Building Inspector/ Code Enforcement Blues

joasis

I was thinking we need a new thread on the BS we put up with from super intelligent building inspectors and code officials. Horror stories anyone?

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Teetorbilt

The Bldg. Dept. is getting 3 - 7 newbies. How's that for horror?

Just about the time you get the last batch broken in..........

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

joasis

I was thinking about what ccs posted in relation to a county inspector not liking the new house wrap, since it didn't say a brand name he was OK with.

I will go head to head with an inspector after I found out the law will not protect them from their own stupidity. If I get a red tag, which I did last year, and I know I'm right and he is wrong, I go for it...lost time, damages, his ass...the works. Since I am in a small town, I can fight back...I would hate to be in California and let the house rot of old age before you even got to court to prove the idiot wrong.

The guy who applied for the job after the idiot left told me he didn't like what I did, and I winked at him and asked if his bond was valid. He took the hint and withdrew his application. Now we have a decnt inspector who is a retired builder...and a reasonable, nice guy. When he has an opinion, I listen because I respect him.

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theman

Josis

What is your definition of a good Bld. Inspector/ CEO

Someone you can work with, nice guy, fair, helps you out,
shows up when you call,easy to work with,looks the other way.
a few thoughts
or
someone who is suppose to enforce the state, local and national codes, by the way you are suppose to build to these same codes

R&S Exteriors

I don't remember Joasis saying anything about "looking the other way". I think his problems were with inspectors that didn't know what they were doing.

How about somebody who actually knows what the codes are and doesn't make it up as he goes. Someone who has been trained on the codes or at least how to read a book and not someone who use to be a "builder" but could not make it so he became a codes enforcer.

Somebody who has good people skills and not someone who shows up wanting conflict and inventing ways to get it.

Someone who is not a "know it all" and is willing to admit when they are proved wrong instead of someone who digs in their heels and refuses to admit when wrong.

I guess just someone who knows their job and does it professional.

There are many great Inspectors out there and there are more bad ones.


I take it from you post (the man) that you view your job as an adversarial one with the contractors. Can't an inspector be and still

Teetorbilt

Here, a building inspector has to be a CBC. Why is a CBC a building inspector? The only reason that I can come up with is that he failed. Some rebel and raise H.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Brushslingers

If you guys look back on your jobs at the "requests" the inspectors make.... well, if your in a big enough town to have more than one anyhow... you will notice each month thier "nitpick" list changes to something new, but mirror each other. There's a mag that comes out monthly in most places that is sent to inspectors and talks about "new things" and code changes that may or may not be upcoming. Sorta sticks in thier brains.

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Benn

joasis

I can't even imagine what you were thinking by suggesting we want inspectors to turn the other way. Fair and looks the other way doesn't even fit in the same sentence.

Of course, we expect the codes will be enforced, and we build to better then code standards. My point of contention are the inspectors with very little true knowledge, or experience, and an overwhelming desire to pretend they really know it all.

If those reading this follow building practices and technology, you know the construction fields are changing quickly...with new building systems and methods every week it seems like. A city inspector several years ago held up construction of an ICF home since the code book didn't address it, even though an engineer was available, to explain what was going on. The contractor had to go to civil court and have a judge end the "red tag" stop.

So "theman", do you think contractors and builders should glad hand and kiss a little a$$ to the valued inspector? Do you think a building inspector is automatically right because they read a periodical magazine telling them new things to look for? Or maybe you think inspectors are far smarter then the professional engineer that designed the trusses I was using and the inspector red tagged me for?

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K2

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AtlanticWBConst

Actually, what would be more entertaining are the stories that building inspectors would have about:

Hack 'I can start right away' contractors

'Ex office worker'- wanna be contractors

Joe Home Owner - contractors

Etc..

add to the list.

Side note: I stopped by a job that my biz. partner had set up for doing the Drywall. A re-habbed house....OMG.
There was a 'General Contracting company' doing the 'work' there. I stopped by because my biz partner had said that these guys are green and don't seem to have a clue. They had said =-allset for the sheetrock. Sure enough, we had to 'nicely' go through the house and show them all the additional work that they had to do, to be ready for sheetrock.
Pathetic, you should have seen the puppy dog blank looks on their faces. 2 guys...partners in 'business'. I know that they don't have any kind of license. They were clueless, but walked around like the big cheeses. I don't even see how they could've passed a permit on it. They had a lawn sign out front: ***X Construction - "New homes, additions, remodeling....". More like: Walking lawsuits....

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- Build Well -

joasis

Ok Atlantic....you got one there! If our code enforcement was more strict, I know a lot of guys who would blow it on day one. My neighbor across the street has been watching too many "flip this house" type of shows and are currently loosing their tails on a house they bought to flip...and lo and behold, the state inspector came by and clued them in on a few things...like you cannot do plumbing and electrical work on anything EXCEPT your own, occupied residence. Then the state guy goes to see our local guy and asks why he isn't on the job...and finds out our town has no remodeling codes......oh boy.

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fox builders

here in MA we have inspectors for everything of which we should.
We have come across a few bad ones over the years but in small towns in NH that we have worked in one guy inspects everything he doesn't even have a back ground in construction only what he reads this guy I have no respect for and his lack of knowledge has cost a few h-o money by signing off on some real bad work my sister being one of them. No I don't work for family.

Double-A

I'm afraid the quality of inspector's might be directly tied to the salary most places are willing (or not willing) to pay for qualified candidates.

I think its really odd that some small communities have no objection to paying $50-100K a year for principles and administrators for their schools, but won't even consider paying more than $10-$12 dollars an hour for qualified building code inspection officials to inspect the construction, repair, or additions to those schools.

More money doesn't always mean more quality, but it can mean more qualified candidates.

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"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

HUMMERHUMMER

If most contractors would take time to review the code, installation procedures and Supervise their jobs, you wouldn't need building inspectors.(This is not intended for you "the perfect contractor")Most problems come down to supervision and having a qualified individual supervising. I know that we all make mistakes(including inspectors) and sometimes it's hard to accept mistakes, but the public (owners) deserves a good job.

mdshunk

Speaking for myself, the few things I've gotten dinged for over the years were not mistakes. They were items that I never knew about. I consider myself to know more about my trade's codes than many, but still, "you don't know what you don't know", if you know what I mean. The role of inspector as teacher is appreciated by me.

HUMMERHUMMER

yet the role of the inspector is not to teach. It's to inspect. Many contractors get use to calling for inspection and letting the inspector do the punch out. I'm sure all (most) contractors have a Building Code just like the inspector yet many get use to building a certain product and when faced with a different scenario will apply the same techniques, just because they have done it that way for 20 years.

sheeter

I agree with HUMMERHUMMER, many builders never study the specifications or installation procedures recommended by the manufacturers. If all the trades would research the products that they used and installed them per the manufacturers specs, they would never be sued for liability or be turned down on an inspection. I have yet to see a residential builder install TYVEK brand house wrap per the specs. Granted that I have only built ten houses in my construction career, I have built high rise buildings all over the US and Puerto Rico and I see a lot working out of town. Recently, in SC, I saw a vinyl siding crew installing siding on OSB with no house wrap behind it.

K2

I've been accused of that but when you have more than 60 inspectors and a local code that states each inspector has the final word on interpreting the code, I just wait to see what each has to say.

I recently got involved in a moving an existing home 35 miles. Electric, plumbing, and hvac were total redo's to current code. That part was simple. The building. I requested and was willing to pay for a pre-inspection on the structure by the inspector for that area. They said they could not do that so I spoke to the inspector several times and he stated that the structure had to be brought to current code.

Ok I have a 100 year old house that was approved by the building dept to be moved. I have a lady that paid $35000 to move this thing. I have a structure with ungraded lumber, no insulation, single pane windows, and on and on and on. The only way i knew of to bring this to current code was to level it and start over. So we reluctantly called for inspection as it stood.... The inspector passed it the first time without any list at all. I was in shock for the rest of the day.

RobertCDF

Hey Rob, who was that anyway?

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

mdshunk

Yeah, no kidding, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm on top of my game, and smarter than many. I'd talking about truly oddball things. I might get 2 red tags a year, and they are for really odd things. The inspectors are all to happy to explain, and I appreciate that. Plus, when you mix old work with new work on the same job, there's a lot of grey area that is up to interpretation.