Boomtime

[Jim Baird]

#general inspection

From my inspection blog.

Boomtown

I’ve written before about boom times, boom time builders, and boom time busts.

Here we are again, buffeted like before by the hurry-up gusts, the chilled guts wrenches of ones missing out, the rising rates red skies morning warnings and lumber prices’ punches through the very ceiling.

An authority’s inspector’s day is a dizzying path across a widespread area with less time to look, way less time to assess, and zero time to think. The honk, smile, and wave protocol blesses any builder that holds a handful of CO’s.

Especially in boom times, buildings need scrutiny by disinterested, expert parties that deliver objective stories about what they find that day.

Something I learned as an inspector for authority is that builders tend to get more activity started than they can control. I saw that both performance and management can suffer from ignorance of codes, ignorance of skills, and in many cases inability to even read instructions printed on delivered materials.

Older homes need inspections for obvious reasons, but “boomer shacks” are also especially in need of a disinterested, experienced, and knowledgeable inspector.