Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

     I have always been interested in all the stages a structure can go though over its life span----often vastly different or unimagined from its original use.
     Like a lighthouse turned into a bed and breakfast or a school turned into condominiums.
     Wars are acted out on giant world-wide stages with much drama and acting much like might be symbolically acted out in a play on a smaller stage of a local theater.
     The symbolism and irony of seeing an old World War II gun emplacement at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, Washington turned into a stage was another example of such a transformation.  The surrounding fortifications were fittingly turned into theater seating.

     This stage could just as easily be used to celebrate victories in the Pacific Theater or to voice the protests of those that oppose war----or everything between, before, or after.  Perhaps a wedding or a rock concert or a poetry reading might get staged.  Since this bunker is named after someone named "Thomas Parker" it was only natural that I would do a Google search to learn who the hell Thomas Parker was.  I never did find out because I got distracted reading about a group that called themselves the "Thomas Parker Society."  Apparently in 1991 people started gathering at this place with flashlights and candles to do poetry readings and story telling which has since morphed into an even wider influence around the country.

     There really is no way to know which, if any, of its uses created the most "value" to the culture that built it----perhaps all----perhaps none----depending on the theater goer.

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

     Who hasn’t wandered along a beach to see what the tides have washed ashore? 

     It can be fun to wonder what the things we find on the beach are, and how the stuff got to be there.  Some are barely recognizable pieces of glass, or objects made of metal and wood, while other things are all too recognizable pieces of junk.  Some of the most common things found are cigarette lighters, pop bottles and tampon dispensers.  Since approximately 7 million tons of junk gets tossed into the oceans every year it is no wonder that lots of it washes up on our beaches----most of which one could care less how it got there except perhaps to chastise some “idiot” for throwing it thoughtlessly overboard.   

     Most of this stuff is not likely going to excite a beach comber.

     The other day as I was walking on the beach at Fort Casey, Whidbey Island, Washington, I came across an object that might have unlocked some of those secrets-----if I could have but found the key. 

     But upon turning over the object, I saw that the most important part of the lock was missing----as if perhaps there was no secret to unlock after all. 

     All the wondering about how th pad-lock got to be there would only be as rich as ones imagination.

     Of course it obviously came off the door of some storm ravaged ship’s hold filled with gold in route from the Yukon to bank coffers in Seattle.

     But that is probably a little too fanciful, as it more likely fell out of some Boy Scout’s pocket or was simply thrown into the drink with other refuse from the fort.

     What becomes important at some point is not the knowing----but the imagination. 

     That is not to say that there is not some wonderful story about how the lock got to be there, but until someone emails me and says, “Hey, you found my lock,” I will just have to entertain myself.

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

 

     If one insists on planting stuff so that it can climb on one’s house, one is only asking for trouble. 

     Not only can we not see what the vegetation is physically doing to the house, but it provides an easy protected access to the roof structure for an assortment of critters----including rats.  This giant kiwi monster is so camouflaged that he is barely discernible from the background----and might have gone un-noticed but for the keen eye of the inspector.  This house had lots of rats, and while the kiwi looks better than rats, it is in this case no better than rats.

     This sort of vegetation is a favorite pathway into the structure for Carpenter Ants as well.

     So when your Seattle Home Inspector (or any inspector in any area) recommends that you to keep this stuff cut away from your home, please pay attention----or the kiwi monster may just eat your house too.

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

 

     Just West of  the little town of Index, Washington, on the Skykomish River, there is a scenic picnic spot that the kids and I found on one of our many camping adventures into the Cascade Mountains.  My oldest daughter Julia gave it the name “Green and White Water Carved Rocks.”  I think the name she gave it is a little poem in itself and it also fits nicely into a haiku.

     As you can see by the picture----no poem can do the place itself justice----but the poem can just be its own thing----just as the river is.

Green and white water

Carved rocks with red fish swimming

In ice cold shadows

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

 

     This is indeed what you think it is----even looks like one.  It could be straight out of Walt Disney, it is so classic.

     It even has a concrete stoop in front of the entrance.  An actual door would be an improvement I think.

     While I could talk about rats in relation to this “doorway,” what this post is really about is the concrete stoop at the doorway.  It is about what happens when concrete patios get installed over the top of wood siding in the Pacific Northwest.  If the siding is buried, so is the wood floor system behind it.  It could also be about what happens when you don’t have your crawl space inspected for 30 years----or about all the bottle flies----or about the lack of ventilation. 

     Just the other side of this entryway, the following picture shows what the floor system looked like.

     I don’t think you have to have ANY experience at anything to know that this does not look right.  The grey shape just to the right of the center of the picture is the edge of the concrete patio----the framing all rotted away.

     The crawl space vent was also covered over when the patio was installed and can be seen at the lower right corner of the picture.

     I would say, “Rotten luck,” but it really didn’t have anything to do with luck to get this way.

 

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

 

     It is St. Patrick’s Day on Phinney Ridge in Seattle.

     This is the second post in a series of posts I am doing to document the seasons of a plum tree in the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood of Seattle.  The last post was for Valentine’s Day.   As long as I have been in the Northwest, the owners of this tree have decorated it for whatever holiday was applicable. 

    To me, this shows a lot of commitment, and I hope the decorators get all the kudos they deserve for what must take a lot of effort.  It also makes me wonder what their storage facilities look like----to keep track of all the lights and ornaments for the different holidays. 

     Up next----the Easter Bunny.

     The tree is always spectacular----whether night or day.  One cannot miss it as you head down the hill West on 65^th Street, from Greenwood Ave.

     If you are in the area----check it out.

     Here is a little Irish Music for you----and now go get your Irish on!

 

 

Charles Buell

 

 

     In another one of my shameless promotions of one of my favorite places in Seattle, I thought I would share some recent pictures. 

     What is a Seattle Home Inspector to do when they finish their inspection and there is no report to write?  In this case, because the inspection was only a few blocks from The Conservatory, I decided to see what was blooming.  This is a place where it is really hard to be disappointed.  There are always orchids present, but on this day there was an exceptional number of orchids in bloom.  When you enter the Conservatory you immediately enter the Orchid area.  If you go east you head toward the Desert House.  If you Head west you are headed for the Tropics.

     On the way to the desert house, I had to check out the Mirror Ball.

     I was going to use this picture of myself as my new profile picture but decided to not scare little children needlessly.

     The desert house has always been one of my favorite areas.  I have always been fascinated with the spiral patterns of the cacti.

     And the juxtaposition of hard and soft----or at least the “illusion” of soft.

     Of course the Tropical Houses are never ones to be out done.

     When you visit Seattle make sure this place is on your list----and maybe you will even see me there.

Charles Buell

 

     Julie and I went to a wedding of a friend of ours in Bend, Oregon this past Saturday.  It is a beautiful 6 hour drive from Seattle through the mountains and across the desert to get to Bend.  I have made the trip many times to get to Smith Rocks, a sandstone climbing area just north of Bend.  We had discussed going to Mt St Helens if it had been nicer weather but the mountain was totally clouded over.

     We went to the wedding on Saturday and spent the night in a no-tell-motel in Bend.  When we woke up in the morning this is what we saw.

     One of the cool things about living in the 21^st Century is “traffic cameras.”  One can go on line and actually see in real time what road conditions are at mountain passes etc.  The roads looked only wet, so away we went----with confidence high that conditions would be improving.

     By the time we got about 20 miles North of Bend the roads cleared and the snow turned into off-and-on rain.  The mountains got beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     As we came out of the mountains, drove by Portland and crossed the Columbia River into Washington, we were welcomed into Washington State with clear blue skies.

     And what did we see off in the distance----some 60 miles away? (Zoom lens)

     Mt St. Helens. 

     We just had to go.  It is a 60 mile, one way trip into the mountain observation point----and well worth the trip with this kind of visibility.

      At the end of the long road in to the mountain is the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

     This is the view point where one can see into the crater of the volcano through where the side was blasted away in 1980. 

     It is impossible for me to comprehend the amount of power released during this eruption and the amount of devastation that resulted from the blast.  Take this tree preserved inside the observatory for example.  Have you ever tried to cut down a small tree with an ax?  How about a chain saw?  Depending on your abilities, this work might be easy or difficult, but it might give you an appreciation of what it took to knock this 4 foot diameter tree flat in a split second---by a searing hot wind moving more than 350 miles per hour.  Scientists tell us that in terms of the geological record this eruption was by no means an exceptionally large eruption---even if the ash plume rose more than twice the height at which commercial airplanes fly----12 plus miles.

     Now, almost 30 years, later the signs of the devastation are still visible in many areas. 

     Other areas are completely reforested---both by man and nature.

     Our human powerlessness is only amplified by the extreme powerfulness of nature.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, ASHI Home Inspector, Licensed Home Inspector, Structural Pest Inspector, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

 

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

 

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

 

     Along with the Conservatory (and not too far from each other), there is another very cool place in Seattle to visit---whether you are playing tourist or live here all the time---called the Japanese Garden, at the Washington Park Arboretum. 

     Here is a little photo tour to give you just a taste of the trails and visual feasts at this little patch of serenity.  Every time I visit the Garden I wonder why I don’t go back more often.  Isn’t that the way it is though?  We will scrimp and save to visit some far off exotic place and neglect the things that are right in our own back yard.  The very places that someone in a far off place is scrimping and saving to come and see.

 

 

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, ASHI Home Inspector, Licensed Home Inspector, Structural Pest Inspector, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

 

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

 

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

 

     Ever since I started building in the early 70’s there has been a lumber yard I could go to that opened up before the birds got up.  In a little town NW of Syracuse, NY, called Hannibal, there was a family owned lumber yard called Scott’s Building Supply----and I would be there when they opened the gates at 6am.  They were committed to service----and stocking all the best materials for building.  It was a place where quality of materials was more important than price----or what the latest fad was.

     When I moved to Seattle, I was pleased to find a similar, and even better, lumber yard here, in the Ballard area, called Limback Lumber.  I can still remember the first time I walked in there and asked for some 4-9/16” door jamb material.  I can’t remember who waited on me that day (Tony was that you?), but they gave me one of those looks that said, “What planet are you from----why don’t you just use 1x5’s?”  At that point, I was wondering what planet I was from myself, because there was no such thing as a 1x5 in Hannibal, NY.  I thought this was just some sort of West Coast hazing ritual.  Carpenters, and those in cahoots with carpenters, are famous for sending the newbie helper to the lumber yard to get materials and ask them to also get 10 lbs of #14 nails.  (For my non-carpenter readers----there is no such thing----kind of like sending your spouse to the auto parts store for a “muffler-belt.”)  I soon learned that they actually stocked 1x3’s and 1x5’s----those “odd-number” sizes that up until that point in my career, I would cut out of “even-number” lumber sizes. 

     Again Limbacks was a place I could be at before the birds got up.

     I used to like to get to the lumber yard to get my materials for the day, go to the job site, and still have time to lay out the work for the day before any of the help showed up at 8.  It was also a great way to avoid the early morning traffic----to already be in the city before all the entrances were backed up like a bad sink drain (more euphemistic than what I was originally thinking).

    They are a great business, staffed pretty much with the same guys that were there 100 years ago----and yet they all seem to stay looking under 30.  I used to think that they must sleep out in the lumber piles somewhere, so that they could pretty much be there all the time, but it turns out that most of them drive into work from at least as far away as I did.

     Bucking the trend of the Big Orange Tool Boxes and the Eagles of the world, Limbacks is a full service lumber yard, founded in 1930, where you will not find any potting soil, lawn mowers, barbeque equipment, or “end-lots”----just the highest quality stuff you need to actually build your home or remodel your home.

     They have a guy on staff that hides out in a secluded attic space where he will meticulously make you an odd door if you need one.  He can also grind some new knives for the molding machine to match that old style molding you have----those that are no longer in stock anywhere.  There are a tremendous number of moldings in stock, as well as hundreds of possible choices that can be milled for you.  There is a really good chance that they already have the knives for that “special” molding that you would never have dreamed could be duplicated.  Plus they can mill these moldings out of a wide variety of in-stock wood species.

     We will now enter the inner sanctum.

     This is the entrance to the “Cathedral of Moldings.”

     There is such a maze of moldings in this cavernous building it is easy to get lost----but don’t worry they have a staff of paid guides all too eager to help----or you can wander hopelessly on your own----resorting to prayer to get you out.

 

     Maybe it is down this box canyon?

 

     Or this one?

 

     Maybe I better go back and get a guide.

 

     Even more over here too?

 

     THIS----is the stairway to John’s millwork shop (remember the guy I mentioned hiding out in the attic?)----not to be missed if you can manage to get yourself invited (all you tool heads).

 

 

     Here are some of the machines in the millwork shop.

 

     The knife grinder. 

     Did you know that every kind of molding has its own set of knives----usually three or four that have to be pretty darn near identical?  Well this is the machine that helps make those knives.

 

     Here is the wall of “typically-in-stock” moldings.

 

     In addition to the stock moldings in the previous picture, there are these racks that hold samples of some of the many moldings that Limbacks already has knives for.

     So this is a cursory view of Limbacks in Ballard----I didn’t even touch on the mountains of dimensional lumber and plywood----just ask Paul or Bill----or any of the paid guides, for the full tour.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, ASHI Home Inspector, Licensed Home Inspector, Structural Pest Inspector, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

 

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

 

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.