Call BG Construction

[Dolmen]

I'm buying a town house, inspection went fine but the inspector felt the deck was too wobbly and needs a tune up. Seller agreed to have that done and a few other things. When the handyman was there fixing everything, he said the deck didn't need any work and put it in writing.

Info:
-Deck is original (15 years old), and you get on it from the 2nd level.
-Inspector mentioned that the tune up would consist of crossbeam brackets and tightening the bolts (if needed), as he said everything was bolted to the house correctly and the support beams looked fine.
-Handyman the sellers hired is licensed, very reputable, and has top reviews on Checkbook.org and AngiesList.

The inspector said the fix should cost around $200-$300, so it's not a huge deal. Any advice on what to do in this situation, get a second opinion? Has anyone else had a deck tune up and know more about it?

Edit - I have no idea why I left the ing off of call...

[Brill Weave]

If the home inspector stated it needs some low level maintenance then that's what it needs. I would definitely get a second opinion just to be sure. Home inspectors are impartial and are there simply to report the problems/issues that they come across. The deck might be fine now, but what about five years down the road? Second opinion, definitely.

[Meresgi]

Get a second opinion, but inspectors are dicks when it comes to some of this shit honestly. We just built a deck not even over a year ago (me, father in law and brother in law) and had to jump through some hoops. The thing is sturdy enough to take a fucking 747 hit and not fall down while the rest of the house explodes, but the inspector still wanted even more shit done to it here and there, such as using a specific bolt type that ran $15 per bolt, even though the bolts we used were fine.

Get the second opinion though, there's only so much you can skimp on when it comes to inspections when building, so maybe it is something (doubtful it's major for only 200-300). Could effect your appraisal of the house in a few years though.

[Gadritan]

I actually do framing and would suggest that you get the work done. The inspector is thinking long term. That's pretty much what they do. Shit might be fine right now, but that can cause a lot of problems down the road that are easily avoidable reinforcing it. Also, you really don't know if the handyman is being impartial. He could have been doing work for them for years and is just trying to help them out a little. It's common enough. What is this handyman licensed for btw? It would make sense to have your own carpenter come out and take a look.

When things start to go bad with wood it can be much faster and dramatic than you'd think. Like most things, most of it is avoidable with simple maintenance. In this case, it's extremely easy and cheap work. There's really no reason not to do it unless the seller really wants to be a hard ass about $300. They don't care because it won't be their problem. You should care because you'll end up paying about 3-5x that to fix it later on if it's neglected now.

It is possible the inspector is just being a dick about it, but that's all the more reason to talk to him again and let him know what the handyman said. I'd let him know that you'd like to get someone else out there to take a look and perhaps see if he has any suggestions. If it's a referral from him, it'll get done.

[archibaldcrane]

Who gives a shit what the handyman thinks? He should just do the work as agreed on, he's a goddamn contractor, you don't need his opinion - you've already gotten an actionable opinion. Tell the seller that the handyman didn't do the work the seller agreed to get done, and he needs to find someone else who will do it.

[Dolmen]

Update - sellers should learn not to make their Facebook pictures publicly viewable, specifically when said pictures show a tree that fell on the deck from too much snow in 2010.

[Gadritan]

Who gives a shit what the handyman thinks? He should just do the work as agreed on, he's a goddamn contractor, you don't need his opinion - you've already gotten an actionable opinion. Tell the seller that the handyman didn't do the work the seller agreed to get done, and he needs to find someone else who will do it.

Sound advice. The reason I figure he's got some relationship with the owners is that he passed up some very easy money for no real reason. Seriously, that's one of those jobs you love to get b/c it's high profit for very little work.

[tyven]

Dolmen dont you live in my hood? My stepfather is a contractor, can have him and his crew of brown guys come knock that shit out for you. LIKE A BOSS

[FNH]

Update - sellers should learn not to make their Facebook pictures publicly viewable, specifically when said pictures show a tree that fell on the deck from too much snow in 2010.

wow prob why they agreed to have the repairs done.

[izembo]

he probably is the person who did the repair then originally. and realizes that they now know what shortcuts he used and are gonna make him do it for free so he said it didnt need anything.

[Salodin]

So the plot thickens...