Know Your House

Being Dirty Can Cost You Money!

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:09:46 -0700

Your mother was right about keeping clean. But, was she thinking about parts of your air conditioner and furnace?

If your AC/furnace is dirty on the inside, it can cost you big bucks. You can pay higher monthly utility bills AND need to replace your system sooner than necessary.

Here's a normal, clean evaporator coil (below). All of the air in your central HVAC system passes through this coil. This coil provides the cooling for your house in the summer. If you have a heat pump, this coil provides most of the heating for your house in the winter.

Compare the coil above with the coil below. Notice the debris (dust, mold, hair, who-knows-what) on the coil below. All of the air in the house passes through this coil. That's the air we breathe! Yuck! How long can you hold your breath?

So, what do we need to do? We need our coils cleaned.

Can anybody do this? No, it's the job for a licensed HVAC technician. Some techs will spray a surface cleaner on the coils and wipe it off. That's generally NOT good enough to clean all of the debris that's down in the middle part of the coil. Most times the coil needs to be removed so that it can be cleaned effectively.

Now you know. So, get your coils cleaned and start saving some money! Tell 'em Tom sent you!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnayze.com

New Program may Sell Homes Faster

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:00:19 -0700

This new program may help generate sales for buyers and savy listing agents

FREE

Agent
Registration!

Sell Faster. Buy Smarter.
Certified Pre-Owned Listing.

http://news.inspectorsmart.com/c.asp?gDGnPpWq1Zmim0sE4Mw0WAH+eKEOikNNTiNG0HrqB8HA

This is a Buyer's Market .... Let CPOL give your
Sellers the Power of Calling the Shots!

Registration is free to all real estate agents! Why wait? Get registered today and have all your listings rated on our Certified Pre-Owned Listing program!

Certified Pre-Owned Listings. The faster way to sell your listings. When 20 or more homes are for sale in one neighborhood, how else will you ensure that your listing sells first?

Give your sellers the advantage, your buyers peace of mind and yourself satisfaction. Search the database for CPOL inspectors in your area, schedule your CPOL inspection and watch your traffic increase!

After your inspection has been conducted, you will be able to log in and print Summary Reports to leave for potential buyers touring the home for sale. These Summary Reports disclose to potential buyers the basic information of the home, any issues that are found remaining on the "as-is" list from the seller, any major defects they should budget for or which the seller has chosen to fix or pay for at closing and better prepare them for making an offer. These reports also offer third-party, unbiased views of the home.

Pre-listing inspection reports will help your sellers see their homes through the eyes of a critical, third-party, thus making sellers more realistic about their asking price! You no longer have to be the bearer of bad news!

Best of all, you can use Certified Pre-Owned Listing to eliminate wasted time and advertising budgets on homes that will never sell!.

•http://news.inspectorsmart.com/c.asp?1IpYIKDBWivh/VgYUzj9CwH+eKEOikNNTiNG0HrqB8HA•

Call from out of the Blue

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:05:31 -0700

I had a call last night from a broker from another state who was in a jam. He has a couple of condos at the coast that have mold and he needed solid information about what to do, FAST! He had tenants coming in a few weeks (staying for 5 months) and needed the condos clean, but also needed documentation for pending legal action. By 7:30 am today he had the info he needed. No charge. Just info. That's cool.

I was glad to help. Good things work their way around the circle, you know.

Tom

Reflections of a Buyers' Advocate

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 23:30:07 -0700

Some call me "picky." Others call me a "pain in the a**." One guys said he'd heard I was "The Home Inspector from Hell." Common thread here is that these folks are on the "selling" side of the real estate transaction.

Buyers say thing like, "He saved us from making a big mistake." Or "He saved our marriage," Or "He invented the Internet." (Just teasing on that last one. That was Al Gore, of course.)

Bottom line is, as a home inspector, I am an advocate for my client, the buyer. No offense to the selling agent, the listing agent and the home seller, but I don't care about the sale. I CAN'T care about the sale AND do my best job for my client, the buyer. I'm a hired gun... My 100% allegiance is to my boss, my client.

In 12 years of home inspecting sometimes its tempting to take shortcuts, not be so thorough. To combat this I play a little game. I pretend that my client is my cousin, daughter-in-law, uncle, or great aunt. Heck, I've got to do my best job for family! Keeps me sharp and focused.

Thought you'd like to know.

Tom

Was she crazy? Or slowly being poisoned? Another Home Mystery!

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:24:51 -0700

She didn't complain of headaches or any other of the more common carbon monoxide poisioning symptoms. She was just crazy. She acted like she'd a few too many, but it was too early in the day for that.

I almost dismissed her as another loopy homeowner until I saw the gray stains on the cabinets and the cookware in the pantry. That was my first hint...

Then, in the cabinet below, the black color on the under side of the pantry shelf was another hint.

And here's the culprit... a flue hood that doesn't quite fit over the exhaust opening atop the water heater.

It's enough to exhaust CO into the house. Wow! It's enough to make someone loopy!

Did she have a working CO detector? NO!

Did she have a working smoke detector? "Of course," she said. "What idiot wouldn't have a smoke detector?"

Of course, as I found out a few minutes later, it really should have batteries in it to be effective!

Be safe at home!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspectors

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Reminder: The end of Daylight Saving Time approaches. A good time to change (not just check) your smoke detector batteries!

It's Big! It's Wet! It's next to an airplane hanger. What is it?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:47:22 -0700

Fall is in the air down here in the Deep South! That mean cool mornings (65 degrees) and moderate days (80 degrees).

I started this morning atop an airplane hanger in Gulf Shores, Alabama as part of my due diligence inspection for a client. It's a tough life. What a beautiful day!

Now for the quiz...

What's this?

It was sitting outside of the hanger. Here's another clue...

I'll post the answer shortly.

Have a great fall.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

251-990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Roof Leaks on Commercial Buildings: A Mystery?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:08:39 -0700

Roof leaks can damage inventory, stop production and deteriorate building components, causing great frustration to building owners. In an effort to solve these problems as quickly as possible, it is easy to make erroneous assumptions. Here are some common misconceptions:

Purchasing a new roof system will stop all roof leaks.
Visual inspection determines the source of all roof leaks.
Spreading tar over a large roof area will stop the roof leak.
All flat roofs leak; trusses and shingles are needed.
Roof leaks are impossible to find and fix.
A new roofing system requires no maintenance.

Not all roof leaks are caused by a deteriorated waterproofing materials. Many other building components can leak. Vulnerable HVAC equipment, masonry walls, plumbing fixtures, condensation lines, skylight frames and metal fascia systems are often mis-diagnosed as roof leaks. The mystery is compounded by the fact that many leaks only show up in severe weather conditions (violent thunderstorms or freezing rain). Also, roof leaks can "travel" from the actual penetration point 40 or 50 feet before falling to the building interior. These many variables make leak investigation and repair a tricky process.

Repairs or Recomendations
Sometimes the water test research process reveals that upgrading the roof assembly is the only solution. Typical upgrades are a perimiter base flashing replacement, or roof drain installation.

Questions?

Drop me a line

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Inspectors

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

High Tech Windows Help Your AC

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:54:00 -0700

I found this great artcile about the relationship between window and air conditioning that I wanted to share. Here is an excerpt:

HVAC
Windows Pave Way For HVAC Innovation
High-performance glazings plus radiant heating and cooling can be a cost-effective combination

By Geoff McDonell

A high-performance glass unit offers superior thermal resistance (R or U value) and infinite variations in low-e coatings, tints and ultraviolet light control, along with solar energy control. High-performance glazing can reduce energy use, benefit lighting design and improve comfort. What's more, high-performance glazing can help reduce the size of the HVAC system.

So why aren't high-performance glazings more widely used? The main barrier is the long payback for the premium cost of the glazing. And that issue arises because virtually all HVAC systems in North America are conventional all-air heating and cooling systems, which must do two things: control space temperatures and ventilate space.

With an all-air system, high-performance glazing often shows a long payback period. The reason is that, no matter how well the glass performs, there is an infrastructure cost for all-air systems; they require a certain amount of equipment, building volume and servicing, no matter how efficient they are. Likewise, costs for energy use, maintenance and operations level out at a nearly base-cost level. After all, even on the most efficient all-air systems, filters need to be changed, fans and bearings need to be maintained, and controls on each terminal device need to be maintained.

For the last 20 years, European HVAC engineers and building designers have been using building mass with radiant cooling and heating and a high-performance building envelope to produce superior indoor comfort with very low energy use and minimal operating costs. The key is to decouple the cooling and heating functions from the ventilation function by using a hydronic-based radiant cooling and heating system.

The advantage of that approach is that, for heating and cooling, it takes a lot less energy, space and equipment to transport water around the building than it does air. What's more, with radiant heating and cooling, the air handling system simply has to provide 100 percent outdoor air for ventilation at a rate of 20 to 50 cfm/person or so at a relatively constant temperature to ensure good indoor air quality. Indoor pollutants are 100-percent exhausted using a general exhaust system serving point-source exhaust terminals at washrooms, photocopiers, and similar areas. An air-to-air heat exchanger may provide virtually energy-neutral ventilation in many climate zones.

The use of the high-performance glass allows enough daylight in to help reduce lighting loads and to eliminate the common interior and exterior thermal zones. And perimeter areas will not experience the transient heating and cooling loads associated with conventional glass units.

Follow this link for the full article:

http://www.facilitiesnet.com/bom/article.asp?id=1476&keywords=

Gallons of Water Crashing Down

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:03:14 -0700

Imagine 30-40 gallons of water over your head at this very minute; enough to fill a normal size water heater. One more drop and it'll be too heavy. One more drop and it will burst through the ceiling onto your desk, computer or sensitive electronic equipment.

The picture below is that nightmare. This is the bottom side of the metal roof of a metal building. The roof has been leaking since it was new. Not a lot. Maybe a few cups of water every time it rained. The water became trapped on top of the vinyl coating of the roof insulation. And the water stayed there. And more water came. And it stayed there.

Fortunately we found the problem before it became a catastrophe for the business owner. What's in your attic?

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Candles pretend to be Mold

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:33:49 -0700

Another recent inspection you might find interesting.

I received a call from a homeowner concerned about mold in their home. Their AC filters were turning black and there was black material around the HVAC registers in the ceiling. And, get this, there were black stains on the plastic liner of the dishwasher and the refrigerator and black stains on the plastic storage containers in the pantry.

After a THOROUGH inspection including an Internet search for "black stains on fabric" I reached the conclusion that it was the candles that the family burned regularly that were causing the black stains everywhere INCLUDING the dishwasher, the refrigerator and the Tupperware.

Funny thing... The homeowners admitted a mold allergy, but were not experiencing any symptoms.

Stop burning candles. Clean the AC system. Problem solved.

Whew! That was a good one!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Some Thoughts on a Pre-Listing Home Inspection

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:17:31 -0700

I am receiving more calls than ever before from home sellers wanting home inspections before they put their home on the market. Actually, even if I were not a home inspector I'd think that was a good idea.

Benefits

Full disclosure to the new homeowner. "We wanted to make sure everything was okay so we hired an independent third party professional to evaluate the condition of the home."
Avoid surprises right before closing: A last minute buyer's home inspection can uncover problems that can delay closing or even cause buyers to change their mind on a home purchase.
Avoid costly last minute repairs: If repairs are needed, the seller has time to get the best contractor for the job and maybe even get a lower price for the needed repair. Last minute repairs are a repair contractor's dream since he has the homeowner over a barrel time-wise.
Avoid substandard last minute repairs: See #3. Sometimes the right contractor is worth waiting for.
Clear conscience: The home seller can sell the house knowing that they did everything within reason to provide the new homeowner with a quality home.

So, whether you call em or a different home inspector, as a home seller it's a really good idea to get a pre-listing inspection.

Not sure? Ask your real estate agent. I'll bet he or she has an opinion.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Check Your AC!

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:02:30 -0700

I had a client this week call with an unusual problem. He had water flowing out of the bricks on his front porch! Wow! I mean, flowing out from under the front door threshold!! Now, I've seen a lot of weird stuff in 12 years of home inspecting, but never this

Not a plumbing leak as there was no plumbing in that area.

Not a roof leak, roof was intact and no problems observed.

What could it be?

As I walked into the house and down the front hall I noticed that the AC closet was near the front of the house. Instinct said, "Check under the AC." I listen to Instinct, he's been right a lot in the past.

Sure enough, there was about one inch of standing water in the return air plenum under the unit. And the float switch was not installed properly, so it was no help.

An inspection of an adjacent bedroom/home office revealed wet carpet in most of the room. The home owners generally had shoes on when they were in the room, so they never noticed the wet carpet.

I advised the homeowners to get professional help ASAP. The carpet needed to removed and dried. The slab needed to dry thoroughly and the laminate flooring in the hall may need to come up. Yuck!

But, now they know why there was water flowing out of the bricks!

Moral of this story: Have your AC serviced in the early spring and don't forget to put your bleach in the condensate line every month during the hot season. Oh, and get the AC guy to test your float switch. Don't have one? Get one! About $80 installed.

Putting things in perspective

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Mon, 21 May 2007 22:42:52 -0700

My wife and best friend of 30 years (wife for 28) is having surgery on Thursday. It fairly common "female" surgery, but the thought has caused me to reflect a bit more on our life together. Raising three boys together. Fixing to marry off one of them. Got one away at college. One more at home. Lots to be thankful for. It's a good life.

Vested Interest & Favorite Clients

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:55:09 -0700

I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful couple from Mississippi today. They were making a large purchase and found me through the ActiveRain network website.

We found the usual things: AC not working properly, improperly wired GFCI outlet in bath, clogged drain line at t/p valve pipe. Nothing fancy.

But they were so appreciative of my work. Wow! Did I come away from that inspection with more than a fee!

It was a good day!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

251-990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Clients for life? You never know!

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Thu, 03 May 2007 00:23:38 -0700

Today I had the pleasure to inspect a home for regular client. He's decided to move from one part of Baldwin County to another to be nearer his parents as they get older. I commend him for that!

In the past, I have inspected his parents' house, his personal house back then and the one today, and three large retail properties his family purchased. The retail properties are leased to national companies who's names you would recognize immediately.

He hung out with me for a while and finally got bored. A good home inspection on a good house is truly boring. If it's exciting, then it's always bad news for somebody.

I am honored that he would chose me, again. That made my day!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

251-990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

The bitterness of a cheap repair.

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 01 May 2007 23:42:55 -0700

I had a call today from a client I worked for several years ago. Back then, he was concerned about his house and asked me to take a look. I made several recommendations and actually recommended several qualified contractors. That was the last I heard of it... until today.

Apparently, he had listed and sold his house, only to have it fail a home inspection (by a different firm, not mine). Serious problems were found. He had a contractor review the problems. The contractor has recommended an extensive and expensive repair process. The home owner called me to confirm the contractor's findings and recommendation (smart move!).

Apparently, way back when, the home owner decided to hire a cheaper contractor than the ones I had recommended, and, you guessed it... he didn't even get what he paid for.

In fact, the repairs may have actually caused the conditions to worsen. I'll know more when I take a look again next week.

Why are we so tempted by a lower price? What ever happened to paying for quality and a job well done?

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

New homes and builders

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 01 May 2007 00:18:45 -0700

I had the pleasure today of inspecting a brand new home for a repeat client. I've Made several inspections for these folks over the years and have a pretty good feel for what they are concerned with.

The house is in a new Fairhope neighborhood near the new Walmart. The builder picked a nice floor plan and executed the construction with care... to a point.

Some kitchen ceramic floor tiles were a different color. Close, but probably a different lot # of the same stock #. Tile sub contractor admitted his mistake and promised to fix.

Closing the door between the kitchen and a hallway prevented the AC return air from getting any return. A grill could be added to the door, everyone agreed.

Of course wall & ceiling paint flaws would be touched up.

Everything was going well until the kitchen cabinets were inspected. The finish on the cabinet doors was beginning to flake off. Not just one or two doors, but most. Not just the kitchen, but the master bath as well. The builder was now very unhappy... and it was my fault.

I am sympathetic to his plight. He has a lot at risk and thousands of details to square away to build a house on spec. But, it's my clients who will be living there for the rest of their lives (they hope). They deserve the house they are paying for. If ever a house should be perfect, it's the day before they move in.

So, again, somebody doesn't like me. But, hey, I just looking out for my clients. That's my job.

Oh, and my clients were thrilled and felt very looked-after.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

http://www.inspecttestanalyze.com/

Are You a Good Shingle, or a Bad Shingle?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 21:03:00 -0700

My apologies to the Wizard of Oz for stealing one of the Munchins' famous lines as they ask Dorothy, "Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

So... Which of these shingles is good? That is, which is installed properly?

Look closely. Notice the nail head in the second picture. See how the head is slanted... the nail was not driven in straight and has cut the shingle slightly. Believe it or not, this slanted nail has voided the warranty on the shingle from the shingle manufacturer. Wow! A cut shingle is more susceptible to blow off.

But...

The shingle in the first picture is not right either. See the shiny back stripe that runs from left to right on the shingle just below the nail head. That stripe is called the "tar strip" and it actually bonds itself to the overlapping shingle to prevent blow off in high winds. AND, the nail is supposed to right in the middle of the tar strip. No nail in tar strip, no correct installation!

Not sure about your roof? Call me!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Can't you feel the cool breezes?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:56:44 -0700

Ready for a backyard project that adds value to your home. How about a grand pergola like this one? It adds shade and creates a great outdoor living space.

This one was at a home I inspected last summer and was so impressed that I took far too many pictures of it. I know my clients are enjoying it now!

Looks like a great weekend project!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Can you find the problem?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:36:06 -0700

What's the problem with this electrical box? It is a sub panel in a detached workshop built in the last five years? There is no welding equipment or air compressors. Nothing that requires special wiring. Just electrical outlets, lights and switches.

Actually, since it is an outbuilding, there may be two problems.

What do you think?

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

A foundation built on sand?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:36:05 -0700

I had the pleasure to inspect this house a few weeks ago for a fabulous client.

It was built in 1902 and has been remodeled several times over the years.

Of the many issue the house had, one of the most interesting was a problem with the mortar between the bricks in the pier foundation. The mortar was turning back into sand.

Several of the piers had actually failed due to this condition. Have you seen this before?

Tom Sinclair

Abou the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Do I have a screw loose?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:43:39 -0700

Sometimes, as in real life, a loose screw can really be a problem. Like the third screw in the picture above, a loose screw can really foul things up. In life, a loose screw can lead a disturbed student to take lives. In houses, it can lead to a roof leak. I'll take the roof leak anyday!

And like the roof leak above, a loose screw can turn one's insides black and very unhealthly.

Do something nice for a stranger today. Help them keep their screw tight!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Late Friday Afternoon Project?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:03:29 -0700

You just got to wonder when they noticed and who noticed first.

Was it the bricklayer himself or his boss? Maybe it was the homeowner in a panic. I bet the local code building inspector had a headache with this one.

I actually inspected this house (at an undisclosed location in southern Alabama). It's this type of work that gives builder a bad name.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

When is a New Roof, a Bad Roof?

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:10:20 -0700

Here in Baldwin County, Alabama, we have put lots of new roofs on houses since Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I mean, LOTS OF ROOFS!

As with anything, when we do lots of them in a hurry, we tend to make mistakes. And maybe we take a shortcut or two... or three!

Common mistakes include

Mistake #1- Not installing the "starter course" of shingles properly. Heck, the instructions are written on each bundle of shingles. Why is it so hard? A wrong starter course can lead to easy blow off in high winds!

Mistake #2- Not using enough nails in each shingle. Most shingles require four. Some local building codes require six! Not using enough nails can lead to easy blow off in high winds!

Mistake #3 - Not placing the nails in the proper location in the shingle. Nails need to go in the middle of the tar strip (check the shingle package!). Improper nail placement can lead to easy blow off in high winds!

"Easy blow off in high winds!" Sounds like trouble to me. The house above suffered nearly complete roof loss due to blow off.

Sooner or later the insurance companies are going to catch on and stop paying claims on roofs that were not properly installed.

Have a question about a roof? Call or write.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com

Preparing for a Home Inspection... The Wrong Way

Tom Sinclair (About the House - Home Inspections) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:51:29 -0700

Here's the scenario...

The homeowner's calendar says 9 am - home inspection. "No, problem," he thinks. "I'll just go into work a little late. Maybe about 10 o'clock. After all, how long can a home inspection take? The inspector will walk around and see right away what a great house we have. I'm happy to fix anything he finds"

Two or three hours later, the homeowner is frustrated and angry that the inspector is taking so long and being so picky. "My roof is NOT leaking. Look, do you see any stains in the ceiling. My AC worked fine last summer. What possible damage could a loose toilet do? We don't even use that bathroom. I feel insulted"

And the homeowner's willingness to make repairs becomes diminished by his hurt feelings and unmet expectations.

How can this be prevented?