Oh Crap! Now I've done it!

[fqp25]

Had a little F*#k up today. I was trying to gain access into an attic through a opening in a bedroom closet. The closet had one of those wire rack/shelf, with an overload of teenage girl clothes hanging on it. I didn't step on the shelf or anything like that, but as I was moving up on my ladder, I think I put my hand on the shelf & put to much pressure on it, and Kaboom!!

Embarrassing!! I automatically stated to the home owner & buyer (my client) that I would cover any damages.

To make me feel better, I am wondering if anyone else would like to share any mishaps, or is everyone else just that perfect. Actually, what would be nice for us newbies is if the veterans would share their first foul ups...

Frank

(AKA The Klutz)

[hausdok]

Hi Frank,

I was finishing up an inspection on a huge Burnstead (high end builder here) home. I was in the attic. It was one of those really high roofs - probably 1-1/2 to 2 stories from the eaves to the peak of the upper roof. Inside the attic, there were five or six 6 by 6 posts supporting the roof at various locations. I went through the attic doing my thing and checked those posts as I went. As I got back to the hatch, I reached out to check the last one near the hatch. I gave it a gentle tug as I was turning to go through the hatch and something told me to look up; when I did, I saw that post slowly starting to fall over.

I lunged across several ceiling joists to get under where I thought the center would be, looked up and realized I was going to be too short and too late so I jumped the last couple of feet. I caught the post but I missed the joist and ended up straddling a joist with my feet through the ceiling, that joist in my crotch and holding that post like a baby. The post didn't hit the ceiling joists but man did that hurt!

I looked down and I was directly over the bathtub of the main hallway bath on the second floor; the tub was full of drywall and piles of blown-in insulation. It was 15 minutes before I could move without pain, if you know what I mean.

I finished up the crawlspace after that, packed my gear, went home and wrote the report and then returned the next day with a sheet of drywall and my tools and restored that ceiling (The house was vacant.). The client told me not to paint the ceiling because his wife was planning to repaint the entire house anyway.

Feel better now?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Erby]

I stepped over a duct, my foot was unbalanced and the toe went thru the ceiling. Just a little toe hole.

I called the listing agent, got her to recommend a contractor, called him to make preliminary arrangements, and then went downstairs to tell the seller what had happened and what I'd done about it to see if that was satisfactory. It was. Cost me about $200.00 but I didn't want to deal with the whining complaints of the seller that I didn't have everything just right with the smooth paint job, etc.

I could have fixed it cheaper, but the seller would have been glaring at me everytime I visited and whining about how it wasn't perfect.

Much simpler to let "her" agent's recomemnded contractor fix it.

I was out of the picture.

[Les]

FRANK - at your size what were you doing on a mere ladder!? Was there anything in pink hanging?

I have paid for cleaning several times without even whimpering. Around here we have lots of attics with loose blown insulation that seems to always fall on "her favorite" black dress.

I have also broken two storm doors with my ladder while leaving the house.

Biggest and most costly mistake was getting animated about rotted copper drain lines and actually slapped a section of four inch that promptly fell down into a million pieces. I guess I could have argued, but just wiped myself off and arranged for a plumber!

Can't even remember how many of those squiggley furnace compartment door fasteners I've broken.

[randynavarro]

Fortunately, I don't have any stories.

But this is a great example of why I do my best to make it crystal clear to all involved that if there's not adequate and safe access to an attic or crawl, or furnace, or whatever, that I won't be able to inspect.

Sounds like your access to the attic was pretty restricted.

[kurt]

Dropped an overhead garage door onto a Buick LeSabre while "testing" the auto-return.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by kurt

Dropped an overhead garage door onto a Buick LeSabre while "testing" the auto-return.

Wasn't it Scott Patterson that dropped an overhead door on a guy's Harley or one of those big fancy six cylinder Honda bikes?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Bain]

Pushed a garage-door button without realizing the door's lock was engaged in the track.

The bracket sheared off the door frame in less than a second.

[charlieb]

A goldwing as I remember it.

I broken a knick knack or two, and stomped on a glowing orb landscape light. There was the shower head that snapped off in my hand. No real money.

[Bain]

Oh, and I heard some guy around here switched on a whole-house ventilation fan and let it run for a few minutes while he poked around in a bathroom or something.

When he switched the fan off and walked back into the living room, the entire room was fogged with soot from the fireplace because the damper had been left open. The furniture, floor--everything--was covered with soot and ashes.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by Bain

Oh, and I heard some guy around here switched on a whole-house ventilation fan and let it run for a few minutes while he poked around in a bathroom or something.

When he switched the fan off and walked back into the living room, the entire room was fogged with soot from the fireplace because the damper had been left open. The furniture, floor--everything--was covered with soot and ashes.

Had something similar happen to me. No fan involved, but brand new snow white carpets. I laid down on my back on the hearth, reached up to open the damper and a pile of soot big enough to fill a cake dish fell onto that nice clean hearth and wafted out into the room and onto the carpet leaving a distinct light gray semicircle with my white body shape imprint in the center of it. The client was pretty distressed and the agent started to freak.

I went outside, dusted off, got my interior ladder and my vacuum, went up to the attic and got a bunch of loose-fill fiberglass and stuffed the vacuum cleaner bag full of the loose fill. Went into the living room and then, working from the outside of that semi-circle inward, very carefully and slowly vacuumed the carpet, gradually moving inward to the hearth and inch at a time while letting the suction do the work and not grinding the soot into the carpet

Stuffed with all of that loose fill, the vacuum functioned like a HEPA vac and none of that soot passed through the bag. I was able to get the carpet so clean that when I was done neither the client nor the agent could tell where the semi-circle had ended and the carpet began.

The week before that, a bat had fallen out of a flue onto me. Ever since those two instances, I open dampers a whole lot more gingerly.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Baird]

Removing a main panel cover with the "help" of buyer's dad who was along for the free info and entertainment, one of the breakers got thrown.

Later got call from realtor, what did YOU do? The refrigerator doesn't work any more!

Now I always stop to see what's on and off, and I also don't accept help with panel covers.

[Bain]

Originally posted by hausdok

Originally posted by Bain

Oh, and I heard some guy around here switched on a whole-house ventilation fan and let it run for a few minutes while he poked around in a bathroom or something.

When he switched the fan off and walked back into the living room, the entire room was fogged with soot from the fireplace because the damper had been left open. The furniture, floor--everything--was covered with soot and ashes.

Had something similar happen to me. No fan involved, but brand new snow white carpets. I laid down on my back on the hearth, reached up to open the damper and a pile of soot big enough to fill a cake dish fell onto that nice clean hearth and wafted out into the room and onto the carpet leaving a distinct light gray semicircle with my white body shape imprint in the center of it. The client was pretty distressed and the agent started to freak.

I went outside, dusted off, got my interior ladder and my vacuum, went up to the attic and got a bunch of loose-fill fiberglass and stuffed the vacuum cleaner bag full of the loose fill. Went into the living room and then, working from the outside of that semi-circle inward, very carefully and slowly vacuumed the carpet, gradually moving inward to the hearth and inch at a time while letting the suction do the work and not grinding the soot into the carpet

Stuffed with all of that loose fill, the vacuum functioned like a HEPA vac and none of that soot passed through the bag. I was able to get the carpet so clean that when I was done neither the client nor the agent could tell where the semi-circle had ended and the carpet began.

The week before that, a bat had fallen out of a flue onto me. Ever since those two instances, I open dampers a whole lot more gingerly.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Those are the lessons that experience teaches us. I was staring up into a firebox once, my flashlight at the ready to illuminate the flue, when I opened the damper. A bunch of dead birds and a bunch of other gunk fell right onto my face.

I can't imagine how stupid I looked, writhing away from that fireplace, swatting at my head 'cause I wasn't really sure what had just happened.

[Erby]

Don't know about stupid, John, but I'd probably have paid $50 or so for the entertainment value of watching you swatting!

That would've been a good You Tube video!

[Mark P]

Not realizing what it was I opened a laundry chute door in a basement ceiling and underwear fell on my head.

[AHI in AR]

I had a vacant home that I was doing. The agent had opened up the home and left; the buyer wasn't there yet. In the master bath the bottom vanity drawer wouldn't close all the way. It was obviously hanging up on something. I know the tracks on these things are pretty simple, and that it would likely be quicker to clear the obstruction than write it up. I got the drawer out and subsequently fished out the world's largest purple bra. I will admit that my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see just exactly what size it really was.

It was at just that point that the buyer came quietly walking in. And there I am, kneeling on the floor with this thing in my hand.

[Bain]

Originally posted by AHI in AR

I had a vacant home that I was doing. The agent had opened up the home and left; the buyer wasn't there yet. In the master bath the bottom vanity drawer wouldn't close all the way. It was obviously hanging up on something. I know the tracks on these things are pretty simple, and that it would likely be quicker to clear the obstruction than write it up. I got the drawer out and subsequently fished out the world's largest purple bra. I will admit that my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see just exactly what size it really was.

It was at just that point that the buyer came quietly walking in. And there I am, kneeling on the floor with this thing in my hand.

I'm glad you weren't busted trying it on.

[Jack Ahern]

Was checking kitchen cabinet doors. Open-wiggle-close. Two glass casserol covers rolled out and landed on the ceramic floor in a million pieces. Owners were ok with that, but I spent 1/2 hour sweeping and vacuuming. PIA

Not bad for 14 years! [:-party]

[Les]

I forgot about the naked woman that followed me around the house. She was inside and I was outside. She would stand at every window and wave! She was fully dressed when I introduced myself at the front door. My "mistake" was grinning while checking the window caulking!

Jack's "open, wiggle, close" remark made me think of that.

[MMustola]

In 15 years I have had several mishaps.

Steps through the ceiling while walking through the attic

slid an attic hatch open and from a second floor bedroom closet and it fall about 6 feet and went through the great room ceiling.

Bent the top panel of a garage door while testing the safety reverse.

Broke a garage door opener while testing it.

Tripped off a circuit breaker and did not realize it, There was a freezer on the circuit.

Broke a few knick knacks while trying to get to windows.

Of course I made good to the seller on all of these screw ups.

[Scottpat]

I cooked a bunch of Tupperware in an oven at one home. Now who stores Tupperware in the oven! Now I open every oven. Cost me about $100

Washed a dishwasher load of cereal and bread. Owners had problems with ants so the locked everything in the dishwasher! Cost me about $30.

During my Energy Audit days I sucked a bunch of floor tiles off the floor of a home with my blower door. Another reason I stopped doing energy audits!

Did Mike and Charlie say a Goldwing![:-weepn]

Folded a garage door and it dropped on a 1997 Custom Honda Goldwing with a side car! Largest single OOPS I have ever had. GL paid out about $10,000 and did not drop me! Reason that I do not test the garage doors and place a sticker on the door saying I did not test the pressure reverse feature. I test the electric eyes, the balance and that is it.

[Neal Lewis]

Scott, what do you say on the sticker?

[Bain]

Originally posted by Erby

Don't know about stupid, John, but I'd probably have paid $50 or so for the entertainment value of watching you swatting!

That would've been a good You Tube video!

As always, your empathy is incredibly touching, my friend.

[Mike Lamb]

I filled some hot water in a washer and ran it. I thought there were some rags and towels in there. The seller (after she saw my report) wanted $500 to replace a couple sweaters and a few Old Navy t-shirts that I had ruined. I gave her $200.

I opened an attic hatch a little too quickly and had about 16â€

[Erby]

A common thread seems to be " I screwed up so I fixed it." Life goes on.

No fussing about did I or didn't I on this stuff.

It's the other stupid stuff the owner want's fixed that we argue about.

Glad you appreciate my empathy, John.