Yesterday I returned from my annual 3 day vacation. We go to the water and I merely float all day amid crashing waves. Far enough out to not get crashed, but to excite the lifeguard, I do absolutely nothing but think.
We stay at a little boutique hotel, family run, with a kitchenette and a door and patio to the beach. We have to reserve it well in advance.
One other thing I do while there is talk with people. I talk to everybody. I speak with the employees. I speak with the owners. And I find out stuff.
Sometimes I have advice. For instance, I asked the cleaning staff what the worst part of their job is. It was always cleaning the back splashes to the sinks and wall grout in the showers. I have asked the owner what the most frequent repairs they have to make are. It was the bath sinks overflowing when the pop up drains don't work well. Hearing that I told him the other part of that problem having sinks without overflow holes built in. He said he did not know they made such a sink!
I suggested some solutions to what the cleaning lady and he had to say. Granite counter tops, sinks without pop up drains and overflow holes, and large shower tiles that are easy to clean.
This year I noticed the bathroom sinks had changed!
First, there are granite counter tops!
No more cleaning the goop!
There are no pop up drains that renters could break and clog!
And an overflow drain! That's a couple of problems solved!
And large shower tiles!
Okay, they are cheap floor tiles, but large nonetheless!
Certainly, one thing you can't suggest is the contractor!
I noticed that they put the new tile over the old!
They started at the outside edge and worked toward the corner with the tiles.
And then from the corner working toward the other corner. In the end, that technique didn't look too bad, but the tiles are not centered.
And completely buried the shower tubing behind the tile.
Unfortunately not only that, but they used the improper tile at the edge.
On this edge it would be a more finished (and professional) look to see a bull-nose, or rounded, edge.
Then they filled the gap at the edge with caulking.
Not terribly pretty!
And not very professional.
But at least their previous problems seem solved, at least for now!
Hey, a home inspector who is not one on vacation may not be a home inspector after all!
I drive through neighborhoods and look at houses.
I stay in hotels and have a look around. When we had an AR Camp in Atlantic City I even found a roof leak over the conference room where the meetings were held! My thermal camera said it was active!
Vacation is time to sharpen the saw and I guess I do, but in a different way!
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