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Debate: should we tell clients when we find old framing mistakes or just fix and move on?
I was trimming out a 1920s house last week in Denver and found out the original carpenters built the whole back wall with studs 32 inches on center instead of 16. Didnt catch it till I went to nail baseboard and hit nothing but air. My helper thought we should tell the homeowner since its a safety thing but I argued its already stood 100 years and pointing it out just makes us look like we are digging for extra work or being alarmist. I found the stat in an old framing code book from the 70s that said 32 inch spacing was used a bunch during lumber shortages after WW2. The wall is fine structurally with the plaster and lath still holding but my gut says full honesty is the right call even if it costs us goodwill on the next bid. What do you guys do when you find old screwups that arent hurting anything right now?
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emmawood17d ago
Man, that's a tough spot to be in. I get why you'd lean toward fixing it quietly, because no one wants to look like they're nitpicking old work for no reason. But honestly, I think your gut is right. Full honesty is the way to go here, even if it's a little awkward. That wall has held up fine for a century, sure, but the homeowner deserves to know what they've got in case they ever do any big renovations or load changes. If you just fix it and move on, you're gambling that nothing ever needs to be reworked down the line. I'd rather lose a bid than lose my reputation if something ever comes back to bite them.
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The thing is, 32 on center with lath and plaster actually gives you more sheer strength than drywall on 16s... so that wall might be stronger than what we build today in some ways. I'd tell them just so they know not to let a future contractor rip it all out without a plan.
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