A fire inspector in Tampa told me my hoistway door gap check was sloppy

He said I was just eyeballing it, so now I always break out the feeler gauges first thing. Anyone else get called out on something basic that made you tighten up your routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

umasullivan2mo ago

That "eyeballing it" comment would make me double-check everything from then on.

skyler_craig14d ago

Yeah, @umasullivan, that "double-check everything" part is exactly where my head goes too. Once you hear that phrase, you can't unhear it. Every single thing they've done becomes suspect, even the stuff that seems fine at first glance. It's like once you know they're okay with guessing, you have to verify every measurement, every cut, every nail they put in. And that takes so much extra time and effort on your part, which is really frustrating when you're paying someone to do it right the first time. It basically means you become the quality control person on a job you already paid for, and that's just not fair to you.

eric_carr2mo ago

It goes beyond just checking their work. That phrase tells you how they see the whole job. If they're cool with guessing on something visible, what shortcuts are they taking on the stuff you can't see, like wiring inside a wall or the foundation under a deck? You start wondering if every measurement is just a rough estimate.