Can your repair contractor also serve as your inspector? Although that’s a challenging question, it does arise regularly.
I’ve always believed that doing a moisture assessment or stucco inspection while also being an expert in stucco restoration would be a conflict of interest. There is a narrow line between warning a homeowner about potential stucco issues and informing them of the expense of fixing the damage.
Here’s the Scenario
Let me share a recent occurrence with you. A luxury builder who was also a personal acquaintance had hired a very well-known general house inspector to check out a new development for moisture assessment and stucco inspections.
This inspector is widely recognized for offering estimates to fix any flaws he finds in addition to doing the inspection. A member of his family would then oversee the project. We knew this, so the builder/friend asked if I could attend the reinspection since the first inspection looked a little “off.”
What We Did
The first thing I did was a different, very close buddy set an appointment with the inspector for an hour following the re-inspection. The meeting was made to get a repair estimate for some stucco.
The inspector started his testing after everyone was present for the stucco reinspection. The first unexpected aspect is that he was using a wet wall meter to test the walls from within the house.
It was quite hot and muggy outdoors when this test was conducted in the summer. It was 72 degrees chilly inside the house. The house boasted 14-foot ceilings, luxurious marble floors, and square footage of almost 7,500.
The Problem
This is crucial information because stucco should NEVER be checked from the inside. The inside humidity will distort the moisture measurement and cause false positives. As you may remember from earlier publications, it is necessary to obtain a moisture measurement from the outside so that the meter’s prongs can reach the plywood under the stucco.
This was denied by our inspector, who identified many locations that he believed to be saturated with water. Whenever he checked one of the more than 20 places we gave him, he obtained too high readings. Remember that this was a brand-new house. It was very improbable that these results were correct, while it wasn’t impossible.
As one could expect, tensions increased between the inspector and builder as the inspection went on. It was now appropriate to pose that crucial question. Can you provide a plan to repair every damage?
The inspector said “no,” but I pressed him for information about his next appointment. He said that the time was almost up for him to go for that appointment. He was then told that his work was immediately in front of him and that the meeting was for an estimate for stucco repair.
Conflict of Interest
This is significant because when we opened the wall from the outside, we discovered arid conditions in a sampling of the locations that this inspector had evaluated and pronounced damaged. The inspector made a mistake.
That raises the issue of whether the inspector provided accurate conclusions. Has he made a sincere error? Did he intentionally disclose false information in order to get a contract for repairs?
There is an exciting conflict here. Your inspector should be kept from informing you of a problem with your house and then providing a cost estimate to fix it.
Would you be notified if the inspection turned out to be inaccurate? To be sure you are not purchasing anything unnecessary, would there be a refund from the check or the repair and any recourse against the inspector?
These factors make hiring an impartial inspector and an impartial stucco repair contractor crucial to the success of your job. Integrity and honesty are indisputable. You can always depend on your inspector to ensure the stucco work is done correctly. If the report missed anything or there was a false positive, you may always depend on your stucco contractor.
You Can Trust CMB East Brunswick Stucco & EIFS Repair
We steer clear of conflicts of interest at CMB East Brunswick Stucco & EIFS Repair. Never accept an inspection offer from CMB East Brunswick Stucco & EIFS Repair for your stucco house. We can recommend many excellent inspectors to you. Our specialty is fixing stucco houses. Contact us now to find out what CMB East Brunswick Stucco & EIFS Repair can accomplish for you!
