Mebbe its gonna be an op-ed piece. Maybe humor.
I’m doing a job which, as things would have it, sits just across a county line and has me in someone elses territory for permits and inspections. This has garnered a handful of opportunities for eye rolling. To wit:
I started comm via email with these people, trying to figure out if what I was used to here was going to more or less be the same. I’m told I need to register with that county, provide a set of plans, descrip of work, etc and she’ll email me the fee. I don’t know what she means by register (an to this day I haven’t yet). But I send a .pdf of the prints and a descrip. Nothin. Few days later, email again. You need to send the prints and a descrip. Uhh . . . I did. Again. I go a couple of weeks hearing nothing and no responses to emails. I say, honestly, heck with them. They can’t answer, I’m going without them. We have a schedule. And I’m gonna cross my fingers in the meantime.
As luck would have it, I get ahold of them the day I start. “The whole county’s computers went down a week ago. You can start, we’ll worry about the permit later.” AMEN!
When I call for plumbing inspection, same gal says “you didn’t start without a permit, did you?!?!”
Same guy inspects everything. One sticker, and he doesn’t even sign it. It just has places for a check mark. So the drywallers show up this am and say we can’t start your electrical isn’t signed off and I’m about ready to kill at 8am so I call the county and get some noob who says oh we don’t inspect electrical the state does that. Then says I didn’t get inspected b/c the electrician didnt pull a permit. I’m like sparky don’t need one I have it and since when does the state inspect the electrical? Oh, I better let you talk to the guy who does inspections.
Yeah, oh, I forgot to mark it just put an x in that box and you can rock.
I can’t wait for the next interaction.
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain
Replies
and to think , these are the people that walmart will not hire.
Well, I guess he got outta the car.
I'm sure the registration is for the benefit of the local taxing authority. They want to make sure they get their "just" due.
Best of luck on the final.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Well, I guess he got outta the car.
LMAO. My last footing inspection, the inspector didn't. Took great pride that he could turn around and leave without his butt leaving the seat. Not like he knew me or that I do large volume. I got the pass receipt out his open window. Sure instills confidence. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Each inspector has his own way of checking our work. They all go to the box and pull out the stamped plans. Look for the number and size of the rebar and look in the hole. Pull out the tape and check for depth and width. Sign the card.
For roof sheathing nailoff I provide the ladder. Some will climb up, lift the edge of the felt and check part of the perimeter nailing pattern. Some will climb on the roof and have me cut away a portion of the dryin so they can inspect the nailing pattern. Some don't climb but carry a ten foot length of 2" PVC pipe in their truck and ram it upwards against the sheathing to see (hear) if it's all nailed tight.
Don't EVER listen to the electrician when he tells you you can cover up part two of a job when all you had was a partial inspection for part one. About ten years ago I had them call for a partial because I was adding on in sequence around a building. Part one was fine. When I was ready for part two I asked for the second partial and was told by the Co. owner that the first inspection was enough and that a coverup would be OK with his inspector.
Had to go to the Chief Building Inspector and tell him I wasn't going to eat the fine and points on the license because I listened to the electrician concerning the inspections required for his work. Fine and points waived but I had to dig up a new electrician since that one refused to even return my phone calls from that day on.
Still pretty informal here. Changing slowly. For instance, I found errors on the last two health dept plans for septic and asked for a new plan. They asked if I was still using Buddy, the septic guy. Yup. "He knows what to do."
My stuff confuses the inspectors so I made a deal with the head inspector to do all my structural inspections. We worked out a relationship several yrs ago. If in doubt, I ask him. He then asks what I think. We work it out from there. Last time was using a large boulder for a footing. No problem. Have yet to see an inspector read the bar joist tags or measure centers.
Build a house or two with 2-300 tons of roof, successfully, and they get the idea you have some competence. Or at least nobody died yet. First inspection with the head inspector, I asked what he was looking at. Seems he gets a large amount of information regarding attitude and makes assumptions.
How does that go? "You can fool some of the people..."PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
know'n the deal now... if i was you i'd want to build there all the time and eat lunch with all the inspectors... i mean the inspector... then you'd always get to make your own x's
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