Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

Sorry for the cliched title.  But if the shoe fits, wear it.  There I go again.  Sorry.  But really, beauty is only skin deep.

A couple of years ago the deck was sagging.  It was getting old.  So, wisely, the female homeowner hired a professional company to rework the underside supports, stabilizing the old girl, and add new decking to the topside.

That is a smart plan and a proactive homeowner.

The professional company also suggested that she let them add the decorative lattice work all around.  They also added a black mesh all around so nobody could see under the deck!

And they nailed it on everywhere.

That will secure it so that not only is it pretty, but animals would be less likely to go underneath and make a home.

That also made it harder for the home inspector to get under there to check their work too.

But alas (and alack) he did.

Carefully removing the small nails holding the lattice into place, he was able to bend back an edge enough to get underneath.

THE UNDER SUPPORT IS VERY IMPORTANT YOU KNOW.

I can see from the construction that there will be a very important beam resting on a very important column right under my very cute blue spot.  (I'm a regular Rembrandt...)

And there it is!  Just as I suspected!

It seems the original column was cut in favor of the new arrangement.

The arrangement left by the professional company, hired to rework the underside supports, stabilizing the old girl.

Well, you remember.

Is that great or what?

Now that is a real, um, arrangement!

Do you see what I see?

1.  The original column was a necessary 6x6" and buried in the soil.

2.  It was replaced with a 4x4", which is an improper dimension.

3.  That 4x4 rests on a concrete block, merely stuck in the soil.

4.  It is barely toe nailed into the beam it "supports."  Well, at least they used two nails.

5.  The clever, what shall we call it, COMBO SUPPORT, made up of the rest of the cut off, former 6x6" column, a concrete block and a 2x4, all resting flat but, you can see, not touching the underside of the beam.  I'm not sure which was intended to be the final support - the classy column or the combo support!

6.  That beam is merely nailed at a 90 degree angle to another beam, under my blue spot!  Cute, by any measure.

I thought it deserved a closer look!  ------->

This kind of thing really zips me off!  This lady got ripped off. 

I want to be present when they come back to the house to give her money back! 

This is pathetic.  And it wasn't the only combo support!

It was a few years ago though, so the likelihood she has any claim at all is pretty slim.

She is being relocated and the relo company sent out two home inspectors.  She told me she fixed everything on their list.  "What was that?"

"The rear hose was dripping."

AMONG the things I found include:  two bathroom GFIs which turn off lights but not receptacles; a whirlpool without GFI protection; a sub panel wired incorrectly; a rusted panel box in the bathroom; severe water intrusion in the crawl space; that water had shifted soil such that it is pushing a concrete block support column under the main support beam almost to failure; approximately half the insulation under the floor fallen onto the soil and ruined; a separated furnace vent - well it was amazing.  That's not the entire list!

This lady has been taken and taken and taken.  It is disgusting.  I felt very badly at this inspection.  And I set this seller up with some really good people to take care of her needs.  That's usually beyond the scope of what I do, but NOT in this case.

My recommendation:  we are in a service business.  It is important that those we serve are served well.  And remember the Golden Rule.