The term "homemade" always was appealing to me. After all, a homemade meal, done-up by a master of down home cooking, is just about as good as it gets. Homemade, handmade crafts are often wonderful. A master craftsman, building something out of wood, in his or her home shop, can be a sight for sore eyes.
However, more and more, when I think of the word "homemade" I think of, in fact, homeowner construction techniques or repairs. I am sorry to say, stereotype or not, that kind of repair is often a bad thing. One example that really takes the homemade cake was witnessed by yours truly the other day. Take a look at the photo below -- specifically the porch roof and the two nice white posts that hold it up at the front.
Looks okay from there. But the problem is that the homemade porch and posts were in distress. The builder, who was a homemade homemaker, did not realize that the weight of the porch roof would be substantial. Therefore, he did not know that the posts require bearing. That is, the weight from above needs to go down to substantial structure that transfers the weight to the soil.
Not realizing that, instead, these posts were merely resting on the flat surface of composition (Trex-like) decking. That material is not made to be weight-bearing and it had a sag in it that looked kind of like a bowl. Given enough time that post would have ended up not on the deck but the end would have been resting in the dirt below. Can you say "Bye Bye Porch Roof?"
In all honesty, it is really quite disappointing to me that, nowadays, the word "homemade" does not conjure up the warmest and fuzziest of thoughts in my mind.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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Ooops, a little oversight on the part of the "builder". I also have seen some interesting home projects. Hawaii has lots of those.
Richard,
It is amazing that some houses are still standing and the owners are still with us.
It used to be that a homemade "whatever" was crafted to impress by a craftsman. Today DIY (not all) has replaced and become synonymous with homemade. DIY has (in many cases) taken the engineering out of construction.
Used to work in CA - amazing what an earthquake can do to "homemade" improvements.
Jack....that is true.
David....I bet.
Steve - I never would have gave that much thought, but upon closer look it would certainly make a lot of sense. Wonder if her ever realized it as an after-thought.
It is amazing some of the construction techniques i see. In my area we need more townships to enforce codes
OH NO! When it comes to home maintenance or repairs, HOMEMADE IS NOT GOOD! I have heard home inspectors call it "handyman wiring" or the like...it is never good!
Oh oh -- this is not a porch roof that is likely going to with stand the test of time.
Steven, I feel your pain there bro. I often wonder what is going through someone's mind when I see a homemade fiasco. Too bad they are as inept at wiring as they are in construction...
Your building consultant in Brentwood, TN ~~ Michael
So why is it that with, so many books, an ever ready Google, and fantastic tools that things would seem to be getting worse? Perplexing.
Steven, you are so very on the mark with this one! I've seen a lot of homemade in my day, and it's usually quite quirky!
I too have seen some unbelievable jack-leg constructions. The house was over 50 years old but the lumber was better and stronger.
Pat,
Thanks for dropping by.
Mike,
It is amazing what we see sometimes. I have had a few like that recently.
I have become equally jaded by the term homemade.
I have run into this same problem many times myself. Where I find it most often and most distressing is with multi-family dwellings. Multi-tiered porches without proper or adequate support. In a word-scary!
A Home Depot wanna be? Lowes and Home Depot and even HGTV have started this! It is not true that everyone can be a homeowner! We often joke that you should have to go thru a course in construction basics and get a license before you buy a home. Think of all the hazardous 'homeowner done' basements out there! When a seller says to me 'I've done it myself' I just cringe.
Great topic, I have seen a lot of houses where you just know the owner did those improvements or upgrades himself. They just scream "amateur". My eyes go right to those little horrors every time.
Thanks for the comments. Looks like we have all had some run-ins with this kind of thing,
It is not only the inspectors and realtors who can spot these 'home made' touches. Most buyers see them immediately and run in the opposite direction!
Pat,
That may be true in some locations but I find the primary areas for this kind of screwed up work is attics, crawl spaces, plumbing and wiring, which are areas seldom understood or entered by the buyers.
Ive seen some great add ons here as well. No permits or proper work done, just put together so they look good. Its unfortuante for those few buyers who ignore their Realtors advice and choose not to do a home inspection because in their "homemade" opinion everything looks fine.
Roland. You are one smart cookie.l
Lyn seems to have hit the nail on the head. "You can do it! We can help!" The big box store helpers are often the blind leading the blind. How many homeowners, or for that matter, big box store "experts" know how to calculate a roof load to determine the size and depth of footings? That's why anything with a roof requires permitting. I cringe when a realtor tells me the house Illl'm inspecting was the contractor's own place. They seem to think that it is the best built one when in reality its the when where the most shortcuts were taken. Good post Steve.
Right on David. Great and informative comment.
David, I couldn't agree more. Inspecting builders or contractors homes are where you usually find the most short cuts and amateur work.
A couple times I have been told that a contractor renovated the house and he "staked his reputation" on the quality. Afterwards I wondered if he had any reputation to begin with.
I like your original thought on homemade. For me in conjures up good food, drawings from my children, etc., but you make valid points when it comes to home inspection.
See thats why it is important to consult a home inspector because this looks like regular steps that are ok to me. Thats what your for thanks........l.