Do your friends know more than you or the people you hire? Ever heard one of them say, "Oh, yeah, I read about [insert subject] on the Internet" or "Yeah, my friend said...."? Ever heard of the "last man in theory," what I call LAMITH? Here's a picture to illustrate this simple, yet often disastrous, theory:

One of the very first home inspections I did back in 2001 was on the property where I found this beautiful structure on the roof. Having been a roofing contractor back in Texas many moons ago, I knew that underneath that garbage bag was a turbine vent. The Sellers had just had a new roof installed two years ago, with a 10-year warranty. The roofing contractor (correctly) told the sellers that better attic ventilation would make the roof last longer, so two turbine vents were installed.

As soon as the roofers left, neighbors stopped by to tell them that their heating and cooling bills would go up because there was more air flow in the attic. No one bothered to look in the attic to see that it had a foot of insulation in it (R value of 35-40). Proper ventilation of the attic will prolong the life expectancy of the roof.

On this one, I recommended that the roof be replaced because it was past its uesful life. The Sellers' Realtor used many four-letter words to describe me and my work since she had a copy of the work receipt and roof warranty. I stuck by my advice, so my Clients had a roofing contractor look at the property. He confirmed my opinion, so the Sellers called their roofing contractor who also confirmed my opinion. When he was presented with the receipt for the work he had done two years ago, he politely told them that neither he nor the manufacturer could honor the warranty because someone had covered the vents, thereby burning up the roof. Sellers ultimately agreed to put a new roof on the house.

Moral: Don't let the last man in give you advice if you already paid a professional for the same advice. If you doubt the professional's advice, get a second opinion from another professional.

By the way, I created the acronym LAMITH because quite often the words of the last man in truly is "la myth."

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