The rain has arrived, for those of us that have procrastinated (yes we Home Inspectors are guilty too) its time to take a look at your exterior caulking. Siding seams, window frames, wall penetrations, etc. should all be well sealed to avoid moisture intrusion and water damage, but be careful, there are some areas that…

I’ve been hearing more and more horror stories from folks getting burned by contractors and feel obligated to speak up. There are a lot of new contractors out there trying to take advantage of the uptick in building activity and some of them may not quite be ready or prepared for the task and some…

A common problem we find with houses both old and new is moisture damage at the ends of exterior trim pieces. Commonly people buy trim pieces that are “primed” and ready for paint, but then they cut the pieces to length exposing unsealed wood and fail to prime and paint the now exposed saw cut…

This post is going to be significantly longer than my normal posts, but I encourage you to read it through. A couple of weeks ago I had a humbling and enlightening experience. It was about 11:30 PM and I was catching up on some work, my family had gone to bed and I was in…

The Oregon CCB sent an email today reminding people to verify their home inspectors and contractor’s credentials.   First you can check the license numbers for validity on the CCB website, then you can ask the contractor’s RMI (Responsible Managing Individual) to see his contractor’s card and identification.   When in doubt, call the Oregon…