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Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

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And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

10-19-08
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
A little over a week ago, I wrote a post about a runaway garbage truck that ran into a home in Bellingham. At the time, it was disclosed that the home was a total loss. Well, that was made official in the last couple days. The house was demolished, as in knocked down, and they are starting over again. Too bad but it was a new house, too.

You can read full details on that, and even see time-lapse photos of the house coming down, at the website for the local newspaper -- The Bellingham Herald. This was one strange accident, luckily nobody was hurt or killed. 

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

 

5 Comments
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Garbage Truck Packs a Big Wallop

10-11-08
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
Every once in awhile there is a news story that is really bizarre. I was driving to Seattle the other day and heard this story on the radio and, fact is, it took place back home in Bellingham. Apparently a garbage collector, for the local firm Sanitary Service Company, was outside of his truck, it was on a hill and the truck started rolling. It kept right on rolling. Along the way it, also, wiped out a carport and whizzed by the owner of the home who was, lucky for him, outside. This house was immediately condemned by the county. It was completely destroyed -- knocked or broken off of the foundation. Since it was only two years old, that truck had an amazing wallop with all of the various positive connections used in Pacific Northwest construction today to keep the structure in place during seismic events.

Click here to see a video interview with the homeowner and some scenes from the site. Nodoby was hurt and a dog got out alive.

Steven L. Smith

 

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

 

 

12 Comments
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Flat Roof Ponding

10-08-08
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
In the Pacific Northwet, an inspector sees more than his or her share of flat or low-sloped roofs. I have had clients, who are buying houses, ask me why anyone would put a flat roof on a house in our climate. In theory, they are cheaper to put on but, longterm, I suspect they cost more.

Even a flat roof is suppossed to drain. This is a torchdown roof and you will see a big puddle. That is called ponding. Fact is, that is a low place and, because of the lack of slope toward built in drains, the water stays on the roof. Water like that, on a roof, will almost always eventually lead to a leak below.

The photo below is a snapshot of the area directly below the pond that you see above.

Bottom line -- Flat roof or not, you want the water to drain off the roof in a reasonable period of time. Time to call a roofer.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

7 Comments
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Home Inspector Alert -- Misleading Marketing in Washington State

10-01-08
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
If you are thinking about entering the field of home inspection in Washington State, please read this announcement.

Under the new home inspector licensing law, which takes effect in the fall of next year, all prospective new inspectors will be required to complete 120 hours of state approved classroom residential home inspection education. They will, also, be required to complete 40 hours of field training and pass two tests (even those veteran inspectors grandfathered in will have to do that.)

It has come to the attention of the State of Washington Department of Licensing, and the home inspector licensing board, that there is at least one education provider that is, as part of their marketing, verbally telling prospective students that their class will fulfill all of the future state requirements for the 120 hours of training.  Stop right there!

As someone who is on the licensing board, and affiliated with a college level home inspection class, I can tell you that information is not correct. At this time, there are zero approved classes in the state. The formal curriculum, which will be determined by the licensing board, has not even been established. That is not likely to happen until a few more things fall into place, like adapting standards of practice.

At Bellingham Technical College, which I am affiliated with, I tell students that we are working on formulating curriculum and classes to meet the guidelines that we expect to see. But I will freely admit that, even as a state college, BTC cannot guarantee that our 120 hour course will meet state guidelines.

Now, it is possible that it will be determined that some classes will meet state guidelines retroactively. That is, DOL might decide that classes previously taken count towards mandated education requirements. But that is not guaranteed and, at the high cost of home inspection training, students might not want to gamble on that one.

The bottom line is this: If you are looking for home inspector education, in order to meet upcoming state regulations, you cannot find guaranteed credits anywhere at this time. We presently believe that online training will not count, but we do not have a definitive answer as to which classes will apply.

I suspect that this situation will change in the next month or so as the full board and sub-committees formulate policies, procedures and standards. But any education provider that is guaranteeing that a class meets the requirements of the upcoming law is either ill-informed or misleading you. The best advice is -- student beware!

The final word, sent out by Department of Licensing, is below.

STATE OF WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING
PO Box 9020, Olympia, Washington 98507-9020

 HOME INSPECTOR BOARD

DATE:           October 1, 2008

TO:                 All Home Inspector Education Providers

  FROM:           Home Inspector Program Staff

  SUBJECT:    APPROVED COURSES & TRAINING FOR HOME INSPECTORS

  The Department has received several telephone calls as well as emails from people asking about, or telling us that they have completed the "approved" course work necessary to become a Home Inspector.

 The Home Inspector Board is the authority responsible for establishing course approvals requirements.  The Board anticipates they will make these determinations in the very near future.  There are no approved courses at this time.

Please be advised that schools providing education/training to students seeking to use the course work to become licensed should tell their students that the course work has not been evaluated or approved.

 Thank you for cooperation.

 The Department of Licensing has a policy of providing equal access to its services.  If you need special accommodations, please call (360) 664-6487 or TDD (360) 664-8885.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

 

 

10 Comments
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Stories Behind The Music -- Goin' To Kansas City

09-23-08
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
The song writing team of Leiber and Stoller was responsible for some of the most popular songs of early rock n' roll, including Hound Dog as recorded by Elvis.  They were two white guys who wrote songs that were popular with, and usually recorded by, African Americans. Originally, such music that appealed to the African Americans was referred to as "race" music. Eventually, and fortunately, the industry came up with a new term -- rhythm and blues.

The first hit for Leiber and Stoller ended up being one of the all time classics of rock n' roll. The song was originally released in 1952, named K.C. Lovin. It flopped. However an artist named Wilbert Harrison picked it up and it became a huge hit in 1959. It is amazing to me, but a good quality video of this little know artist, performing that song, is available at youtube.

While Wilbert Harrison performed the definitive version of that song, those four guys from Liverpool heard it performed by Little Richard. Kansas City was such an important song in the development of the Beatles, and in influencing their musical direction, that they recorded it 1964. With that recording, and the songs overall success, Kansas City became one of the standards of rock n' roll music.

 

For more "Stories Behind the Music" click on the guitar

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

7 Comments