Are some of your exterior wood elements being attacked by wood destroying insects? This is common in the Pacific Northwest, but doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Insects such as anobiid beetles can work away at damaging the structural integrity of your home leaving exit holes and underlying damage in their wake. It’s all about moisture; elevated moisture attracts wood destroying insects leading to structural damage of building components. Keeping exterior elements properly sealed and dry will go a long way towards preventing wood destroying insects from damaging your home.
As a home inspector, I’m often on the road, traveling around San Juan, Island, Whatcom, and Skagit counties. Along the way, I’m often awed by what I see. On the first Saturday of the month, I plan to share some of these great scenes with you.
I invite you to share your Northwest Washington imagery, too! Take your picture or video showing why you appreciate the region, tag it with #AllIslandsLife, and share via social media.
If you have questions or comments about home inspections in general, tweet me (@AIHomeInspect).
“Tim and All Island Inspections exceeded all of our expectations for a quick and thorough inspection of our first home purchase! Tim clearly knew the in’s and out’s of the inspection and documented and recorded absolutely everything. He is thorough, professional, fair, and informative. Tim was willing to spend time in-person reviewing his work immediately after and answering the many questions we had (and we had a lot as first time homebuyers). The final report included not only his written findings, but pictures, videos, and links to further information. We can even make a request list from the report regarding issues to help us keep track and he is available for any further questions that arise before closing. Any nervousness going into the inspection was quickly alleviated by Tim’s knowledge and professionalism. We are way more confident with our first purchase and are grateful for Tim’s honesty and work!”
Coffee is consumed in such great quantities, it is the world’s 2nd largest traded commodity, surpassed only by crude oil. It is our most beloved beverage after water. It’s worth well over $100 billion worldwide.
A coffee bean is a seed of the coffee plant, and is the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as ‘beans’ because of their resemblance to true beans.
Hawaii is the only American state that grows coffee.
Every month, we seek to bring our readers insight from the worlds of home construction, home repair, and home maintenance straight from local Northwest Washington contractors in a segment we call “3 Questions.” Yep, you guessed it: we ask three questions, and the contractors answer them.
This month, we learn about structural issues with Gary Sturdy, PE, owner at Sturdy Engineering Corporation in Anacortes. Additionally, more information about related structural engineering topics is available via our Real Estate Unveiled! podcast page.
Q1: My old house appears to have settled over time and is “leaning” somewhat. What are some things I should be on the lookout for to see if I need a contractor to further evaluate?
A gradual settling observed over years is an indication of poor soil conditions below the foundation. The problem must first be identified; applying a fix to the symptoms may worsen it.
The first objective is to determine soil conditions under the foundation, including depth of poor soils. Once that is determined, a proper solution can be engineered to solve the problem. As an example, adding width to the existing foundation will add weight and might create even greater settlement.
Q2: The masonry chimney on my old house appears to have settled and isn’t perfectly plumb; I can see a gap between the chimney and the home. How can I tell if this is historic or a major structural concern and safety issue?
A snapshot in time will not give you answers to historic events. That gap might have been there for years without change, which would indicate that the settlement has stopped and the underlying soils are stable. Continual monitoring with measurement over time or soil testing will determine if the underlying soils are unstable.
An engineer can help you determine how far out of plumb is safe for your particular chimney style and construction. At that time, the engineer can determine if remedial action is imminent.
Q3: Wood destroying organisms (WDOs), like Carpenter ants, Anobiid beetles, and Pacific Dampwood termites are commonplace in the Pacific NW. Eliminating elevated moisture is absolutely the key to keeping a home free of WDOs. Recognizing that these insects literally eat wood structure, is there a general rule-of-thumb for when replacement may, or may not, be necessary? In older homes, for instance, minor WDO damage is commonplace, and replacing all structural elements with minor insect damage would involve substantially replacing most of the home’s structure. Is this really necessary, or is there a more practical, “real-world” approach?
Each piece of lumber has an allowable load, or maximum weight that it can withstand. For example, a piece of lumber might only be loaded to 50-percent of its allowable value. In this case, the bugs can eat away a significant amount of wood before safety is an issue. On the other hand, a piece of lumber that is fully loaded cannot withstand any bug damage. An experienced engineer can determine what repairs are required for your safety, while integrating practical and economical solutions.
About Sturdy Engineering Corporation Sturdy Engineering Corporation in Anacortes provides structural analysis & design for residential, commercial, light industrial, recreational, and agricultural structures. These structures may utilize a variety of building materials, including wood/logs, timber frames, concrete, steel, and structural insulated panels. More information at https://www.sturdyengineering.com/#
A big “thanks” to Gary for his responses!
If you have questions or comments about structural issues or home inspections in general, tweet me (@AIHomeInspect).
If your home is missing foundation vents, I recommend having a qualified contractor come out and evaluate/install foundation vents around the perimeter of the home to ensure that the foundation and underside of the home are properly cross-ventilated. Ventilation is CRITICAL to homes in the Pacific NW; lack of ventilation can lead to myriad issues including, but not limited to, attracting wood destroying insect (i.e., carpenter ants, termites and anobiid beetles) and mold. Truth be told, mold is VERY RARE in crawl spaces under homes, but insect activity is not. So, keep the underside of the home well ventilated and they’ll have no interest in your home. It’s all about moisture! If it’s impractical to cut in or install foundation vents, a mechanical vent fan on a humidistat can be easily installed. Personally, I prefer foundation vents because they don’t rely on electricity or anything fancy to operate. Keep them open and let Mother Nature keep your home’s crawl space ventilated!
Most of you have a scale at home, but you may not always want it out on display or taking up unnecessary space in your bathroom. In a recent home inspection, I came across a cool hack for keeping weighing scales out of the way but also easily accessible. Take a quick look!
Two percent of the water on earth is glacier ice at the North and South Poles. This ice is fresh water and could be melted; however, it is too far away from where people live to be usable.
Less than 1% of all the water on earth is fresh water that we can actually use.
Do you need a ladder to reach your electrical panel? This can be problematic when quick and easy access to the electrical panel is necessary. A qualified electrician will likely advise installing a platform underneath your electrical panel if it is too high for an average-height person to reach with ease. Worst case scenario, re-wire and locate the panel at a lower height. Typically, this means not having the main circuit breaker at the top of the panel any higher than 6’7”. If you need a ladder to flip breakers, it’s definitely too high!
