Do you ever get the feeling that when you are hired as an inspector, your job is to write a report that benefits your client? And when you don't, they tend to get rather nasty? I think there were some comments on some of the forums about hired guns. Sorry, I am not one.
The installer told the homeowner that the 30-year-old crawl space and house were very humid, and something needed to be done about it before the floors were installed. The homeowner refused, and the floors were installed anyway. Then they cupped. I said the floor was improperly acclimated for the house's conditions. The installer wants me to change the word "improperly", and to delete a reference to standards requiring poly on the soil in a crawl space.
This installer said in his latest email, "The wording of the report represents us as not knowing what we are doing. I have been in the restoration business for 18 years, we have seen this type of situation before and I do realize that each house is different, so we do the best we can as professionals."
I had already given the installer an out. I said that if he had printed instructions from the manufacturer on how to acclimate the flooring, and documentation that he followed those instructions, I would add that to my report. His comment was that he would have to go back to his distributor for the instructions. Hmmm...
And just because he had been doing something for 18 years doesn't mean that he had been doing it right. I get that same comment from builders all the time, even though building codes change every three years.
This afternoon, I look at a buckled floor where the perimeter was glued. Keep an open mind, Craig.
