Ed B wrote: ..
Have you noticed that those who tend to complain about inspectors often are the same ones who don't believe they should be required to comply with electrical codes or plumbing codes because they don't understand why the code is written the way it is.
Please note that I am not suggesting that all code enforcement and local codes are reasonable. Some of the writers may well be reporting their local situation. I have experienced a few of those situations myself.
I'm in Central New York, rural area south of Syracuse. I bought a house that was "livable" and had good siding, but otherwise was a POS. I tore the whole thing apart, new wiring, plumbing, doors, windows, everything. The whole time I was working I kept expecting someone to come over asking to see my permit (that I didn't have). The renovations are done now, and still nothing.
I think permits are "required" because the local government wants to:
1) know what you're doing so if your property value goes up, they can increase you assessment 2) make sure your neighbors are going to complain when it's done 3) make sure you don't make some horrible mistake that will cause death or injury to yourself or others..You should have seen the things the previous owner did in *his* renovation of this house (wiring on the outside of the wall, then into the wall, to power an outlet), and so on and so on..
Permits are a good idea in general, but if you're confident in your own work, and you don't think anyone is going to bother you about *not* getting one, I wouldn't worry about it..
Yea, but consider the number of Bubbas out there who are confident of their own work, and well... lets say over confident.
(snip)
Chuckle. My house resembles that remark. The decor is bad enough, but at least that isn't dangerous. The wiring, on the other hand- half the outlets reverse-polarity, and the open-lidded junction box in the attic where the wire nuts went 'sproing' when I touched it, the buried splice in the run to the medicine cabinet, the unclamped cable feeding the fart fan that was blowing directly into the insulation, the butchered cabinet that has a large air leak to attic above the stove where they installed the built-in micro - need I go on? I won't say that the work I am slowly doing is craftsman quality, especially the electrical cable fishing, but it is a damn sight better than what I ripped out, and it is at least safe, even if it isn't pretty. I'll be calling in a pro for the HVAC replacement- I don't have a warm fuzzy about doing that myself.
aem sends....
While permits in many places are tied to taxes, that's not the only reason they exist. Where I live, getting a permit means that an independent safety inspector will check the work to ensure it complies with all appropriate codes. I view the permit as a way of getting a neutral third party, knowledgeable about safety codes, to check the work and make sure it's done safely and properly.
There are reasons, rationalizations, and uses for permitting, and none of the three particularly resembles the other.
And then there are reasons why the permitting is done the way it's done, which usually boils down to money and effort.
Owner was approached by contractor and convinced to sell (greed). Most cities require a permit to remove any tree over so many inches in diameter for any reason. In this case the original application was rejected because it would offset the city's desire to have many trees (Saratoga CA - kinda ritzy in the hills). Contractor said he worked out a deal to put different trees in another location in the city but he lied. Owners last words 'don't do anything until I see the proper paperwork" Obviously were ignored.
Apparently this "contractor' has done this all over the state and is known by his actions. I don't know if the owner checked his licensce but at one point he called the company he thought he worked for and they disavowed any relation to him bla bla.
Neighborhood code vigilante. Known to call whenever any contractor van pulls onto the road. (stinkin control freak). This is not the first time in that neighborhood. owner not sure who it is.
Cost of the permit is not too much and would have been absorbed by the contractor but it needs approval by city engineer (or whomever hugs the trees in that city)
He has a citation for an appearance before whatever city board reviews this stuff in a few weeks. I'm interested to see how it turns out, they may have mercy in the end. Unfortunately he already blew the $1k talking to a layer about the situation.
Personally I send all solicitors packing, no matter what they sell. I only buy from deals I initiate.
Very interesting story.
Well, in this case a guy thought he was playing by the rules and he still got hurt, but the guy who called is probably a good thing for the neighborhood. What good is a ritzy n'hood if it doesn't have trees. One of the ways to keep targeted middle-class n'hoods from becoming crowded near-slums is to call every time one sees a plumbing truck. Landlords start putting in extra little bathrooms and kitchenetttes and walls and doors, and illegally put 2 families in apartments or houses that were meant for one. Sometimes 3 in big apartments, and 4 or more families in big houses.
Stopping this was a major tactic by the Hyde Park - Kenwood Community Council, or its predecessor, in the 1950's and 60's. They are still very nice n'hoods but wouldn't have been if some landlords had had their way.
Makes good sense. I"ve gotten spam email for something I actually wanted. But I make sure I buy it somewhere else. And the one time I bought a magazine from a young door to door saleman, I never got it. The next one who came, I gave hell. Called him a thief. He pretended not to know.
Thanks.
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