We had a question yesterday about shingles – that is, applying shingles to the side of a structure. In this area, due to the heavy rainfall, one of the requirements for shingles is that it has what we call a “capillary break.” That’s a fancy…

We’re starting to get the message out there that permits are needed for any new construction, even in “the country,” as some folks call the unincorporated areas. But our staff have noticed some confusion or mis-information about placing pre-built structures, including the (false) belief that…

One of the challenges our building inspectors face is that some folks confuse our building inspectors with home inspectors. What's the difference? A home inspector is usually involved at the onset of a real estate transaction. They are usually hired by a potential purchaser to…

Earlier this year one of our inspectors was on site with a client to discuss a fairly simple project, but the visit identified a problem with the plan to shingle the roof. The roof, a simple single-plane sloping structure (“barn dormer” in building lingo) had…

Every now and then, we field a question from a builder that requires a little more digging before we can give an answer. Earlier this year, one of our inspectors fielded such a question about a common practice: building a cantilever on a deck, such…