No matter what your chosen career---there is a learning curve. In the trades when the boss tells the helper to go do something, the boss may assume that the helper knows more about the details of what he has been asked to do than he actually does. In some respects this accounts for how so many
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12/30/2010
It was 90 degrees along with 90% humidity---it might as well have been raining. It was August. Henry and his cousin were drenched in sweat from the stifling heat and their hard work in the haymow. Hay chaff stuck to their sweaty skin like salty sand at the beach---stinging like nettles. Sweat r
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12/26/2010
It seems this IS the season (Some would say the season with a reason) ---it’s likely true---even with none. The darkness of the shortest day (When too dark to stay out and play) ---fosters memories of the light that's on the way. Reflecting on the year is like a mirror (With the tipping of c
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12/24/2010
Key to understanding the whole "MOLD DEBACLE" is that "certified mold inspector" has virtually NO meaning. Now the average person would think that "certified" does or should mean something, but in fact trained professionals that are truly qualified to assess indoor air quality would never call
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12/22/2010
It is not uncommon to have curious neighbors show up at the inspection to welcome the new hopeful homeowner to the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods are just magical like that. Homeowners of close-knit neighborhoods don’t like to see homes sit vacant for long periods of time---and any interest i
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12/22/2010
I cannot play “holier than thou” when it comes to taking care of tools. I have always been really hard on tools of all kinds. I operated under the assumption that tools were made to use as hard a possible for whatever their intended purpose was---and then I would routinely invent several dozen
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12/20/2010
What is so special about Seattle? This is a question I get asked a surprising number of times every year. And it is not just directed at Seattle, but at the entire NW---GIVEN ALL THAT DAMN RAIN! It is asked, almost without exception, by people who have never been here. Everyone knows the o
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12/19/2010
The following picture is of a water heater that is doubling as the heater for domestic hot water (sinks, tubs etc) as well as the hot water for the heating system. These systems are VERY common in my area and Seattle Home Inspectors find them on a huge percentage of Townhouse type structures th
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12/18/2010
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