Man that sounds like a total win.

Paint that bandaid looking wall and call it "artistic beige" like the rest of us, nobody will know the difference.

Spongy joist thing gives me the shivers" - yeah, @paul_burns, that's the part that scares me the most. When I found those soft spots I actually poked one with my boot and my foot went right through. The homeowners acted surprised like I was overreacting but the whole corner was basically compost at that point. Did you end up having to redo any of the framing underneath or just the decking boards? I had to tear out two joists and replace them with treated lumber because the rot had spread into the ledger board too. That kind of water damage sneaks up on you real fast in this climate.

Spray that grease fire with water and you'll be doing your best impression of a dragon at the Renaissance fair. I'd rather flip the lid shut and let the thing suffocate than risk flaming bacon juice shooting across the yard. But hey, if you want to feel like a firefighter for a second, go for it.

Oh man, I gotta say I read a thing from a motor repair guy once who swore by the amp draw method for catching issues early. He said thermal overloads are fine for the really big stuff but can be sluggish on smaller motors, which makes sense if you think about it. @mark_hunt, I get why you stick with the thermal trick though, it's dead simple and doesn't need extra gear. A clamp meter is cheap and gives you that instant number though, I always keep one in my truck for this exact reason.