AMI - home inspection sample - Drive nail through hole in bracket.

Drive nail through hole in metal bracket.

Seven words that are difficult to misunderstand. So why do people misunderstand them so often? As any home inspector in the Portland area will tell you, attic pulldown ladders are rarely installed properly. They require, at minimum, four nails (or sometimes lag screws) through each of the four mounting brackets. Most people use drywall screws, which are a particular problem because they have no listed strength and because they can snap so easily, and they always seem to drive them through the wood frame, which can split.