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Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

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Old School -- It Could Have Been Worse

11-09-09
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

I do not know if anyone from Active Rain has written about this, locally in my area, or not. But last week, Thursday early morning, there was a major fire at Whatcom Middle School. Now I relate to that school. It used to be the original high school in Bellingham and when I was in school it was a junior high and I attended Whatcom Junior High.

In 1966 it became a middle school. Fifty years ago, in Bellingham, you went to elementary school grades 1 through 6. Then you were in junior high grades 7,8 and 9 and then you were at high school for grades 10, 11 and 12. Back in 1966, they changed it to the way it is today. Grade school is for grades 1 to 5. Then middle school for 6, 7 and 8. High school from 9th to 12th grades.

So this is a proud old building. The good news is that, while extensive damage was done, the school was not destroyed. The fire was, largely, confined to the roof and upper floor. None the less, it was a devastating fire as you can see in the video below. 

This fire displaced nearly 600 students and the school district is still wrestling with getting these kids educated during a totally unexpected crisis. By the way, work was being done on the school -- welding on the roof as they worked on earthquake upgrades -- and it is thought that this work was involved in the fire getting started. I hope those guys working, if it turns out that way, are insured.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

GeoLogo207

6 Comments
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Bellingham Home Inspector (King of the House) -- Unsafe Closet Lighting

11-08-09
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

Bare light bulbs in closets are a safety hazard. I know of that first hand. You see that bulb there -- assume that the socket is not loose -- well people do things like use closet bulbs as hangers. I know that one firsthand. My dear departed dad (yes Heather that was great grandpa Lee) once hung his baseball cap on a similar bulb in his closet. Now you can forgive him, he was about 95 years of age at the time. This condition of the bare bulb is common around Bellingham and Whatcom county -- probably everywhere there are older houses.

Anyway, this was years ago and I got a call from my mom. She had smelled burning and found the source. A few days later I installed a covered light fixture for them. 

Even if a person does not hang a hat or a scarf on such a light, there is a risk that clothing will get too close to it and result in combustion. These bulbs get way hotter than people realize. And no, putting a bare fluorescent bulb in the socket is not the right solution either!

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

GeoLogo207

7 Comments
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When You Can't See the Roof for the Trees

11-07-09
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

One of the state standards of practice, in Washington state, is that an inspector must traverse the roof if it can be done safely and without property damage. The idea is that the inspector, in so doing, will have a better idea of the condition of the roof.

While in theory that is a good concept, sometimes Pacific Northwest reality and trees interfere with good intentions -- see photo below. 

 

Even though I got on that roof, the organic debris was so thick that I really could not see much. I did have this to report:

The roof is heavily obscured by organic debris. This makes it impossible to assess the condition of the roof. Additionally, heavy debris keeps a roof from drying and blocks runoff water making it more prone to leakage. Recommend that qualified party, such as a roofer, remove all debris from roof and, at that time, evaluate surface and make necessary repairs or replacement as is required.

This is further proof that, sometimes, we home inspectors cannot see the roof for the trees.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

GeoLogo207

4 Comments
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The Problem With A Cantilevered Deck

11-05-09
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

An inspector needs to be on the lookout for structural problems with cantilevered decks. That is especially true here in the northwest where we have so much rain.

Do you know what a cantilever is? Here is a pretty good photo that I took at a recent inspection.

See that beam: Dark on the inside and white outside where it supports an upper deck. Notice how green that beam is at the exposed outside section. That is a big problem with this design. As the wood is exposed to rain on the outside, rot forms and that will travel right down the beam. Before long you have a deck that is seriously weakened, likely to be unsafe, and you also have a repair job that takes some doing to fix -- especially if the decay gets back into the exterior wall.

The cantilever design might work great in some climates, but it creates many problems in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

GeoLogo207

5 Comments
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Bellingham Technical College -- Washington State Approved Fundamentals of Home Inspection Education

11-01-09
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector

Take a look at the photos below, then I will tell you what they mean to anyone who has been involved in the Washington state approved home inspector education that is taught at Bellingham Technical College.

These photos were taken during the fourth week of the course -- field training. The first three weeks students are in the classroom, and at some labs, but generally they are tied down learning the nuts and the bolts of what it is that they are looking for. In that final week, the students go on-site with instructors and put to practical application the knowledge that they learned earlier in the course. Anyone interested in the BTC program -- a state approved fundamentals of home inspection course -- can get more information by clicking on the icon below. The next scheduled class is early in the new year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

GeoLogo207

6 Comments