Contributors Page
Contact Me: helmhomeinspection@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.helmhomeinspections.com
As a licensed General Contractor, I chose to take advantage of my experience by becoming a formally trained Residential Home Inspector. Trained through the 160 hour Residential Home Inspection Program at the Bellingham Technical College, the only HI program that is part of the State College System, holding courses at community and technical colleges around the state. I am licensed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture as a Structural Pest Inspector. My extensive knowledge of structures prompted the Bellingham Technical College to invite me to teach structural issues in their course. I started my business, Helm Home Inspections shortly after completing the course. I carry General Liability and Errors and Omissions Insurance. I am a member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI). I do very thorough and comprehensive inspections, computerized reports with digital photos, but most importantly, because of my experience and maturity, put all issues in their proper perspective. I am especially good with first time buyers who tend to be nervous about their large investment. Experienced buyers also appreciate my thorough, common sense reporting style.
Helm Home Inspections is now available seven days a week!
And as has always been my policy, I am still available for questions 24/7. I am always available to my clients. There is no question too minor. The only bad question is the unasked one.
For a look at a sample report please go to: http://www.reporthost.com/helmhome/Cindy928
Sometimes people want to know more about a person than just their professional profile. With this in mind I would like to list some of my interests and passions. All my life I have been an avid reader. I always have at least three books going at a time, on a wide range of subjects. I love cross country skiing and spend New Years every year in the cross country mecca of Mazama, Washington, where there is always excellent snow and over 200 miles of trails. Another passion is gardening, both perennial and vegetable. Working with wood has been a life long passion. I carve masks in the Northwest Coast Indian style using modern versions of very traditional carving tools (adzes and crooked knives). Recently, I made my first piece of furniture, a NW BigLeaf Maple coffee table that now sits in our living room. I love older homes, especially, but not limited to, Craftsman style, and have completely remodeled our 1920s farmhouse in the Craftsman style. I've been a cook for over fifty years and love that (along with the eating). Lastly spending time with the grandchildren (currently 4 boys and a girl!) is way more fun than I ever imagined it would be.
License and Certification Numbers:
Washington Dept. of Agriculture Licensed Structural Pest Inspector #69844
National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) #05032996
National Association of Residential Real Estate Professionals #201376
Testimonials:
See what Northwest Washington home buyers have to say about the home inspection and report from David Helm, Helm Home Inspections, Bellingham and Whatcom County Washington (http://www.helmhomeinspections.com)
"I will be sure to refer ANYONE I can think of to you. I was very pleased with the thoroughness of your inspection. I have been addressing many of the items you identified and feel like I am on top of things."
R. Murray, Bellingham, Wa.
"Great report; thanks a lot. Only problem is that now I'm worried about what another competent inspector will find when examining the house I'm going to sell."
J. Goddard, Birch Bay, Wa.
"David, thanks for the newsletter; nice color and layout. And by the way, you did a great job for my mother on her old home inspection. The house sold, no problems; I am told the purchaser really liked the detail of your inspection. Keep me on the newsletter mailing list; it has some great tips for homeowners. Again, you did a great job; fast and accurate."
P. Elvig, Everett, Wa.
"David, Both Robbyn and I are very impressed with the thoroughness and professional presentation of your inspection. Thanks for all your efforts."
M. Bennett, Bellingham, Wa.
"David, Thanks a lot for the very complete report with photos. We really appreciate the photos since we couldn't be there to see for ourselves."
S. Webster, Bellingham, Wa.
"Mr. Helm: I visited this house over the past weekend (along with my architect father who says that your report is the best he has seen). Having read your report, there were no surprises for me."
M. Gropp, Brussels, Belgium
"Thank you David! It looks thorough and we really appreciate working with you. See you at the house warming."
T. McHugh, Deming, Wa.
My Posts
Foreclosure Inspections
Many Realtors and Mortgage brokers have written articles on short sales and foreclosures. One point the haven’t touched on is what is necessary to prepare a foreclosed home for inspection. When banks own the home they often (usually) have them winterized and often allow propane tanks to empty. Other utilities are usually left on. It is understandable that they would want to protect... [Read more]
Another Potential Fire
Why do home inspectors enter attics? There are many things for the inspector to check in the attic including ventilation, insulation, wiring, plumbing pipes, termination of bathroom vent fans, moisture levels and the picture shown below. No Clearance This photo shows a B-vent pipe (in this instance, a chimney for a free standing natural gas stove). The requirement for B-vent clearance... [Read more]
Fire Waiting to Happen
This post is about solid fuel burning appliances and potential chimney fires. Solid fuel appliances are usually wood burning fireplaces or stoves, including inserts. The chimney serving these appliances should be cleaned every year. The picture below shows a chimney with major creosote buildup. The very next fire in the stove could be the one to set off a chimney fire; and chimney fires often... [Read more]
Composition Siding: LP and others
There has been a lot of controversy regarding composition wood fiber siding. Many brands of this type of siding by different manufacturers are known to deteriorate and/or fail prematurely due to moisture penetration. Failure is typically visible in the form of swelling, cracking and delamination, especially at the bottom edges. Class action lawsuits have been filed or are being filed against most... [Read more]
No Support!
I have done a few blogs on this site about various things that are found on home inspections. This one is structural. We inspectors spend a lot of time in crawl spaces, looking at many things. One common one is caused by plumbers and HVAC technicians. This isn’t to badmouth them. They have their job to do and may not know about how structures are supported. Massive cut The... [Read more]
Crawl Space Ventilation
The purpose of crawl space ventilation is to keep the moisture/humidity level in the space at as low a level as possible. This is important because wood destroying organisms thrive in moist environments. Anobiid beetles (most common and most destructive wood eating insect in Western Washington) for instance, thrive in a wood moisture level as low as 13%. An unventilated, or inadequately ventilated... [Read more]
Pest Inspection: What is it and what does it cover?
Back in the early days of home inspections all that was done was called a pest inspection. These days, a home inspection is much more comprehensive, covering grounds, structure, roof, crawl space/basement, all systems and of course, pests. The term for pests is Wood Destroying Organisms (WDO). This is a state mandated term that covers very specific things. A WDO inspection searches for evidence... [Read more]
What’s That Beautiful Green Stuff on my Roof?
In the wet Northwest, we sometimes get things that other parts of the country seldom see. In this case, the beautiful green stuff is moss; and it is not beautiful on a roof. Moss growth on a roof causes several problems and is considered a “conducive condition” for wood destroying organisms. Moss growth can cause roofing nails to lift, hold moisture against the roof and ultimately... [Read more]
What Is It? and What’s the Difference
The following pictures are of three different siding materials that look quite a bit alike. Knowing what each is and the pros and cons of each may be important when you purchase that next home. Cement Asbestos Siding Asphalt Shingle Siding Striated Cedar Siding As you can see, each of these siding materials are similar. The top, cement asbestos has been given a bad rap. Asbestos... [Read more]
Noxious Weeds
Most exotic garden plants are not particularly problematic. The majority of garden plants do come from elsewhere in the world. Some of them, because of their invasive nature, become a serious problem for the well being of native plants when the spread to wild areas. One of the main ways they escape gardens is as seeds in the belly of birds. Some of these invasive, noxious plants in the state... [Read more]
