100% Grade A ass hatery and incompetence

[jkaetz]

When we moved into this house in 2018, the master bathroom exhaust fan was always loud and rattley. Last year I finally splurged on one of the nice panasonic units that is supposed to be silent. Test it in open air before installing it and sure enough it was as close to silent as a fan can get. One project later and the new fan is installed. Turn it on and it starts off silent but then starts ramping up is finally almost louder than the fan it replaced. It seems these fans can sense static pressure and crank up the blower to make sure they're moving the desired airflow. Now I'm remembering that I've seen birds going in and out of the exhaust vent caps on the roof. I think to myself "The birds must have built a nest on top of the screens in the caps." I finally have a roofer scheduled to come out and replace the vents with a different style so up I went to disconnect the ducts from the vents. Now the fun begins. I very quickly realize that the birds are IN the flex duct. I had to extricate two 5 - 6 foot sections of duct work complete with baby birds before I got to clean ductwork again. The caps have no screen whatsoever, and the ducts were attached to ductboard take off collars that had been screwed into the roof deck and shingled over. What should have been 10 minutes of disconnecting took two hours of removal and probably another hour of re-install after the new caps are in place and the builders again get to skate on shoddy workmanship.

 

[gregkl]

Saw stuff like this time and time again renovating my home that was built in 1963. People say they sure don't build them like that anymore, and while I understand their gist, I say "thank God for that!".

People shake their heads at the depths I go to when I work on something. All the hidden stuff is done correctly and made to last. I do the things the pro's won't do because if they did, they would either price themselves out of the job or would lose a lot of money.

I get it, but I don't accept it. Either the pro does the work better than me, or equal but in less time or I do it myself.

If I have to hire work out, I try to find the best and I watch them do the work.

Glad you found the problem.

 

[cosermann]

When I had my roof re-shingled a few years ago, one of the "eyebrow" roof sections over the garage doors - fell off. Yes, fell off. Turns out it was simply nailed into the particle board sheathing - not screwed, or even nailed into studs - simply nailed into the sheathing. No wonder they looked like they were sagging a bit. Needless to say, put it back up correctly. Shoddy construction. I mean really?

 

[Ingomike]

Most of this is easily found by the buyer having a professional inspection at each phase of construction before it is all covered over. Foundation, framing, pre-drywall, and final. So called city inspection is a joke for both contractors and buyers.

If you buy resale a good inspection is the best you can do…

 

[Ingomike]

Saw stuff like this time and time again renovating my home that was built in 1963. People say they sure don't build them like that anymore, and while I understand their gist, I say "thank God for that!".

People shake their heads at the depths I go to when I work on something. All the hidden stuff is done correctly and made to last. I do the things the pro's won't do because if they did, they would either price themselves out of the job or would lose a lot of money.

I get it, but I don't accept it. Either the pro does the work better than me, or equal but in less time or I do it myself.

If I have to hire work out, I try to find the best and I watch them do the work.

Glad you found the problem.

The truth is, people cannot afford perfect homes…

 

[wcd]

When we moved into this house in 2018, the master bathroom exhaust fan was always loud and rattley. Last year I finally splurged on one of the nice panasonic units that is supposed to be silent. Test it in open air before installing it and sure enough it was as close to silent as a fan can get. One project later and the new fan is installed. Turn it on and it starts off silent but then starts ramping up is finally almost louder than the fan it replaced. It seems these fans can sense static pressure and crank up the blower to make sure they're moving the desired airflow. Now I'm remembering that I've seen birds going in and out of the exhaust vent caps on the roof. I think to myself "The birds must have built a nest on top of the screens in the caps." I finally have a roofer scheduled to come out and replace the vents with a different style so up I went to disconnect the ducts from the vents. Now the fun begins. I very quickly realize that the birds are IN the flex duct. I had to extricate two 5 - 6 foot sections of duct work complete with baby birds before I got to clean ductwork again. The caps have no screen whatsoever, and the ducts were attached to ductboard take off collars that had been screwed into the roof deck and shingled over. What should have been 10 minutes of disconnecting took two hours of removal and probably another hour of re-install after the new caps are in place and the builders again get to skate on shoddy workmanship.

Sorry I thought this was a post about Biden

 

[churchmouse]

The incompetence we have seen/found just in the HVAC on some of the homes we have been in. Makes one's mind go numb.

 

[JettaKnight]

So your bathroom vent actually had a connection to something rather than pumping humidity into already rotten roof sheathing?


Must be nice.



"Make them like they used to"

 

[DoggyDaddy]

"Make them like they used to"

Dad built the house I'm living in himself in 1952. He was a Sea Bee in the South Pacific in WWII. Got a degree in Civil Engineering from Rose Poly (now Rose Hullman). He knew a thing or two about building structures. Hauled all the cinderblock and limestone (from Oolitic) himself. Laid the blocks and cut and laid the stone himself too. Put on the roof himself (and I actually helped him put on new shingles when I was about 12.) Yeah. Make 'em like they (he) used to.

 

[mmpsteve]

Dad built the house I'm living in himself in 1952. He was a Sea Bee in the South Pacific in WWII. Got a degree in Civil Engineering from Rose Poly (now Rose Hullman). He knew a thing or two about building structures. Hauled all the cinderblock and limestone (from Oolitic) himself. Laid the blocks and cut and laid the stone himself too. Put on the roof himself (and I actually helped him put on new shingles when I was about 12.) Yeah. Make 'em like they (he) used to.

My Dad was an ironworker. He built the home I grew up in, and it was built to withstand tornadoes. Their 1st and only mortgage was for $27k, including 3 acres. That home sold a few years back for $450k. The new owners appreciate the solid foundation, and made it even nicer.

.

 

[wcd]

The incompetence we have seen/found just in the HVAC on some of the homes we have been in. Makes one's mind go numb.

I really wonder how much of it comes down to poor planning and perhaps not having a realistic budget?

 

[gregkl]

The truth is, people cannot afford perfect homes…

True. But whoever buys mine will be getting a lot for their money! We looked online at our previous homes we have owned over the years. In every case the original buyers are still living there. And in our last house the new owners repainted one bedroom and one bathroom. Everything else is as we sold it.We sold them that home 8 years ago.

I'll admit, I do stupid stuff that not only doesn't make a difference, but won't be noticeable.

Like vacuuming out the wall cavities before drywall to pick up sawdust from running electrical/plumbing, vacuuming the attic between the ceiling joists prior to blowing in insulation, orienting screws the same way(BTW, good electricians also do this so they can tell on a return trip if someone else was messing with it).

 

[wcd]

True. But whoever buys mine will be getting a lot for their money! We looked online at our previous homes we have owned over the years. In every case the original buyers are still living there. And in our last house the new owners repainted one bedroom and one bathroom. Everything else is as we sold it.We sold them that home 8 years ago.

I'll admit, I do stupid stuff that not only doesn't make a difference, but won't be noticeable.

Like vacuuming out the wall cavities before drywall to pick up sawdust from running electrical/plumbing, vacuuming the attic between the ceiling joists prior to blowing in insulation, orienting screws the same way(BTW, good electricians also do this so they can tell on a return trip if someone else was messing with it).

Orienting the screws the same way? Not being sarcastic just wondering.

 

[nonobaddog]

I was cleaning out the dryer vent and found a dead bird in there right in the dryer elbow. There is a vertical section of PVC and apparently the bird fell down and could not get back up. I found the same thing outside as the OP did - no vent screen to keep crap out of there.

 

[Bugzilla]

Was the DNR ok with you moving the baby birds?

 

[usmcdjb]

Here's one of my favorite finds from a recent remodel. Kitchen used to be on the other side of the utility room wall. When they moved it, they removed the outlets that were above the counters and stuffed the electrical boxes with newspaper and mudded over them. As an added bonus, I found a 3 conductor wire, cut off and still hot, hanging between studs in one section of the wall.

 

[gregkl]

Orienting the screws the same way? Not being sarcastic just wondering.

Yup. OCD? Maybe. But I had an electrician tell me he did that so he would know if someone else was in the box. Plus, he once was doing work in a high level clean room and the slots had to be oriented vertically supposedly to not hold any contaminants that might be in the room. Not sure if I believe that but the OCD part for me is plausible, lol.

 

[gregkl]

Here's one of my favorite finds from a recent remodel. Kitchen used to be on the other side of the utility room wall. When they moved it, they removed the outlets that were above the counters and stuffed the electrical boxes with newspaper and mudded over them. As an added bonus, I found a 3 conductor wire, cut off and still hot, hanging between studs in one section of the wall.

When I was redoing my house, found a wire coiled up in the basement ceiling. I discovered it when I was removing some of the ceiling to run new plumbing and lighting. It was live. It was 240v. Sheesh.

It was an old line for a kitchen oven. No telling how many years that had been up in there.

 

[Dante1983]

The incompetence we have seen/found just in the HVAC on some of the homes we have been in. Makes one's mind go numb.

I got to redo all of the duct work under mine. Went down to a big dispersement duct then to flex all over the house. One of them wasn’t even in the disbursement duct, just laying on the ground. Screwed that back in, used the paint on duct tape to seal all of the duct, insulated that duct. Then rehung all of the flex, actually pulling it into a straightish line bc they had foot deep sags all through them. Inspector never said anything about any of that when I bought the place.

 

[churchmouse]

I got to redo all of the duct work under mine. Went down to a big dispersement duct then to flex all over the house. One of them wasn’t even in the disbursement duct, just laying on the ground. Screwed that back in, used the paint on duct tape to seal all of the duct, insulated that duct. Then rehung all of the flex, actually pulling it into a straightish line bc they had foot deep sags all through them. Inspector never said anything about any of that when I bought the place.

It drives me nuts to see how sloppy some crews run the flex.
In a world of low bid you get this level of work. Crews sub the installs. They get “X” amount per house so they cut every possible corner. I have had serious issues with duct runs in BiLevels. Once the drywall goes up it’s out of my hands.