Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, WA Home Inspector (King of the House)

This post is in response to Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog. He has created a challenge: Sanitize and post some past business or client Emails and responses. The goal is to provide, to the public, easily accessible online information. Especially since home inspector licensing kicked-in here in Washington State, there are now many consumers who are trying to determine whether or not an inspector is licensed to legally work in the state.

This post starts with an Email from an agent.

Hi Steve,

I know that you teach the local Home Inspector Licensing course at Bellingham Technical College and are closely tied to the licensing process since you serve on the state licensing board.  My client is selling a home and is trying to look up licensing information on the inspector who just performed the buyer's inspection on her house.  Who should she contact, or where can she go, to obtain this information for a home inspector in Seattle?  We do not know if he was licensed to do the structural pest inspection. For that matter, we do not know if he is licensed at all. Thanks,

A Top Bellingham Realtor

 Dear Top Bellingham Realtor,

Since the home inspector licensing law took effect, an inspector may now legally work without also being a licensed structural pest inspector. Prior to licensing, almost two years back now, that was not the case. Realistically, to inspect legally, you had to have the (SPI) structural pest inspector license. However, even with the new laws, a home inspector without the SPI license is very limited as to what he or she may inspect and report on. I wrote a post on this very topic last week at ActiveRain. If you click on the link at the end of this sentence, the article will explain what a home inspector, who is not also a structural pest inspector, is allowed to do if he or she sees signs of wood destroying insects -- The home inspector vs the structural pest inspector

This next link will help you as far as the last part of your question. Is someone licensed or not?  This is, by popular demand, a search tool that I created at ActiveRain. As you might guess, I get questions like yours all the time and people seem to have real trouble finding the various state websites that include licensing information. From this, you can check for licensed home inspectors and licensed pest inspectors. Simply follow the directions posted with the search tool --  Inspector licensing search tool

If I can be of additional help, please call me or send another Email.

Steve

This is another post in response to Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog and the challenge known as "Never Answer the Same Question Twice". This challenge involves sanitizing and then posting Emails that were sent to us. The goal is to select and publish only those Emails, and the replies, that provide valuable information for the public. Over the years, I have received many questions asking what is involved in HUD manufactured home foundation inspections.

The initial Email question to me is at the top. My Email reply follows.

Mr Smith,

I was searching online to find someone who can do a HUD foundation inspection for a manufactured home I am buying in Arlington. Can you do that for me and do you drive as far as Arlington? Your information is all I found in this area, so I hope that you can help me.

Bill

Dear Bill,

I am afraid that I cannot help you on that one.  I have been involved in many HUD inspections but a HUD foundation inspection or certification must be signed-off on by a P.E. (professional licensed engineer). I am a licensed home inspector and a licensed structural pest inspector but I am not an engineer. Many times HUD wants not only the foundation certification/inspection but, also, a pest inspection. I could do that for you but it is probably not practical for you to pay me to drive to Arlington.

In the Bellingham and Whatcom County area, I suggest that people contact Jarvis Frederick, PE, at Pinner Engineering. He does many of these inspections or certifications (foundation only) and he provides his professional services at an affordable price. I will give you his phone number: 360-384-1285. I am sure that he would do the job for you but there would be a travel fee. In the local market, I have an arrangement with Pinner -- if someone wants a manufactured home inspection he or she can make a single call to me, and I will take care of arranging the PE inspection (through Pinner) and I will perform the pest and home inspection. One call does it all but, again, your being in Arlington makes this less practical.  

I do not know if this is the article that you found or not, when you were searching online, but here is a link to an informative piece that I wrote on HUD manufactured home inspections about three years ago. You might find it helpful -- HUD manufactured home inspections.

If I can be of further assistance, please send another Email or call me.

Steve

This post is yet another effort on my part in response to Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog. He has created a challenge: Sanitize and post some past client Emails and responses. The goal is to provide, to the public, easily accessible online information. The questions in this Email, other than people asking on an ongoing basis about the cost of a home inspection, are inquiries that I get over and over again as a result of being involved with a home inspector training program that is Washington State approved.

The initial Email question to me is at the top. My Email reply follows.

Hi Steve, 

I am interested in the dates the class will run and the cost of tuition for the upcoming home inspection courses that are taught at Bellingham Technical College.  I am located in Southwest Washington and I would prefer to take the course closer to home.  Do you have courses down here? Also, what are some of the benefits of taking the class at BTC?

Thanks - Derick

Dear Derick,

The cost is $3,800. That includes all of the textbooks, which are about $800.00 of the fee. That fee covers the three weeks of fundamentals training and another 40 hours of approved field training. You go on, and write reports on, five inspections. To meet state requirements, students are accompanied by a licensed inspector. So you end up with 120 hours of classroom time and 40 hours of field work.
 
Benefits: BTC is part of the state college system. We are the first state approved class, under state licensing, and it is one of the longest running courses in the state. We have had many students who feel that they made the best choice by attending Bellingham Technical College. In fact, we have had students from as far away as Las Vegas and Denver and many students come from Eastern Washington, the Olympic Peninsula and down near Vancouver/Portland. I can provide you with the names of some former students, who are now working in the field, if you would like references.

We support students after class and have study guides to help prospective inspectors prep for state licensing exams -- both the home inspector exam and the WSDA pest exam. For your information, as part of the course, we have a one-day session on pest inspections so the student can better determine if he or she wishes to be dual-licensed. The next four week course will begin on February 28, 2011. It is difficult for us to move the class around, since we have four faculty members, so I do not see us offering a course outside Bellingham in the foreseeable future. If you want more information, please call my business number -- 360-676-6908.  Here is a link to a website with more information on the course offerings. Down at the bottom of this is a short video that I have produced which gives additional insight into the BTC program.

 Steve

This post is in response to Bob Stewart's "it's raining" blog. He has created a challenge: Sanitize and post some past client Emails and responses. The goal is to provide, to the public, easily accessible online information. This probably seems like an esoteric topic but, over the years, I have gotten many Emails and calls on the topic of calibrating a hygrometer. Years back, I wrote an article on how to do so, using common salts, and this piece has legs. It never goes away and every year I receive questions from people, from around the world, who have found that piece. Here is one Email exchange and update on that article.

The initial Email question to me is at the top. My Email reply follows.

Hi,

I really enjoyed your article on hygrometer calibration. I tested mine at 75%, but I'm trying to test it now at 33% relative humidity with Magnesium Chloride but I cannot find any at decent price. I've tried eBay with no luck. Do you know of any sources that carry it at decent price?  I found some that is only 30 grams for $14.7 (including shipping), Your article said that you are able to get 60oz for a way cheaper price than that. What is up with that?

Thanks in advance,

VB

Dear VB,

I am sorry to say that the price the distributors are charging consumers has gone up since I wrote that article many years ago. The procedures are the same, but I cannot control the cost of the chemicals. I have asked my webmaster, my sites, to take out any estimated price for the chemicals required. However, many other people have, over the years, re-published this article with permission and I cannot locate all of the places it now appears, nor can I update the content at these sites that I do not control. 

I run a business so $15 for enough of the stuff to calibrate my instrument several times, is not really a consideration on my part -- simply a small cost of doing business.  If you send me a postage paid, a couple stamps on it, self-addressed envelope, I will be glad to send you a few tablespoons of the stuff which is enough to test your hygrometer. By the way, that article has been so popular over the years that I have recently produced a video that shows in detail how to go about this calibration process. If you wish to look at it, a link is below.

Regards,

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 York and I found your information on anobiid beetles online. I had a plumbing leak that required removing some drywall. When that was removed, I saw these small holes in the studs. Can that be anobiid beetles? I asked a pest control professional here and he said that he has never heard of the insect.

Percy

Dear Percy,

Diagnosing a woodboring beetle problem can be hard to do by long distance. I am very familiar with the pest and the conditions that lead to such an infestation in my region of the country, on the west coast, in Bellingham and the nearby counties. I do not have the specifics on potential woodboring beetle problems on the east coast. Wood destroying insect species, to a large degree, vary based on temperature and climate. Some are very specific to a region.

I think that you should contact a pest inspector in New York. If licensing is required, then make sure that you hire someone with a license and who has training. Never heard the term "anobiid" you say -- It may be that, back there, the professionals are generically calling all woodboring beetles "powderpost beetles." In this state, we have two species of woodboring beetles that are of concern so we call them either anobiid or lyctid beetles. In the case of anobiid beetles, the activity tends to go on for years, decades and generations. And it takes a long time for major damage. So if you simply had a plumbing leak for a short while, that in itself is not likely to have attracted the pest. Now, if it has been going on for years and years, then maybe. However, chances are the material would also be rotten. Lots of moisture usually causes rot in a much shorter time frame than it takes to attract woodboring beetles. Regardless, you need to find someone near you who is well-versed in the topic of wood destroying organisms and have that person take a look at your problem and make a recommendation.

I do not know if you found one of the various online articles that I have written on the topic of anobiid beetles, or if you saw the more recent video that I have produced. If you have not seen my video, here is the link to it: 

If I can be of further assistance, please send another Email or call me.

Steve

Hello my ActiveRain friends. As you will see from the photo below, I am tonight getting heavily into the Christmas "spirits".

Many of my devoted followers here at ActiveRain -- Mr Quarello, Mr Charles Buell and Mrs Kate Ford and my Godmother, Mrs Barbara Duncan -- have been very nice to me this year and I appreciates that. I appreciate Dale Baker too, who sees things mostly like me much of the time.

In the next year, I look forward to being as much help to all of those people as they have been to me this year. Merry Christmas Eve to all.

Nutsy S. Wallenda 

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 that area at a short-sale home. Can you recommend to me a firm that would be qualified to make all necessary repairs? Thanks in advance.

Anonymous agent

Dear Anonymous agent,

I get advice on how to deal with mold, high humidity and moisture inside the house, from Dave Blake at the state agency, Northwest Clean Air Agency. He is, and has been for years, a top indoor air quality professional and Dave speaks all over the country at professional seminars. He is incredibly helpful, smart and interested in consumers. His goal is not to scare them into expensive remediation, if that is not necessary. If you ever want to talk to him about mold issues, here is his number at the Northwest Clean Air Agency -- 360-428-1617, ext 212   Dave's advice is free and he is an expert on issues involving mold, asbestos, building science problems. He has produced a short and official video on mold that demystifies the issue. You might wish to share the video with your clients. It is embedded below for your convenience.

In this case, since you know that there has been water intrusion and damage, it sounds like you need the names of professionals, who are familiar with moisture-related issues, to make the necessary repairs and restoration. I am not implying that these are the only such firms that serve our region, but they are ones that have good reputations and they have achieved high levels of expertise. I suggest that you, or your client, call and talk to any or all of them.

1. Environmental Abatement Services (Mt Vernon) 360-755-1085  

2. West Coast Restoration (Bill Finley 360- 933-4030  

3. Atmosphere (Seattle area) 206-526-2700

4. American Environmental Construction -- 800-357-2760

I hope this information was helpful to you.

Steve

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 rails on a high deck. If that was missed, then would you have confidence that the inspector checked for proper flashings and potential attachment issues at the structure?

The scenario below is interesting. It may not be illegal, but it's pretty darn weird to discharge a downspout onto a deck, composite material or not.

But that oddball design becomes a big problem when the deck is over a flat roof that does not drain. The water comes out of the downspout, it goes through the decking boards where it ponds on the roof. When enough water builds-up, then it comes back up through the decking boards.

Even though these problems are obvious, they were not considered to be problems, or the oversights were missed, by municipal code inspectors. Any agent, or buyer, who wishes assurances that the home being purchased is properly built needs not only a certificate of occupancy (final) from the jurisdiction, but also a professional home inspection. Problems such as these are ongoing, and costly to repair, and it is best to resolve them sooner and not later. When they become apparent as problems, after closing or after a falling accident or a leak, they are the bailiwick of the new buyer who is then stuck with the repair costs.

Mold. We all know it is not supposed to be living inside your house. On the other hand, does this mean that at every real estate transaction one needs to hire someone, often with off-the-cereal-boxtop credentials, to test for mold? Unfortunately, many of the parties who tell you how essential that is, are also the ones who then provide bids for the repair work. That behavior is against the law, in this state, for an actual professional inspector of residential homes, however, the mold inspectors are flying under the radar here and in many states.

This article by James is excellent! He gives you the real scoop on many of the so-called industry experts who took a day long class. Make no mistake about it, there are experts on indoor air quality, but I have yet to run into one who was doing cheap inspections for mold with the goal of up-selling a buyer or a seller by then submitting a bid for remediation which, in all likelihood, is done wrong or at too high of a fee.

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 ours without photos, so here it is along with the description for this unit from the Morso website.

2B Classic Squirrel stove

"The smallest and most versatile stove that Morsø offers is the 2B Classic Squirrel stove. This stove is an update from the 1934 version and fits easily into any small space. It uses a heat exchanger over the firebox to draw more heat and radiate it into the room, making it fantastic for small-space heating. The Squirrel can take up to 18-inch logs and can heat up to 1200 square feet of living space. Still incorporating the sturdy original design of the 1934 stove, the Squirrel has a few more user-friendly features that make use and maintenance much easier. All you have to do is kick back in front of this diminutive stove and relax!"

So much hot air from Mr Charles. As Nutsy points out, this unit has been around since 1934, so it is not like Mr Charles is contemporary on the various woodstoves, as is my assistant who is also a certifried chimney sweep who is fully qualified to work on a squirrel-listed stove.