncwhomeinspections.com

Under the Stairs- I’m trapped or not! - A Cle Elum and Quincy Home Inspection Service

One of my recent articles was about an issue under the stairs. So here is another from the deep recesses of the stair well collection.

On another recent inspection I could see the basement bathtub back in the corner under the lower stair landing. So again I am crawling back to there to do my usual evaluation under stairs and now I get to perform a plumbing inspection of the basement tub drain also.

Plumbing fixtures in basements can be more difficult because if they have not been properly planned for they usually will involve some cement cutting to put in proper drains, vents and traps.

Once in the back corner I find that someone had done some repair work and in doing so they removed the P-trap from the drain.

The basic function of a p-trap is to create a water plug to keep sewer gases from re-entering the home. In addition the trap needs to be designed so waste water is properly drained and fresh water is able to take its place. They also are engineered (we hope) to create a scouring action to help prevent clogging.

So now we do not have that essential plug to keep the sewer gasses out of the home which can create an unhealthy environment.

P-traps are used for tubs, washing machines, sinks and most other common household plumbing fixtures.

“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance."

Benjamin Franklin

“Inspecting the World-One Home at a time”

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service

Properly Disconnected- Wenatchee and Quincy Home Inspection

When performing home inspections it seems that certain things will come in streaks. One such item recently has been electrical disconnects for air conditioning equipment. More specifically, electrical disconnects for The AC/Heat pump unit on the exterior of the home.

This disconnect must be located within sight from the Air Conditioner and readily accessible from the equipment it supplies. This is for servicing of the equipment and in case of emergency.

NCW Home Inspections is providing superior Home Inspection, Structural Pest Inspections and Foundation Certification in all of North Central Washington.

“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance."

Benjamin Franklin

“Inspecting the World-One Home at a time”

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

Have you ever wondered when you look at a home that usesT1-11 siding what is behind the siding?

In some construction techniques the use of T1-11 can act as a wall cladding and sheathing all in one. These panels need to be rated for structural use.

Not all panels are created the same. In this type of construction the panel should have an APA® rating for structural use.

The advantage for the builder is that you get your code structural strength and siding at the same time rather than using OSB or Plywood CDX for structural and then siding over it for protection.

The disadvantage is T1-11 tends to split and crack from exposure much more than many siding products.

The other advantage is that it installed as part of the framing process, it is inexpensive, solid, can be stained or painted.

The disadvantage is structural T1-11 has limited styles it is fairly high maintenance and many feel that it has a "cheap look".

The other advantage if you want to add another wall cladding at a later time you now have your sheathing in place, I guess this is an advantage.

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur..."

Red Adair

“Inspecting the World-One Home at a time”

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572

Sheesh…. Where’s the sheathing? Wenatchee and Quincy Home Inspection

Another saga of the wandering crawlspace crawler.

When performing home inspections one of the most important places to evaluate is plumbing drops. Many times these have issues …. past and/or present.

Plumbing drops can two major issues.

One- Many times plumbers when installing their plumbing drops for items such as toilets and tubs will cut through a framing member to get there needed clearance to run their waste and drain lines.

Two- Very often these lines will end up leaking leading to other structural issues.

Here we have an example of that double whammy.

This is a 2 x 10 floor joist. The plumber originally had cut a good 3 inches of this member to get a plumbing drop in.

Then after a few years this drop started to leak and compromised the wood even further by rot fungi. So now in effect we have a 2 x 4 supporting the weight of the bathtub and the bather in it.

Needless to say we will need a contractor to come and evaluate further to make a correction.

Cle Elum and Quincy Home Inspection.... How Thick is it?

“Inspecting the World-One Home at a time”

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572