We have a lot of those 60’s and 70’s ranch style homes in the NW that just never did have enough space to meet the needs of the modern world----or at least many homeowners seem to think so. Many of the attached garages of these spaces have been finished off in order to create spaces for family rooms, bathrooms, home offices and extra bedrooms. While finishing these spaces off creates its own list of problems on the “inside,” I am more interested in this post in how it affects things “outside” the home. Seattle Home Inspectors should be checking these meters for bollards. People still want a place to get the car out of the weather, so----often we see carports (or actual garages) added onto the end of the house. While this solution (another thing that gets done in the middle of the night) works for the car, it can create other problems if the addition is not designed by someone that knows what they are doing. For example in the picture below, before there was a carport, the gas meter was just on the end of the house minding its own business. Now it is a target for anyone pulling a car under the carport and it requires that a Bollard be installed to protect it. A simple enough thing to fix, but another example of what can happen when one doesn’t know what one doesn’t know. 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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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.
My WORDLESS WEDNESDAY pictures and some selected POEMS & STORIES.
Charles, I did not know what a bollard was prior to reading this post. I absolutely agree, the gas meter definitely needs something to protect it!!!
Bollard?
That's a word I didn't know .... thanks to Wikipedia and this post I learned something new today!
Mr Charles,
I would cover it with red caution flags. Very practical and cheap. I judge that the thing to do.
Nutsy
Charles, When I built my hose my wife was very much against protecting our gas meter until a bobcat backed into it. The gas wasn't turned on yet. We now have tank traps around that meter :)
Bollards, I just like the word. I saw missing bollards on a commercial building I inspected a while back. An unprotected gas meter in a parking lot, Yikes!
Kathleen, I think you are not alone in never having heard about them
Stewart----it is a fun word isn't it?
Nutsy, good idea:)
Paul, I know what you mean----people do feel they are unsightly?---but more than the meter iself?:)
James, I love the word too----sounds like you are swearing without swearing:)
Gas meters always look sorta under-protected to me. How do you like the huge ones that are found alongside a highway. Scary.
Bollard, schmollard. What's wrong with having a little gas?
I think Nutsy's on to something. If a wide load semi is suddenly more obvious because it has red flags than surely the same applies to a gas meter.
Honorable Judge Nutsy....too funny.
Barbara, bollards do sometimes appropriately bring attention to the issue:)
Jay, good question---unless it is in elevators of course.
Erik, what we need then is flags on Nutsy himself to assist the wide load semi's:)
Jim it is more liken Ornery Judge Nutsy.
I wonder what their insurance company would think of that. Bollard, isn't that a duck?
Charlie - I agree with Barbara, why hasn't somebody invented a method of protection?
Jack, not sure but this has been this way for a long time.
Carol, but the Bollard IS the method of protection----just has to be there is all:)
Mr Charles,
Not sure if this is related or not, but don't you live by the Bollard Locks part of Seattle.
Nutsy
Exactly Nutsy---exactly