John,

It is common that you will not find an actual code or published standard specifically addressing an incredibly stupid mistake done by a tradesman. I see this frequently in my investigative work regarding HVAC losses.

The codes and standards applicable for any construction trades are based on the premise that the workman will perform his job in compliance with the accepted industry practices for his trade. Certain basic things are expected of any tradesman when he performs his work within his industry’s accepted industry practices.

If the applicable codes and standards were written to literally address every conceivable mistake that could be made by a stupid tradesman, the general contractor would need a tractor trailer just to haul the code and standards books to the job site.

Just because you can not find a specific published code or standard addressing the issue, does not mean he did nothing wrong. He obviously did.

What you need is a construction expert. Not necessarily a structural engineer, but an expert that has actual experience as a professional construction tradesman and also investigative experience.

You need someone who has actually hammered a few million nails and therefore he can opine to a reasonable degree of professional certainly, how it should done. With his experience he can also describe the accepted industry practice that should be followed for such work.

Good Luck

Edward A. (Ed) Carey
H.V.A.C. / Mechanical
Loss Consultant