Tag Archives: San Juan Island

INTRODUCING STANDALONE SATURDAYS: SIGHTS AND SCENES FROM NORTHWEST WASHINGTON

Tim Hance with high school sweetheart (and now wife) Liz at West Beach Resort on Orcas Island (circa 1989), posing with a lingcod caught in front of his family’s resort. 

Even though I grew up in the San Juan Islands and have lived in Northwest Washington most of my life, I’ve never tired of the region’s natural allure. 

Now, as a home inspector traveling the area on a regular basis, I can enjoy many of the elements that make this area so unique. I may be a little biased, but I believe my coverage area—which includes San Juan, Island, Skagit, and Whatcom counties—has some of the most compelling scenery you’ll ever come across.

As you can probably tell, it’s safe to say I love my job and I love where I live, which brings us to a concept I call “Standalone Saturday.”

What is this? In the newspaper world, a standalone photo tells a story without any (or a limited number) of words. 

On Saturdays throughout the year, I hope to give you a peak of what I see as a home inspector traveling in my neck of the woods through photos I snap along the way. Of course, these shots might include sunrises, ferry rides, rocky coastlines, flowing rivers, and bald eagles. But it also might mean interesting architecture or innovative home improvements.

Share your #AllIslandsLife for your chance to win cool prizes

I’m sure if you know or live in this area, you probably feel the same about how special it is here. That’s why I invite you to share your Northwest Washington imagery with the All Islands Home Inspections community. Take your picture or video showing why you appreciate the region, and tag it with #AllIslandsLife on Twitter or Facebook

Those who tag their photos or videos with #AllIslandsLife will have a chance to win some fun prizes throughout the year. We’ll let you know more about this later in the month.

In the meantime, get snapping and posting!

Do you have questions or comments about home inspections? Go “All” in and let us know at @AIHomeInspect

Vinyl dryer ducting

While you can still purchase vinyl dryer ducting at most hardware stores, one of my personal “peeves” is to have it replaced with metal ducting, ideally smooth metal ducting.  Dryer lint is highly flammable and vinyl burns, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense- at least to me- to use vinyl dryer ducting.  Smooth metal is best because it doesn’t have corrugated folds that can catch lint and cause it to build up, but flexible metal is good if smooth metal isn’t practical.  I always recommend replacing vinyl dryer ducting when I see it.  This was noted at a recent home inspection in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

VIDEO: Install Chimney Cap / Rusted Flashings!

At a recent home inspection on San Juan Island, I discovered rusting/corroding flashing details at the chimney that should be further evaluated and repaired to help prevent potential leaks to the interior. Also, the installation of chimney caps is advised over open flues to prevent water intrusion which can reduce the life expectancy of masonry fireplaces. Finally, treating and removing organic growth from masonry is advised, together with applying a masonry sealant to properly maintain your exterior masonry elements.

VIDEO: Broken toilet valve

Testing a toilet at a recent home inspection on San Juan Island, I couldn’t get it to flush. So, I removed the tank lid and attempted to open the valve to verify it actually flushed. In this video, you see the valve/stopper basically come off in my hands, but it flushed! If your toilet valve is tight or non functional, it’s a pretty easy repair. Universal toilet valve repair kits are available at most hardware stores; if you have a specialty toilet, you can check with your plumbing contractor and/or search online for replacement parts. I like Amazon.com because I can get parts quickly shipped to my door.