If you are going to do a job, at least try to do it right.

[swimmer_spe]

I have been in my new home since the beginning of December. I was smart and had a home inspection done. It did identify some things. However, the longer I live here, the more shoddy work I have found. Whether it be an undersized water tank, or non pressure treated wood, or the fact that things are not even finished off nicely.

Please, if you do the work yourself, or if you hire someone to do it for, please, at least do it right.

 

[billshack]

I have been in my new home since the beginning of December. I was smart and had a home inspection done. It did identify some things. However, the longer I live here, the more shoddy work I have found. Whether it be an undersized water tank, or non pressure treated wood, or the fact that things are not even finished off nicely.

Please, if you do the work yourself, or if you hire someone to do it for, please, at least do it right.

A lot of times when you give the owner to price to do it right he balks,

 

[ctviggen]

We bought a house built in 1998. It's a McMansion. The builder was bad. Many of the window casings rotted, because they used wood trim, but cut the ends and never primed them. We've had to replace many windows (also low end) due to this, and all 4 doors have to be replaced either due to similar issues or leaking under the door.

 

[Trailrider]

My farm house is 100 years old and I never stop finding crazy bad work. For example when I had my soffits and gutters replaced (hired a guttering co to do that) we found that old painted reused and useless fence boards were used instead of new lumber. When in doubt the previous owners just covered up problems instead of fixing them. I’ve got my work cut out for me here!

 

[Rusty]

We bought our house built in 1910 3 years ago. The idiot who built the deck a few years ago, mixed regular lumber with treated. Of course, the untreated is starting to rot, so I am replacing it.

 

[Trailrider]

We bought our house built in 1910 3 years ago. The idiot who built the deck a few years ago, mixed regular lumber with treated. Of course, the untreated is starting to rot, so I am replacing it.

Fully understand. I never Know what I will find but I know it will be something to cause me headaches. Every single light switch, outlet or door or window trim is not level. And every single one is sloped lower on the left side. Did the homeowner have one leg shorter than the other....and didn’t own a level?

 

[swimmer_spe]

We bought our house built in 1910 3 years ago. The idiot who built the deck a few years ago, mixed regular lumber with treated. Of course, the untreated is starting to rot, so I am replacing it.

What about using the wrong ones all together? Supposed to use 6x6, and used 4x4 posts. Some weren't even touching the deck blocks. So, now I get the fun in the spring of fixing them. These parts look newer than the rest of the deck. In a few years, we plan on building an addition. At that time, the deck will be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. Till then, I will fix what is needed to keep it safe.

 

[bud16415]

What about using the wrong ones all together? Supposed to use 6x6, and used 4x4 posts. Some weren't even touching the deck blocks. So, now I get the fun in the spring of fixing them. These parts look newer than the rest of the deck. In a few years, we plan on building an addition. At that time, the deck will be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. Till then, I will fix what is needed to keep it safe.

I have about 10,000 pounds on my 12’x16’ deck, posts and they are only 4x4’s. It has a lot to do with how long the posts are and what the spacing is.

 

[swimmer_spe]

I have about 10,000 pounds on my 12’x16’ deck, posts and they are only 4x4’s. It has a lot to do with how long the posts are and what the spacing is.

Here, this deck should be using 6x6s as per building code. It likely is fine on 4x4s, but that would not be good if a permit was needed for anything.

 

[Jeff Handy]

I have about 10,000 pounds on my 12’x16’ deck, posts and they are only 4x4’s. It has a lot to do with how long the posts are and what the spacing is.

And posts can be total garbage wood “peelers” or can be heartwood, rock solid center growth, no knots.

 

[farmkid]

My house is of the split foyer type, where the front door opens onto a landing between the upper and lower floors. We always hated the small area there and decided push out the front wall there a few feet and add on an entryway as part of a siding/roof replacement project a few years ago. The trusses sit on a header the full width of the landing at the top of that wall, so I knew I could take out that whole wall. After building the entryway, I was getting ready to tear out the old front wall and figured I better have a look at the top of the wall so I could see exactly what that header was sitting on so I knew what I could take out and what had to stay. It's a good thing I did. I found that the header (about 7 feet long) was sitting on only one jack stud on each side, and on one side, that stud had a long crack and was starting to fail. Fortunately, that was an easy time to stuff a couple more studs up there and sit them on the foundation so I don't need to worry about a heavy snow load brining the roof down. However, since then I've been keeping an eye on a couple other wide openings watching for any cracks or movement indicating similar problems there.

 

[BuzzLOL]

When young, my buddy and I built a stairway down a cliff-like steep hill to a lake using regular wood and painting it figuring he was renting the apartment and would prolly move again before long... couldn't believe that thing rotted out in 3 - 6 months! Then complex declared no more stairs or boat docks, so we gave up... but he's still there 40 years later...