Enjoy the Nuttiness

WORKING AT ASHI HAS CHANGED ME.

As I was replacing a sump pump hose under the house and running it outside the other
day, one thought kept running through my head, “Don’t do something stupid that will get you into
‘Postcards from the Field’ someday.” I now imagine a home inspector in a few years walking through my
house after I decide to retire and sell it and muttering to himself, “Was this guy an idiot or what? Why did he
do that? Was he insane?” (The “insanity” part probably has nothing to do with my so-called repairs.)

I look at the photos you send us every month and mutter many of the same things. “Why would they/a repairman/a
contractor/their brother-in-law do that?” “Did they not think this through?” “They actually
thought this was a good idea at the time?” Laziness? Stupidity? Both?

It boggles the mind.

I suppose we
shouldn’t complain, though. If houses always were perfect, they wouldn’t need home inspectors. And if not
for the crazy stuff people do, ASHI inspectors’ jobs could be pretty dull. So embrace the shoddiness and
irrationality. Keep finding those car jacks holding up decks and continue taking the photos of electrical outlets in
showers. Enjoy the nuttiness. As for me, I get a lot of moisture in my crawlspace. Maybe I’ll duct tape the
entire foundation — inside and out.

Okay, perhaps working at ASHI hasn’t changed me that much.