On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 11:33:59PM -0500, David Scheidt wrote:
> tilling
> plumbing
> wiring
> window and door installs
> ceiling fans
> structural work
> siding
> roofing
> painting
> cleaning the gutters.
> ...
> The reasons given are "trust the professionals"
There's a show on TV called "Holmes on Homes" that tends to call that mantra
into question. Each episode features a botched renovation ostensibly
performed by professionals who didn't know what they were doing[1]. Improper
tiling, plumbing, window installs, roofing, dangerous structural changes...in
fact pretty much everything on that list has been featured at one time or
another.
The moral of the show is to make sure the proper inspections are performed
but inspectors can't/won't find everything. For example, a city inspector
isn't
going to verify that the proper thinset mortar was used on a tile job or that
stucco was applied correctly. So the not-so-hidden message seems to be that
the
homeowner needs to know how to properly do these jobs (even if they're being
contracted out) in order to recognize problems early.
[1] There are two sides to every story and it's unfortunate the show doesn't
interview said contractors to get their side. Perhaps the homeowner placed
unreasonable constraints on the job that forced corners to be cut. But most
of the blunders were clearly due to incompetence or negligence (ie. cutting
through joists to run HVAC or plumbing).
J
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