TOPIC: Here A Crack, There A Crack, Everywhere...

Had the sun not been in the right position I might not have seen this.

New construction, double master bathroom sink, plastic counter top with bowls.

Glancing in the mirror the reflected sun light just happened to catch a 8" long, very thin crack extending from beside the right handle to beyond the left.  Had I gone in there a moment earlier, or later, the sun may not have revealed it.  Without the sun it was almost invisible.

While we might not have been able to see it, and the supervisor did not know it was there, one has to wonder if when they drilled those three holes the subs did not know they cracked the top and left it that way!

I am told that replacing that counter top is over $1000!  And since it is new and a single, molded piece of plastic ("cultured marble"), it needs to be replaced!

Had it not been caught on the inspection, and the buyers had called a couple of weeks after moving in, they would have been told that it was not there previously, OR "we examine everything very carefully every day and we didn't see it," OR "we can't be responsible for things homeowners do to their houses and the things they break," OR whatever.

OR, best of all, "you had a home inspection and IF it was there then your inspector should have caught it."

And during that conversation the word "inspector" would have been uttered drippingly...

AND gratefully!  The builder would have felt totally off the hook!  And the subcontractor who caused the crack would have smiled BIG.

This is a shot of the sink moments after the sun's angle had shifted.  You can see how difficult it would have been to see this crack without sun light reflected in the mirror.  And there was light, and it was good!

Pay no attention to that ghastly ghostly image in the mirror.

Well, pay attention!  He's the guy who would have been blamed!  And maybe $1000 poorer after being blamed!  Well, $500 poorer after the insurance deductible.

My recommendation:  A home inspection on new construction is essential.  You never know what might be found!