The inspector is required to inspect the exterior siding and that looks like fiber cement. Fiber cement manufacturers, namely Hardi-Plank, prohibit the attachment of anything to their product. I would have said as much and something like this:
“The pergola was bolted to the house siding which is contrary to the siding manufacturer’s installation instructions. Long-term deterioration of the siding may occur. A further evaluation and service as deemed necessary by a licensed and competent general contractor is recommended.”
P.S. There is likely no footing for the posts. FYI.
In response to the last point, the posts are anchored to the concrete.
In addition to the middle post leaning away from the house:-
beams are warped because of the middle post leaning outwards
the lattice is not secured to any of the rafters and slap in the wind ie, they are lifted up by the wind and then drop down
What should I do from here? I have been left with quite a headache of an issue to deal with and all I got from the building inspector’s company was citing of Nachi rules ie, it is not included in the inspection.
In addition to the above the inspector failed to tell me that there was a strong smell of cat urine at the back of the crawl space. I had the crawl space encapsulated as the plastic sheeting was degraded - the technician doing that work told me the urine was all up the back wall. Admittedly it was behind insulation but I believe he should have pointed that out. He can’t say he has lost his sense of smell as he was teaching a fire fighter the same day as doing the inspection.
You should read what I said above. The siding inspection is required and the siding has a defect in that there is a structure bolted directly to it. I’d ask for a refund at a minimum and consider hiring an attorney to fight for having the installation corrected.
**do not allow any activities to occur under the pergola until these are completed; any further negligence places you responsible in the event of catastrophic failure **
