Open holes in areas of sheetrock walls or ceilings that connect the home to the garage must be sealed for fire safety reasons. The sheetrock walls and ceilings separating the home and garage are considered a fire separation barrier, that must be maintained for safety reasons in the instance of a fire. The fire separation barrier, in case of a fire, would slow down the fire’s progress throughout the home and allow for less damage (before firemen can put it out).
Is your exterior paint bubbling? This is a relatively common occurrence, causing exterior paint to lose its adhesive grip on the underlying siding or paint layers and “bubble.” It’s most commonly caused by either underlying entrapped moisture between the siding and paint trying to escape or off-gas (i.e., the paint was applied when moisture levels were too high) or incompatible paint applied over older paint layers preventing chemical adhesion. Ultimately, the bubbles will burst and crack, rendering these areas unprotected, not to mention “bubbled” paint isn’t sightly. Good news, it’s not that hard to repair (unless the whole home is “bubbling,” then it’s a bigger job for sure).
Did some mishap during the installation of your deck’s stair system cause one (1) or more of your steps to be uneven in step height? This can definitely be a tripping hazard and should be addressed for safety reasons.
For this reason, I recommend further evaluation and repair by a qualified contractor.
Knob-and-tube (K&T) wiring was at its peak in popularity between the years 1880 and 1930/40, serving buildings the best way available at the time (it is now obsolete). K&T wiring is not inherently dangerous in itself, but hazards can arise from handyman modifications and insulation enveloping these wires over time.
K&T wiring is not grounded, so it cannot serve 3-pronged appliances/outlets. This type of wiring is not available for new construction, but is not required to be removed in older construction either. This being said, I personally recommend you remove K&T wiring and have it further inspected by a qualified electrician to be on the safe side.
April was the second month in an early Roman calendar, but became the fourth when the ancient Romans started using January as the first month.
Arbor Day is a day for planting trees, and it is observed on various April days.
April is Humor Month, so laugh it up!
Properly caring for wood shake roofing is essential—and not as difficult as you think. Recently, I came across wood shake roof coverings in Skagit County in need of some TLC.
I considered the wood shake roof coverings on this house as being in marginal-to-poor condition, evidenced by a substantial deterioration of wood shakes. As a result, I advised likely replacement of these roof coverings by a qualified roofing contractor.
To learn more about wood shake roof coverings, and how to care for them, check out the video in this post.
If you have questions or comments about roofing systems or home inspections in general, tweet me (@AIHomeInspect).
Foundation/crawlspace vents have covers that really should be removed entirely for proper ventilation. In fact, I strongly advocate against installing vent covers at all. Ventilation is absolutely critical to maintaining proper humidity levels in the crawl space under the home and to prevent moisture and insect damage.
I recommend keeping crawl space vents open all year, provided the water supply pipes in the crawl space are properly insulated. For more information on foundation/crawlspace vents please check out this YouTube video I made several years ago on the topic:
January is named after the Roman god of doors, Janus, because this month is the door to the year.
The Chinese floral emblem of January is the plum blossom.
January is National Soup Month in the United States.
The ancestor of the modern chainsaw was invented to facilitate childbirth.
The modern chainsaw was invented in 1929.
The strongest single user chainsaw has a 121.6cc engine.
On Saturdays throughout the year, I hope to give you a peek of what I see as a home inspector traveling around San Juan, Island, Whatcom, and Skagit counties through photos and videos I’ve taken along the way.
I’m sure if you know or live in Northwest Washington, you probably feel the same about how special it is here. That’s why I invite you to share your Northwest Washington imagery! Simply take your picture or video showing why you appreciate the region, and tag it with #AllIslandsLife on Twitter or Facebook.
If you have questions or comments about home inspections in general, tweet me (@AIHomeInspect).