Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

     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

 

     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.

 

     The “Space Needle” and “Seattle” have been joined at the hip since the World’s Fair took over the city in 1962.  (In case your next question is, “When is the next World’s Fair?”  It is in Shanghai, China, in May, 2010.)

     Given that Seattle is somewhat prone to earthquakes, I have often marveled at this magnificent structure in terms of engineering.  Not only what it took to build it----but what it takes to keep it there.

     With a little “digging,” you can learn that the reason it stays put is because the underground foundation it is anchored to, weighs roughly twice as much as the whole structure above the ground.  This leaves the structure with the “illusion” of being top-heavy, when in reality it would be like trying to tip over the great Willie Dixon when he is sitting down playing his harp.

     It still leaves me wondering about the effect on the SkyCity Restaurant, perched on top of the structure, in the event of a catastrophic earthquake.  I can envision the needle whipping the restaurant off into the Puget Sound like a giant Frisbee (or skipping stone), only to end up across the Sound in Bremerton.

     This allusion to the Space Needle is only here to get us around to a discussion of pedestal sinks----that are indeed VERY top-heavy---even if they do look a little like the Space Needle.  When you fill them up with water, the sink becomes even MORE top-heavy.  These sinks come with holes in the base to bolt them to the floor.   The basin at the top has holes to bolt it to the wall.  After all this bolting has been done the basin is caulked to the wall to further aid in holding it in place----as well as to keep splashes from running down behind the basin.

     In this next picture we can see the bolting holes in the back of the sink and even the holes in the walls for inserting the molly bolts.  The bolts just aren’t there.

     In this picture we can see the bolting holes at the base of the pedestal.  We can see a somewhat half-hearted attempt at fastening it----but still no cigar.

     To get back to the Space Needle----contrary to recent rumors----the Space Needle is NOT for sale for $79,000,000----or any price for that matter.

     To get back to Willie (I Can't Quit You Baby) Dixon, he is still tipping the charts even though he is sadly no longer around to see it.

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.

 

     One of my all-time favorite places to visit in Seattle is the Rose Garden at Woodland Park---next door to the zoo.

     Right NOW!---the whole month of August and right into the winter----it is a sight to behold!

     Like all of the best things in life----it is FREE.

 

     One of the things I remember about roses from when I was a kid growing up in Connecticut, is JAPANESE BEETLES.  We spent many hours picking off Japanese Beetles and dropping them into a can of gasoline to kill them----such a nasty business juxtaposed to all that beauty.  One would think that the thorns satisfied the Yin/Yang requirement.  These beetles themselves were incredibly beautiful with their iridescent metallic wing covers.  I find it kind of odd how we pick and choose the beauty around us----playing god about what is important and what is not.  In researching this post I discovered that they are an East Coast phenomenon----or at least that is where they started.  It is speculated that they were introduced from plants brought in from Japan in the early 20^th century.

     The Seattle Rose Garden is all pesticide free---hopefully the Rose Garden will never have to deal with these beetles.

     Besides the roses there are also many other flowers, plants and features that make the garden worth the visit year round.

 

     Along with The Conservatory ----make sure the Rose Garden is on your list of things to see when you visit Seattle.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, ASHI 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.

 

     Home Inspector Licensing has happened to Washington State.

     I for one am excited about it.  I see it as a starting point for turning what, up until now, would best be described as a, “rag-tag band of alpha-wolves roaming the local real estate” into an ACTUAL profession.

     Some of these wolves were (and are) very good inspectors and do their best to provide the best of service to the consumer.  There have even been home inspector associations that attempted to raise the bar by creating their own Standards of Practice and minimum requirements for membership.  The problem is that there were (and are) many associations with very different qualification protocols, and agendas---not to mention that they only affected whomever chose to join them----which left the majority of inspectors outside of anyone’s oversight.

     The process of bringing Licensing to Washington State has been going on for many years, but very specifically, the last five years.  The whole process of licensing involved years of hearings and public meetings that were well publicized, televised and made unbelievably accessible on the internet.  The pros and cons have been argued on all the major home inspector internet forums until most inspectors’ monitors could have resulted in the “blue-screen-of-death.”  The result has been a licensing law that, while not perfect, is a good start by establishing minimum educational requirements (including testing) for all inspectors in the state, providing a common Standards of Practice, providing a common Code of Ethics, and requiring continuing inspection education.

     Some of the “old guard” are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century of Home Inspection.

     And this brings me to the real topic of this post.

     HOW CAN THERE BE ANYONE IN WASHINGTON STATE THAT DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS LAW???

     And yet, this is apparently the case as the state has had to set up some special meetings to give inspectors that may have literally been living under a log for the last five years a chance to understand what they must do to become licensed.  To have not heard about licensing would mean that they never heard about it on the news;

     Never read about it in the papers;

     Never heard about it from the WSDA (where it was discussed at most continuing education sessions----leading one to conclude that perhaps they are not Licensed Structural Pest Inspectors as required by law);

     Did not hear about it as a member of any of the National Inspection Associations (again begging the question if they are operating under anyone’s Standards of Practice and continuing education);

     Did not hear about it on the Internet (begging the question of how much they access internet inspector forums etc);

     Did not hear about it from other more involved inspectors (making one wonder if they ever consult with, or have communications with other inspectors); or,

     Are pretending to not have ever heard about it, with the hope that it won’t be true (and we all know that hope is frosting on a turd).

     I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT OTHER OPTIONS I AM MISSING!!

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, 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.

 

     Since I am away teaching all week---doing my stint of the, 160 hour, Residential Home Inspection Training Course at Bellingham Technical College, I thought I would give you all a chance to play student.  This teaching business is going to radically cut into my Rain time, but I will be checking in and playing as much as I can.

     While this should be fairly easy for home inspectors, I hope that the inspectors in the rain will give everyone else at least a chance to give it a go. 

     So NO INSPECTORS until after 15 comments (and mine don’t count).

     What is this thing?

     It is a ____________________________.

 

 

Charles Buell

 

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 "etherial" 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.

 

     One of home inspector’s favorite conversations with other inspectors is how quick they can do an inspection----and conversely how long they sometimes take.  While I (and hopefully others) would never sacrifice “quality” while considering “speed,” we still like to remark on an inspection that is exceptionally short due to there being very few defects or because the house is very small----or one that takes an extremely long amount of time because of its size or its horrible condition.

     It is not uncommon for a very small condo to take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  I have taken as long as 9 hours on a property with two houses.  The other day I inspected a house in “5” MINUTES. 

     Yup----the whole thing---ALL 9 sq ft. 

     Gotta love slab on grade houses.

     I elected to neither walk NOR ride this roof.

 

 

 

 

 

     The biggest defect was that Snow White was nowhere to be seen even though I had previously seen some of the dwarfs in the garage apparently preparing to mow the lawn.

     Where the heck was Snow White anyway?

     It was such a nice sunny day----perhaps she went to the mountain.

 

     Perhaps the mountain IS Snow White.

 

 

Charles Buell

 

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 "etherial" 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.

 

     The other day I was visiting my son at the beautiful Evergreen College, near Olympia, Washington.  I parked in one of the public parking lots and was hanging out waiting for my son when I noticed this pile of dirt around one of the trees in the grass medians in the parking lot.  In this picture you can see that brown dirt patch.

     As I got closer to this brown patch I realized that the brown patch was ALIVE.  Yes, everything visible in the picture at the base of the tree that is dark in color is ANTS!   These are thatching ants and the large mound has been there quite a while as is evidenced by the grass and other vegetation growing up the sides of the mound.  The activity on the surface of the mound would increase and decrease as the sun went in and out behind the clouds.

     As I watched their activity it seemed almost incomprehensible that each one of these ants, on a genetic level, knows exactly what it is doing.  What appears as total chaos to the observer from above is not the truth at all.

     When we extrapolate this mass of interactions to human activities, it certainly gives one a reason to pause regarding notions of “individuality.”  If one were to look down from above at the activities of human beings would it seem this chaotic? 

     On some level, is the mass of human activity following unseen laws or rules that would actually make sense if we were capable of seeing the whole picture---or would human activity be “truly” chaotic as opposed to the very ordered chaos of the ants?

     Here is another picture of a Thatching Ant nest I found on Whidbey Island last summer.  These nests are very common in Washington State and can be very large.  This one is at least 24 inches tall and 36 inches in diameter.

    The darker shadow-like arc visible on the left side of the mound is actually a covering of ants as they stay out of the direct sun.  The entire mound is constructed of bits of grass and twigs----which is a bit like “thatch” and has earned them the name of Thatching Ants.

     These ants take “finding oneself” to a whole new level.

 

Charles Buell

 

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 "etherial" 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.