Clueless Contractors

[Brandon Whitmore]

Here is part of an e- mail I received from a contractor the other day, which included pictures of his "repairs".

Below are my responses to the inspectors notes he wrote in Blue, describing what I did to correct his observations;

ADDENDUM ITEM: Bathroom/ Laundry room

-1. Improper fasteners- The use of the word improper by the inspector is itself improper.

I use 3" carpentry screws which are also prime coated and provide 10x the holding power then the minimum required joist hangar nail. This is an example of upgrading, not downgrading from minimum acceptable standards.

-2. Hanger holes not filled- (3) Screws added. Corrected- Picture provided.

-4. Toilet loose/caulk base- As a general rule our co. NEVER caulks the bases of toilets for reasons far to lengthy to list here. I went ahead and caulked the toilet because it was specifically asked for by inspector. Picture provided

Nice [:-banghea

[Chad Fabry]

I gotta get me sum dem "carpentry screws"

[Terence McCann]

I gotta get me sum dem "carpentry screws"

I'm selling them by the gross on ebay. Bid now, bid often.

[randynavarro]

I know that the caulking-around-the-base-of-the-toilet thing can get controversial.

[gtblum]

I know that the caulking-around-the-base-of-the-toilet thing can get controversial.

I'd have to agree. Caulk the toilet base for what good reason?

[mgbinspect]

For what it's worth, the last home I moved into had a rather persistent smell - not terribly offensive, but clearly a bathroom smell. We tried quite a few thing to get rid of it, to no avail. It was finally determined to be the result of years of poor aim, on the part of the three little boys that were raised in the home, before we purchased it. Only when I pulled, reset and caulked the toilet and removed and replaced all the quarter round, did the smell go away.

[Jim Katen]

I've replaced dozens of toilets. Unfailingly, the ones that weren't caulked harbored a thick, almost jelly like paste of urine under them.

Caulk your toilets folks.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Tom Raymond]

For what it's worth, the last home I moved into had a rather persistent smell - not terribly offensive, but clearly a bathroom smell. We tried quite a few thing to get rid of it, to no avail. It was finally determined to be the result of years of poor aim, on the part of the three little boys that were raised in the home, before we purchased it. Only when I pulled, reset and caulked the toilet and removed and replaced all the quarter round, did the smell go away.

I have 3 younger brothers and we grew up in a house that had hot water baseboard heat. One bathroom had a baseboard heater adjacent to the toilet. I can't count how many times the covers had to be repainted.[:-monkeyd

[hausdok]

Hi,

My father taught me when I was in my teens to caulk about 95% of the pedestal-to-floor joint, leaving a gap about 1" wide at the back-center of the pedestal. I never asked why; I just assumed it had something to do with early warning in the event of a leaking pedestal seal. Back then they didn't have silicone caulk; I think it was urethane or something like that.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

Hi,

My father taught me when I was in my teens to caulk about 95% of the pedestal-to-floor joint, leaving a gap about 1" wide at the back-center of the pedestal. I never asked why; I just assumed it had something to do with early warning in the event of a leaking pedestal seal. Back then they didn't have silicone caulk; I think it was urethane or something like that.

I doubt that they had urethane back then either. It was probably a mixture of sawdust and Brontosaurus spit.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Cute. [%|]

Going to the C-D Commercial Course in Seattle this week?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jim Katen]

Cute. [%|]

Going to the C-D Commercial Course in Seattle this week?

Only if you're paying.

[kurt]

I'd never caulk toilets in my own home. Ever.

I just go in the back yard.......saves water and it confuses the coyotes.

[hausdok]

I'd never caulk toilets in my own home. Ever.

I just go in the back yard.......saves water and it confuses the coyotes.

Hmm,

Starting to confim my suspicions about this ChiTown guy. [:-crazy]

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[David Meiland]

I gotta get me sum dem "carpentry screws"

To make things confusing, Simpson is now selling a couple of flavors of screws, one of which is NOT to be used for structural fastening.

http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/screws.asp

[Jim Katen]

I gotta get me sum dem "carpentry screws"

To make things confusing, Simpson is now selling a couple of flavors of screws, one of which is NOT to be used for structural fastening.

http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/screws.asp

It shouldn't be too confusing. The *only* screws listed for use with Simpson connectors are the Simpson SD screws. They have hex heads that are marked 915, 925, 1015, or 1025. The flyer for them is here:

http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/fliers/DIY-SDTPAD10.pdf

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[David Meiland]

I know, Jim, I have used them. I just think it's bizarre and unfortunate that they are selling a non-structural screw, because contractors are accustomed to thinking that Simpson = structural, and they'll buy those #8's and use them in hangers. There are four shown on that PDF, but there are several other sizes.

[mgbinspect]

I'd never caulk toilets in my own home. Ever.

I just go in the back yard.......saves water and it confuses the coyotes.

Boy, that really makes me miss my log cabin days, when the raised back porch with a view of the big dipper, an occasional shooting star and a serenade by chirping crickets and bellowing beef cattle was the bathroom of choice.

It was kinda like a drain field, without all of the pricey excavation. [^]