Thanks for your help.
After making the call for an inspection- frame, roughs, etc. how many working days does it typically take for the inspector to show? I’m getting killed out here in the ‘burbs!
A. Less than 2 days
B. 2-3 days
C. 3-5 days
D. 5 days +
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
– Fyodor Dostoyevski
Replies
Here, if we call before noon, the inspector will show between 8 and noon the following day.
If we call after noon, they will show between noon and 4pm.
Building dept has a pretty slick automated phone system. When I mentioned calling in after noon, that would include calling in at 8 or 9 pm.
If there will be any delay, they call us back to let us know when.
We gots no complaints.
The city of Austin has 48 hours to complete their inspection once called in. When things were busy they used all 48 to get there. They typically had 40 to 60 projects to inspect a day. Nowadays they are there the next day at 8am because tyour inspection is all that is on there list.
In my town, you're lucky to get it done in a week; and it can be two weeks. AND our property taxes are 3% of property value!
Bob
Thanks for all your replies! I'm doing my first permitted job out here in the 'burbs(mid size NJ town) and it's killin' the client and me! It's a gut remodel of a kitchen and the H.O. secured the permits... Here's how it has been going:4/29 call for rough elec and plumbing-sched for 5/6
5/5 plumbing insp in the neighborhood, passed (5min)5/6 elec insp shows, tag for one outlet location, insp. "wants to see pigtails for all devices" clients son, a union apprentice did wiring and corrects all in 2hrs. Call for re-insp.- voicemail.5/7 voicemail5/8 voicemail(out of office for meeting)5/11 Reschedule for 5/135/13 passed (5 min.) Call 2x for frame insp. (no framing changes)5/14 scheduled frame insp.
5/19 frame insp "this is all original" 5 min. Call for insulation inspection (one wall). Nice lady says call back after 3pm. 3:03 left voicemail.5/20 Left voicemail (no scheduling by voicemail) Client goes to town hall, insulation inspection will be 5/27.Lesson learned. I never thought I'd miss NYC.
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
And they wonder why folks skip the permit process................
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." — Sherlock Holmes, 1896
Didja ever notice that the code/permit thing is aimed at new construction, and is completely SNAFU for remodelling?
I would play a little better if they even made an effort to understand that their game aint mine. I've educated my hometown AHJ to this fact - they're really good with me, I get alot of leeway at this point.
When I was building houses it worked out real well. They realised that I knew their game and played it perfectly. When I went back to remodelling, at least they knew that I would play with them if it worked - but it don't.
.02Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
I did a fairly complicated remodel/addittion in Sherman, CT about a year ago.
They contract out the inspections to a co. Call before 3pm and you generally will see someone in the am next day. Never saw it done like that and so well. The inspectors were almost all retired inspectors working part time. I told them at the end of the job that I wanted to kiss them they made my life so easy.
I could figure a job like that with nominal costs involved to cover permitting and inspections.
On the other hand, most municipalities I tell people min $2000. to 3000. in fees and wasted time., possibly more. A lot say screw it and go with no permit. I make sure my contract indemnifies me from the possible harm of their choosing to not permit.
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." — Sherlock Holmes, 1896
Sounds about right.
Without getting too wordy - it's sometimes fun to get caught, let them pound their chest, dictate their code, - and then let them find out that there aint no way in he77 that it will work for themselves/their dictates/the administrative prescription...
When they come back and ask - priceless...
Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
"'Didja ever notice that the code/permit thing is aimed at new construction, and is completely SNAFU for remodelling?"" Curious why you say that ....
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
The only SNAFU I see in remodeling is the confusion about what needs to be brought up to code in "existing".
Now that I can agree with.
Goal being to try to lessen threats to life safety issues and protect from fire etc. But those can and are judgment calls , always (IMO) something that can be discussed with the BI's office.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Usually 2-3 days, depending on the inspection schedule. In some towns around here, BIs only work part time, so they might not be available the next day.
IIRC, there is a limit on how long you have to wait for an inspection. If you schedule, and they don't show within that time, you can proceed with the job. But I've never had that problem. Plus, I can imagine an inspector could get a little cranky if you did that.
A.)
What else they got to do?
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
a.
don't think I've ever waited more than 2 days.. unless you count weekends
A)
Automated phone call in.
Call before 7 am and you will have a 95% chance of same day inspection. If they are too busy then you head the list for the following day.
Exception is Electrical , State Inspector ( county based) and works 1/2 the county one day , 1/2 the county the next day.
It depends on how many days I wait (only fax requests accepted) to call (between 7:30am and 1 pm, Mon-Thurs only) multiple times (no answering service) to get a live body to ask for scheduled inspection time...
only find out they haven't received/can't find/used as toilet paper the faxed request.
Then we start again....
2 days to 2 weeks
A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
(A) always the next day. Usually if you can get the request in before 6AM they will be there that day. It is an automated system.
I am not really sure the inspectors are less busy now than they were in the good times since they simply laid off everyone and the bosses are out there inspecting.
I will say the Lee County Fla building department has been pretty good.
I dealt with them as "owner builder" several times but my wife built over 100 houses. They seem to be very reasonable if you understand the process. They have even started entering the 20th century and can look at Emailed pictures although they still want a copy in the permit box.
Usually a day. Often it is not necessary to call since it's a small town and he keeps an eye on things and pops in when he feels the need.
they have to look at it here within 24 hour, the inspector lives a block away from me, so I alway told him catch it on the way home. which would be around 3:30 pm
when they get around to it...
and then they may call the day before...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
A)
'burbs in King County, WA
-t
The couple of times I've needed an inspection (footings) here they were out the day after we called.
Was with a church crew in TN some years back and the footing inspector was out about 2 hours after he was called -- poured concrete about 15 minutes later.
never seen more than48 hours, tho I don't work mych under inspectors
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where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I get fast response almost everytime. Usually the next day. You just need to anticipate when you'll be ready and remember to make the call.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
You can't schedule the next inspection until you pass the previous, i.e. we couldn't schedule the frame until we passed the electrical and they wouldn't schedule the frame and insulation at the same time (insulation was done at time of frame inspection).I should be picking up my final check by now.....
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
Not always true and not what I meant in the first place. Ive had subs call for inspectons before they started work cause they knew it would get done in time.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
usually within 4 hours of the call, and rarely as long as 12 business hours.
They usually stop by the next business day after the neighbors call...
Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
another thing here. if you fail the inspection, the next inspection cost you $50. they dont want to look at one wall, they want everything complete so not make unneccassy trips. they are not here for you but you are here for them, (to raise your property tax)
I like to help out my own hometown insp department. I finish 'em first.
I can't tell you the number of times I have taken in "as built photos" for a permit ...;)
One time they had changed Commisioner of building/zoning - rest of the staff the same. ( I know them all real well). Someone turned me in. He wanted prints. I gave him pics. Threw a hissy. I walked. Two days later, there was a permit stapled to the shed - all stages of inspection signed off... funny part was that they hadn't noticed the entire house ( on the same lot) that I had completely R+R including foundation to carpet Heh,heh...Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
around here a PE can override the county, my boss is a PE, we was building his house. the inspector was raising a hissy fit over something small. Boss pull his stamp out of his truck, stamp the permit and told the inspector,"git the """" of my property "
Priceless...Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Next business day for sure. If calling it in before 7AM on the automated system maybe that same day depending on workload (which means the last two years the same day).
Runnerguy