Would You Consider Gyproc a Structural Element?
Last year I had a new home built. The contract included having the basement walls studded, insulated and equipped with vapour barrier, which the Contractor did.
Since that time I have installed gyproc on the walls myself. I also installed laminate flooring in the basement family room. Both cost me less than $2,000 for material. Now the problem. I won’t bore you with all the details but the short version is that a City inspector noticed the work and wants me to remove all of it because I had no permit and it wasn’t “inspected.” The house was signed off on by the original inspector less than a year ago which included the studding, insulation and vapour barrier.
I like to do things properly so I went to the City website before I put up the gyproc to see if I needed a permit. The website says that as long as the work is less than $2,000 and not structural in nature, no permit is required. The inspector is telling me that gyproc is structural so a permit was required.
Does this make sense? Besides, even if a permit was required, what is there to inspect? Either the walls have gyproc installed or they don’t.
I know that an answer here won’t help me in my disagreement with the City (they are always right) but I am curious as to what the pros think.
P.S. – He also told me that the laminate flooring I put down in the previously unfinished basement family room required a permit. Really? Structural laminate flooring?
Replies
How did the inspector happen to be in your basement after everything was signed off?
If the studs were permitted and inspected then you could get a permit for the rock. All that needs to be inspected is the nailing. If you've already finished and painted, you could renail (or screw) and have it inspected. The rock may not be technically structural, but it's a structural element.
I've never heard of a permit needed for floor covering. Usually it's specifically excluded. You could get a permit, since there is nothing to inspect.
Once your project is finished and signed off the inspector has no legal right to come back without a search warrant. There are exceptions to this if there is a buisness license or the unit is a rental. If you've already let them in you're probably screwed. I know people who pushed this so far that their problems with the inspectors went away.
The inspector came back because I hired a plumber to install a bathroom in the basement which was only roughed in during the original construction. I rightly went to the City to get the permit for that and when he came to inspect that work he noticed the gyproc/flooring.
The gyproc is not crackfilled or painted (lucky for me).
Gyproc.......
has been said to add a structural element and some even go so far as to say that across framing the long way is stronger than long with the frame.........
Anybody that's hung sheetrock would find that hard to believe-same goes for those that have torn it out..............although, it might seem to come down easier one way than the other.
However, even if it's rated structural, then by how much does it add to the building envelope (especially on a wall stud'd adjacent to a foundation).
I would agree somewhat with an inspector wanting it down to see what's behind it. In your case-was the electric roughin also done at time of initial construction? Even then, who's to say nothing was added.
Over the years I've worked with many different jurisdictions and way more inspectors-cross them and they have memories like an elephant. Know how to deal with them and show your quality and understanding of the bldg codes, and sometimes a phone call is all that's needed for a rough.
And like Mike-never heard of a specific "gyproc inspection" nor one for flooring. Could they point that out in the code book for you?
Best of luck in this.
The walls were equipped with outlets and baseboard heat during the initial construction. I didn't add a thing. I'd be surprised if an inspector could remember exactly what he looked at a year ago anyway.
The first question to ask yourself is what did you do to p!ss off the inspector?
I never had a chance to pi## him off; besides I'm a pretty laid back guy. Like I said above, I always try to "live by the rules." I'm a safety specialist/inspector in a completely unrelated field so I appreciate the role of the inspector and the neccesity of doing things the right way.
Do understand that some inspectors get POed by ANY non-pro who does work.
I strongly suggest you call and visit with the head of the department and explain to him how you did it here - that you thought you were doing the right thing and you're really not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. I'd offer to him to open up holes in the sheetrock to see how things are roughed in and yet not have to totally re-rock the wall. Well intentioned people get in trouble with these type of things all the time and it's common to hear cases just like yours where the person either is granted a get out of jail free car to consider what's there as existing and anything going forward is permitted, or with the access holes everything is inspected and allowed to stay relatively intact other than the inspection holes.
Being a nice, polite, upstanding citizen will go a long way in this situation. It sounds like the inspector assigned to your job isn't likely to bend much, so if you can't get his boss to bend either I'd suggest requesting a new inspector to be assigned to your project - sometimes a new face will be more understanding.
There's no use arguing terminology or if something should or shouldn't be considered structural - those arguments are like saying to a policeman or judge that you don't think the speed limit on a certain stretch of road should be what it is.
If it makes you feel any better in some towns when you get red tagged they pull your electric meter until the issue is cleared up.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Geoff
I think his intentions are good, but he's not really that experienced. We have had a big turnover in Inspectors in the last few years due to retirement. The new guys are not trained as well. It used to be that Inspectors had to be Technologists. Now I think they just take an 8 week building technology course.
Gyproc is not structural. Not within this context.
I'd go to the office and tell them that there must be some misunderstanding, because the work that had to be inspected has already been inspected. Tell them that there has to be a misunderstanding, because only an arseclown would demand what this inspector is demanding. And surely the town would not employ an arseclown in their building department. Would they?
EDIT: To remove a dangerous "jobsite" word.
When actually speaking to them I'd suggest removing the substitute for the removed word as well. Leave it at "misunderstanding on the part of the inspector".
close but no lewinsky...
You have it backwards.
Leave the word. Remove the inspector.
is your inspector...
The absurdity does make me wonder:
Last year the Red Sox fired Bobby Valentine. Did he relocate to your area and is Bobby Valentine your building inspector? It sort of sounds like him...