Contractor removed the wooden railings and updated with the iron for that improved look.

He left the debris on the patio for me to see.

Quess he didn't know the (4) inch rule.

Those handymen keep the ink flowing on my reports.

rick

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Rick, Maybe if you measure fromthe swirley thing?

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

Swirley thing huh?

So thats what they are called.

rick

No pics there from me pics - I'm logged in and seeing pics in other posts.

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Michael Thomas
Paragon Property Services Inc., Chicago IL
http://paragoninspects.com

I bought my home new three years ago and have the same metal railings and spaced @ 5" apart.

Robert,

What did your inspector say about them when you bought the home?

rick

Yep, railings need to be redone. No question.

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RJDalga
Home Analysts, Inc.
Kalamazoo, MI

My inspector didn't say anything about the railings. But then again, he didn't say much of anything period.

Hard to find a good inspector these days! I was not present at the time of the visit so I guess it serves me right.

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.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Ormond Beach, Florida
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

Hi Robert,

Why do the railings need to be redone "No question". ?

I don't disagree that they are incorrect and should be included in the inspection report. However, isn't it up to the buyer to decide if they care about the issue and if they want to do something about it or not? If they don't care, they don't have to be re-done.

Just curious.

Corey

I typiclly report what I find and the customer can pretty much do whatever they want with the info. I don't ask if they mind or not, but inform they of the potentential safty hazards I find in and around the home.

Bob.

Corey,

We can only report what we find. If the buyer chooses to live with the defects, let them choose to do so.

I always remind them (buyer) that the defects they choose not to have the seller fix and assume they can live with it will come back to haunt them some day when another buyer comes to buy their home when they do decide to move. Its either let the seller pay for the repair, allot the money for the repair, reduce the selling price of the home, but to totally ignore something noted as a defect is not good business sense.

JMHO

rick

Corey,

I'm not Robert, but ...

I agree ... the railings need to be re-done ... no question.

That is referring to "need", as in 'to meet minimum code' and 'to meet minimum recognized safety standards'.

That said, you are correct in that the HI cannot determine for the buyer what they want to have re-done.

That is referring to "want", as in 'no, I'll pass on the railings because I want a large flat panel TV instead.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Ormond Beach, Florida
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

In reality a good portion of the stuff we come up with never gets done... I've been called back to do listing inspections on houses I inspected years before... the report looks largely like the original, just with a more recent date.

Just a quick question out of curiosity. What if you did not notice the debris from the remodel? What code would have been not followed? Wasn't there a time when those railings would have been 'OK'?

John

John,

The previous railings were probably ok in appearance, but this realtor had suggested that if they were updated to the metal it might help the sale of the home.

The problem lies in that the clearnaces between the balusters exceeded the 4" inch rule. The thing is that the 4 inch rule was present when this home was originally built but was ignored.

The remodel person just took out the old and replaced with the new and did not take the time to install correctly.

rick

I see, Thanks.
But a quick 'what if'.... if you will

What if the 4" rule was not in place at time of original construction? Would you have to update because you worked on them, or could you just replace 'like in kind'?

John

You should follow current code requirements.

rick

That's what I was leaning towards, but had to ask

Thanks
John

I'm with Rick on this one, I don't change my inspection standards for safety related items based on the code in effect at the time of construction.
For the most part, codes change over time based on safety. I don't care if the stair railing was made last week, last year, or a century ago. Children's heads don't read code books!

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Jim Luttrall
Mr. Inspector.net, Inc.
Allen, Texas 75002