Home Inspector shares one contractors catastrophic mistake that ended well

 About a year ago, we received a call to inspect a house in the capital district, and the address sounded familiar. I quickly looked it up and saw that we had inspected the house about a year prior, nothing that had not happened before. What was odd was that when we compared the names on the inspection request, it was for the same person we had inspected the house for originally. Upon calling to confirm the buyer, the now owner, told us that shortly after they closed on the house, it burned to the ground. That is not something a home inspector ever wants to hear. My mind went to what we could have missed that would have resulted in a fire. The owner quickly confirmed that we had not missed anything, and the fire had nothing to do with us. Before moving in, the new owners had the floors refinished, and the contractor left a bucket of oil-soaked rags on the enclosed porch. The sunlight heated the rags, resulting in spontaneous combustion when no one was home. The house burned to the ground quickly because of the active and open construction that was occurring. Fortunately for them, the insurance company covered the entire replacement cost. It was remarkable comparing the original inspection to the new one; the footprint of the house was the same with only minor changes. The interior was completely refinished, and the basement was expanded. It was great to see the similarities and differences between the two inspections. Many home-buyers opt to perform renovations, both large and small, before moving into their new home. Ensuring that the house is properly and fully insured and that all contractors are licensed, qualified, and insured themselves is also important. Fortunately, no one was injured and only limited personal belongings were lost in this case.

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