Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

My brother-in-law thinks he's a handyman, but his skills are clearly lacking. He brags about a deck he slapped together I'm afraid to sit on and never was inspected. Should I report him before someone gets hurt?

He built a deck on the back of his house, and it’s obvious that he’s not a professional. My husband and I have never sat on his deck because it doesn’t look safe. (Others have said the same thing.) He bragged to me about how he got away with not having to pull any permits and never had the city inspect it while he was building it.