Retired

[Stuart Brooks]

I haven't been on the forum for a while. I retired in July this year after 7 years. My wife isn't happy about it but well, how many times are wives truly happy.

First, I started becoming bored with the process. I loved inspection and interacting with people but the reports just got to be a real drag. Add the fact that taking a neighborhood and age, the inspections were becoming almost automatic for general poor construction and maintenance issues. When your heart isn't in it, it's a good time to get out before you get forced out. The probability of screwing up just grows. I also made the basic error of assuming that the more inspections I did, the faster the process would become. Hah! They were just taking longer and longer. Just a normal part of the learning process.

Second, my last inspection included a very damp crawl space and one separate section was flooded (bad drainage around the house). Within a week I ended up in the hospital for 5 days with a severe strep infection of the skin on my arms and legs. I had to follow the hospital with 2 weeks of IV antibiotics at home. During the hospital stay, I had a session of A-fib that I wasn't even aware of. It happen while asleep but the monitors caught it. Well... that threw everybody into a tizzy and I have to see the cardiologist Thursday to see if it was a real problem or just a reaction to the stress of the infection. I still don't remember much of the first 4 days. Due to medications I can't safely climb a ladder - tend to get dizzy if I move my head too fast. Heck, I even had to hire a painter to finish my bay window rebuild. Anyway, with age and this episode I had a good excuse to get out.

I had it in mind to continue with pre-drywall inspections and Radon testing. But, I looked at the cost of maintaining certification, annual calibrations, bi-annual re-proving that I new how to push the right buttons on the Sun Nuclear monitors, etc. and decided it wasn't worth the cost and hassle. Radon testing in this area tended to be an on-off type of thing. One month everybody wanted testing, the next two I could only hear crickets and watch spider webs grow on the phone. I contacted a few home inspectors with a really great price and sold 3 1028, in calibration, monitors in about 15 minutes:)

I will, with permission, I'll still visit once in a while. Some of the threads were informative and some were just hilarious to follow. I might even throw in a comment or two.

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas and a great business new year. I know, no PC but I'm rebelling at PCness.

Stu

[Rick Cantrell]

Glad to here from you, and hope you hang around for a long time.

[Jack Feldmann]

Take care Stuart. Hope you find retirement to your liking.

[Mark Hagenlock]

Give thought to mentoring?

[Raymond Wand]

Good evening Stuart:

Congratulations! You've got to know when to fold the cards.

Enjoy your new found freedom, please continue to visit and post, no permission required to post. You've paid your dues. ;)

Merry Christmas, and all the best, and good health for the New Year!

[Duane Nelson]

Congratulations and good luck on your retirement!
You don't have another 1028 for sale do you?

[JC Warner]

Best wishes, Stu!
I am new here and learn so much every day from everyone, so I look forward to reading words of wisdom from you.
Take good care.

[Stuart Brooks]

Give thought to mentoring?

Yes, in fact I have been communicating with a new fellow in the area. Everything from business startup, LLC vs Corporation, and liabilty of the sole inspector regardless of business form, salary versus dividends if he gets enough income - to handling inspections and agents, reporting software, classes, state certification, national organizations. I will probably ride along with him a few times when starts inspecting and then review his reports.

I still find myself subconsciously looking over buildings. :becky:

- - - Updated - - -


Congratulations and good luck on your retirement!
You don't have another 1028 for sale do you?

Thanks.
No sure don't/ I sold them with cases too cheap.

[Gunnar Alquist]

I will, with permission, I'll still visit once in a while. Some of the threads were informative and some were just hilarious to follow. I might even throw in a comment or two.

Permission granted. :cool:

[Lon Henderson]

Wow! Sobering about your experience in that crawlspace.

Hope you enjoy retirement, but if you don't; there will still be a need for experienced HIs.

I was just asked to teach at a school. You might check into that, if it interests you.

[John Kogel]

Hey Stuart, PC or not, your comments here have generally been intelligent and professional.

Re; crawlspace creepys, I picked up a weird fungus on my elbow last summer. Had itchy patches of peeling skin for about 2 months. The things nobody mentions in the training courses, like crawling over a dog carcass in the dark. ;)

[Eric Barker]

Stuart - your mentioning the issues you had from the crawl space is exceptionally valid. Too often inspectors get into these places without the proper knowledge of knowing when to stay out of them. We had an ASHI member write an article about his experience after being in a crawl space. About a year later I read where he had passed away from complications that were the result of his exposure.

I hope you keep tabs on this forum and continue to post.

[Tom Rees]

Merry Christmas Stuart and I hope you get back on your feet. I know what you mean about the inspections taking longer not shorter. It seems like the more you know the more you find etc. etc.

[Chris Stichter]

Thank you for the feedback and advice you have given me and many others on this forum. Good luck in your retirement.....here come the "honey do's!"....maybe you'll get your second wind?;)

[Nick Ostrowski]

Hope retirement treats you well Stuart.

Regarding the crawlspace issue, I was inspecting a commercial property just last week and as soon as we walked into the basement, I smelled the unmistakable stench of raw sewage. After a look at the standing puddles on the floor, I asked my client if that was raw sewage knowing very well what the answer would be. I decided to forge on but told the client I was not venturing into that area which he was Ok with and I disclaimed the area in my report. I said to myself that since I was already there that I was going to get paid for the full job. But in the back of my mind, I knew I had the right to walk out right then and there due to health concerns as well as the fact the client never mentioned this to me when setting up the inspection.

I've put up with and dealt with a lot up to this point for the sake of making a buck but it may be time to change that line of thinking.

[Eric Barker]

I've put up with and dealt with a lot up to this point for the sake of making a buck but it may be time to change that line of thinking.

I am a curious kind of guy and I've gone into some places that perhaps I shouldn't have - and I've come out "unscathed." But I've been thinking that the more I do this the greater the chances that my luck might run out. As I get older I have to consider that my respiratory system may not be as robust as in past years and that prudent caution should be given more consideration.

[John Chung]

Good luck Stuart on your next venture. Thank you for sharing with us.

In my early years inspecting I was more naive about the dangers and health hazards of what could be found in crawl spaces. There were times I would come out and be covered with fleas, or bring fleas home. :/ Eventually I stopped going in when such a hazardous or unsafe condition presented itself. Unfortunately not all agents or clients will understand. But like others have said, you have to take care of yourself first. Thankfully, I have not encountered a dead dog! My gosh!

[matt berman]

Good luck Stuart on your next venture. Thank you for sharing with us.

In my early years inspecting I was more naive about the dangers and health hazards of what could be found in crawl spaces. There were times I would come out and be covered with fleas, or bring fleas home. :/ Eventually I stopped going in when such a hazardous or unsafe condition presented itself. Unfortunately not all agents or clients will understand. But like others have said, you have to take care of yourself first. Thankfully, I have not encountered a dead dog! My gosh!

I will not inspect a home with a crawl space anymore , i ask upfront and refuse if its on a crawl. Not worth it to me.

- - - Updated - - -


Good luck Stuart on your next venture. Thank you for sharing with us.

In my early years inspecting I was more naive about the dangers and health hazards of what could be found in crawl spaces. There were times I would come out and be covered with fleas, or bring fleas home. :/ Eventually I stopped going in when such a hazardous or unsafe condition presented itself. Unfortunately not all agents or clients will understand. But like others have said, you have to take care of yourself first. Thankfully, I have not encountered a dead dog! My gosh!

I will not inspect a home with a crawl space anymore , i ask upfront and refuse if its on a crawl. Not worth it to me.

[Rick Cantrell]

I will not inspect a home with a crawl space anymore , i ask upfront and refuse if its on a crawl. Not worth it to me.

Matt (and others)
I don't mean this as an insult or to say that you should not be an inspector.
But, this is what we do. Crawl spaces are an important aspect of a home inspection.
To say "I don't do this because of the risk", is the safe thing. But, you can be safe and still do your job.
My wife is an RN. She CANNOT say "I'm not going to treat you because you have...".
That is a risk that comes with her job.

Of course I'm not saying you should accept any and every risk.
Be safe, be prepared, and be professional.
Suit up, put on gloves and go in there.

[Rick Bunzel]

Stuart - Good luck, engage in your favorite hobbies and find other retired dudes to hang with. It seems every McD's has a morning coffee group!


When I started firefighting in the 70's, the old guys shunned the airpacks and would only mask up when things were really bad. Today we even leave the mask on after the fire is out and we are overhauling. Many of the old guys died of respiratory or cancer. Just because you had big balls doesn't make you immortal.

In 90% of the crawlspace I put on a disposable coveralls complete with hood and booties. I also wear a respirator. The exceptions are new crawlspaces and standing spaces. I don't crawl through anything wet. If its a really nasty crawl the coverall get peel off and thrown out. I carry hand sanitizer to wash my hands after I have put everything away because my knee pads and gloves get reused but are "contaminated" with rat poop etc.

Here in the Pacific NW if you declined inspections with a crawlspace you would reduce your business by 90%. In many cases there are crawlspaces in the other 10% but the buyers doesn't even know its there. Crawlspaces are just like inspecting in the rain, no one likes to do it but it comes with the territory.

//Rick