Rick,
The other thing I frequently found on those railings (besides them never being spaced properly) is that the balusters were seldom secured in place. I could grab the baluster and lift it up, pulling the bottom all the way out and allowing me to remove the balusters ... which made for a real nice photo.
Yeah, 'they may have known' about the 4" rule and 'they may have measured from' the "swirley thing", but that would mean that what they did not know was that is not where they were supposed to measure from.
Sorry guys, deconstruct the railing and reconstruct it properly.
