Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Page 265 of 266 - Home Inspections in the Seattle Area

November 7, 2010 by Charles Buell Leave a Comment

Another kind of hangover!

In the Northwest it is very common to see decorative corbels supporting the roof overhangs on homes.

Because these elements stick past the roof structure the tops are often very vulnerable to decay/rot. Usually paint alone is not enough to adequately protect these surfaces and because they are not visible from the ground usually, they can end up with significant decay/rot before it is noticed.

As an improvement these protrusions can be flashed with metal caps to better protect them.

Flashed corbel — Nicely flashed Corbel with additional end cap

Your home inspector should be checking these corbels for decay during the roof inspection.

November 4, 2010 by Charles Buell 3 Comments

Clogged sink drains

Sometimes sink drains get clogged and drain slow. If you have plastic-type trap connections to the drain, you can tell if the trap part is clogged without taking it apart. Simply hold a strong flashlight against the side of the drain and you will be able to see right through the drain almost.

Here are a couple of pictures that show what debris inside the trap connections looks like.

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

October 31, 2010 by Charles Buell Leave a Comment

Drinking the Kool-Aid.

All of our parents fed us Kool-Aid

Our grandparents fed our parents Kool-Aid

Our great grandparents fed our grandparents Kool-Aid.

All of us will feed our children Kool-Aid.

Our children will feed their children Kool-Aid

Our children’s children will be feed their children Kool-Aid.

Even before they knew what to call it, parents have given their kids Kool-Aid.

Eventually they named it, “Kool-Aid”

The packaging has changed over the years

It comes in all kinds of flavors

It comes in a rainbow of colors

It can even be disguised as Jell-O

And Popsicles.

Some parents are careful how much sugar they add

Some parents think too much sugar is OK

All the same, it is still Kool-Aid.

Everybody thinks that their particular flavor is the best.

Some people change flavors and colors.

Everybody loves their Kool-Aid.

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My WORDLESS WEDNESDAY pictures and some selected POEMS & STORIES.

Mary Lee

Thank you so much Charlie--- I am so glad I had you to do this inspection-- you did an excellent job and discovered things I would never have thought of and I so appreciate your expertise. I feel so much more confident going into this purchase knowing exactly what's going on. Thanks so much.

Mary Lee

Zan Murzello

Charlie, I would like to once again thank you very much for your outstanding work on the inspection of the xxxxx Street house on our behalf. Our expectations of the inspection you performed were exceeded. The detail and quality of your report will be used by us as a goal for other inspectors we have the chance to do business with in the future. I can not imagine that there was a single thing you didn't cover! We will use your report as guidelines on what we need to do immediately to the house, over the course of the next 6 months as well as ongoing maintenance. Your added background information and photos not only illustrated the issue but educated us as to the correction. Your willingness to share your impressions and knowledge via phone was greatly appreciated. We both feel this was the best money we could have spent! Please feel free to use my name and have any potential customers contact me for a reference. I am more than happy to tell them what a professional, knowledgeable, thorough inspector your are! Thank you for your outstanding work!

Zan Murzello

Jeff Heiss

How does Charlie, a Seattle inspector, support a home buyer all the way in Pennsylvania? Because of Charlie’s blog, a Pennsylvania home buyer located Charlie online. Charlie reviewed five sample reports from Pennsylvania that were provided by the buyer. Charlie provided his thoughts on the reports and suggested which report was the best. Charlie’s reports are amazing. Does your candidate home inspector use a thermal camera? Charlie is a phenomenal inspector. Selecting a home inspector in Seattle is a no brainer.

Jeff Heiss

Duyen Bui

Hi Charlie,
I hope you are doing well!
We closed on the house yesterday and have the keys. Now it's time to embark on the remodeling to make the lower level a proper ADU. We value your opinion, and wanted to know if you can refer us to any good contractors for our remodel?
Thank you for all the work you did for us on this purchase and for educating us well. Your high standards and appreciation for quality helped us feel more confident about what we got ourselves into.
Regards,
Duyen
***************
Thanks for the referrals, Charlie!
You are welcome to add my comments to your website, and I will gladly be a reference if anyone ever asks! It was pleasure working with you—almost makes me want to buy another house just to have you come inspect it for us. :-)
Duyen

Glenn Soja & Leah Mitchell

After finding a house that we loved, we had to finalize the details for the sale. For the inspection process we chose Charles Buell Inspections since our friends spoke highly of him. Dealing with the stress of making the biggest purchase of our lives, Charles' calm demeanor and thorough examination of the house and lot put our minds at ease. We felt confident that all of the negative and positive aspects of the home were brought to our attention on sight. Twenty-four hours later we received a detailed 84 page summary of his findings which included pictures to clarify the issues being discussed. We were impressed! In fact this inspection report has been almost like a homeowner's manual, which we've used while updating our home. We have now used Charles for both our home and business inspections, and would definitely use him again in the future!

Glenn Soja & Leah Mitchell

Eric

Thank you Charlie! I am amazed at the thorough and high quality work that you do. It's a bargain for what you charge. I'll be using your services again when I find a house that will work for me. The other home inspection reports that I've seen are no comparison to your work. They had one-tenth of the information that your report supplied me for the home I was thinking about purchasing. The other reports pointed out problems, but said little more than "you should have a professional evaluate this." Isn't that why you hire an inspector? I got a professional the first time around with your inspection!

Eric

Mary & Rob Anderson

Hi Charlie!
First, let me thank you on behalf of both Rob and myself for a professional and outstanding job! The report was long, but easy to read and we have learned a lot about our future home from your findings.
Thank you SO much! Please feel free to use us as references.
Kindly,

Mary & Rob Anderson