Jay your right. I am sorry I offended you, and I am an inspector and have seen and evaluated well over 10,000 homes in the past 10 years or so. I very rarely see jobs done correctly. I have also worked as an expert witness on many occasions with some of the largest class action issues in the north east and more times then not. It’s not the product manufacture who’s at fault, although they are blamed because they have the deepest pockets. It’s the way the product went in.
What bothers me it that people always want to sue as soon as they have an issue. The builders of today most, not all, do not build a home correctly. They cut corners, cheep out when they can get away from it and simply do not give a darn about anything other then the bottom line. If they were so good and did things correctly then tell me why they set up shell companies and close them once the development they build is done.
Part is because people do not want to take any responsibility and part that they cut corners and get away with stuff and do not want to be dragged into court for failure of the product they construct.
The reason for that post is to discourage the writer from blaming the window company for rot on the framing of the house. Tell me, if the windows were put in and they were the worst windows on the market, and if they were installed correctly with proper pan flashings and house wrap. The window may fall apart, but you would not experience rot on the framing.
Look at the EIFS industry. Class action law suites all over the country. Who are they blaming? Not the contractors, because they are already out of business but the manufactures of the product. This stuff has been around for decades. It always worked. But as soon as the home building boom came along this stuff became a homeowner’s worse nightmare. Why because both the contractors and the subs put it on they way they think it is to go. If you read the instructions you would see how to do it the right way, but never done that way. I spoke to many subs and asked them off record why they did it like that. Because they only could get the job if they cut the corners to save a few bucks. To do it right it cost to much to the builder and the builder would go to their competition. They need to eat.
Look at the flashing trade... Where are they? I will tell you. They are not around. The $8 an hour guy is now doing the flashings on a home. The builder gives them a caulking gun and a tube of caulk and says fix. Points at the windows and doors and away he or she goes. How often do you see step flashings put on cement chimneys. Not to often. Why? Because the mason contractor cut corners.
Look at roofers who patch a chimney with a coat of asphalt instead of replacing the bricks and chimney cap. What about the water proofing guys. Do they bother to find the leak or do they just dig up the entire basement for $20 grand. You know the answer to that. Look at LWP posts. Somewhere in them he is saying do the job right!
Sure there are lots of good guys out there. Your company is most likely one of them. But finding them are rare, and most consumers are not willing to pay for the job as it should cost. I know I own one of these companies. We turn down most of our jobs because the owner wants things done for less. Less means just that. Less of something. I do not sell less of anything. It’s all or nothing.
Oh yea I also do point out the good things when they are there.
I will also tell you who else is at fault. It’s the building departments. These people are so backed up with work because of the housing boom; they take days to get to a job to see it. Its not that they do not know what to look for as most of them are very well educated. I have been on jobs where the framing was inspected, the plumber and HVAC guy came in and made Swiss cheese of the framing cutting critical members and the like. Only to see the same inspector come back for an insulation inspection and not even say a peep about what has happened. Forget licenses. They are a joke as well. Until they begin checking for them on the job. And the papers and local ads stop selling to those who are not licensed in their trade. And we get the guys who work out of their trunk of the car. We are going to continue to have shoddy workmanship on many of the homes and improvement projects around the country. And until this changes the stereotype will continue.
I would say something about the architects but they are always right...
I am sure Richard could concur that even on jobs he designed he found contractors cutting corners even though he told them to do it a special way. Only to have to fight with them to get them to change back the way he told them to do it in the first place.
It’s a sad fact Jay, in this industry there are more poor contractors then good ones. Just look at how long they stay in business. I have a list of contractors who work in the NJ area that I use for something else that I am involved with. I have called several of them on occasion. And many of them that I call on that were in business just a year ago are long gone, or working under another name.
Now perhaps in your part of the country its better, but human nature tells me its not so. I wish it was...and again I am sorry you feel that I am stereotyping contractors but its one fact I can back up based on my experience. But I always accept comments on my postings from you and several other folks on this board as sometimes my point I am trying to make is misunderstood and needs to be clarified.
Keep up the good postings.
