Related to "is my contractor incompetent" on building deck

[orangele2003]

I posted a thread on my contractor and the problems I have had in building a deck. Bottom line is that my consts are now over 22K for a

270 sq foot deck and it is still not done. One of the issues that came up is the issue of a building permit. I did not know that a permit is required, and from asking everyone that I know it appears that a permit is indeed required. I am very worried now that if I attempt to have an inspector come now, that they will find something that will require additional work, or disasterously require that the deck be basically rebuilt.

I would point out that there was an existing deck present in the same location, and this deck is replacing the old one. The old deck was definitely not up to code since the joist distances were 32 inches, and it had no flashing, and it has structural deficiencies as well (poor design). The current deck has corrected all those deficiencies. Of course I have no expertise, so there could be something out of code that I cannot see.

Would others go to the city at this point and attempt to obtain a permit with the risk of having them find something requiring major additonal work? I am planning to have the 2nd story wall above the deck surfaced with brick, and this time, I definitely make sure that a permit is obtained, so an inspector will be accessing the 2nd story via this new deck (once it is completed) although I guess he would not know that this was newly completed other than by it simply looking new. So an inspector will see the deck. Would such an inspector possibly go out of what they were asked to look at if there are no glaring deficiencies?

[Glenn]

In this area, you don't need a permit if it isn't over 2 feet off the grade. Also you don't need a permit for almost anything if it is just replacing existing. That's considered repairs.

[longshot]

hell no. permits in general are another way to tax people for their own money being spent on their own property. bureaucratic bullshit, like anything else governed.

[Shannon Pate]

As a homebuilder that goes by the book, I'd recommend that you obtain the building permit.

Last week, I was visiting one of my homes that is being built in a city in which I have never worked. As I walked around the exterior, I was very pleased with the work of the siding contractor who had just begun working that day. Then, I suddenly remembered that this particular city required a housewrap inspection. In eleven years building homes in at least 10 different municipalities, I had never had a housewrap inspection, so it had slipped my mind. I immediately stopped the siding contractor and called the building inspection office. I explained exactly what I had done. I told them that I knew I was supposed to have the inspection, that I had forgotten and the siding crew had begun. I asked them if they would inspect the rest of the house or if I should begin tearing the siding off. Since I was upfront, honest, and asking them to help me find a solution, they broke their rules, and inspected the remainder of my housewrap and allowed my siding to remain.

The point of the story is, the city is not going to make an example of you because you have built a deck without a permit. They would rather work with you and be sure that you have built a safe structure. The inspector will be checking the connection to the house, the size and spacing of the joists, the handrail height and spacing of balusters. He'll also be checking flashing at the ledger, the height and continuity of the risers and treads, the footing under the support posts and the size and connection of these posts.

The most common failures occur in the stairway. However, if the contractor has significnat experience working in this area, he should be well aware of the prevailing codes and build a structure that is suitable.

Regards,

Shannon Pate

[Bob Morrison]

Excellent Advice! Most jurisdictions will give you a chance to comply with the building code. If you blow them off then all hell will break loose and you will wish you had made an attempt to get the job done properly.

[Jonny]

Irregardless of past inadequacies of the deck. If there is no substantially heavy cladding on the wall above the deck now, you can look forward to something more substantial holding up that brick.

[mrsgator88]

If they require the deck to be rebuilt, then rest assured there is something terribly wrong with it. If they ask for additional work, be glad you know now. By building a deck without a permit, you jeopardize y

[mrsgator88]

If they require the deck to be rebuilt, then rest assured there is something terribly wrong with it. If they ask for additional work, be glad you know now.

If you ever decide to pull a permit for anything else in the future, you'll have inspectors at your house. Do you really want to take the chance of getting busted for putting up the deck without a permit? Look, maybe nothing bad will happen if you sneak this by. But, definitely nothing good will either.

You're not replacing it with the same design and layout. And if its that much better then you'll have no problem with the permit.

Absolutely get the permit. My dad got busted for replacing a fence - by a plumbing inspector who was at the house next door.

If you explain what happened and how it happened, and are honest and upfront, they'll treat you like an uninformed homeowner and have mercy on you and just tell you what if anything need correcting and that will be it.

I think the big problem here is your working relationship with the guy building the deck. I think you're so reluctant to introduce anymore conflict that you're willing to accept all kinds of future risk just so you can avoid anymore conflict.

I'm in a similar situation with my builder, except I'm building a large addition and spending a lot more money. I have mistakes that cannot even be corrected. Stop being afraid of this guy.

S

[crhras]

Your problem isn't the permit - just get one, it's cake and the cost is trivial compared to the money you have thrown away so far on your contractor. That's the real problem. You're into this thing for 22K and there's more to go ? What materials are you using and how high is the deck ?

[orangele2003]

I am using ipe (decking and structure) leading to materials costs of over 10K. The deck is a little over 9 1/2 feet off a pool deck below.

[SteveF]

Actually it's the only way a non-construction person has a hope in hell of getting something properly built. If consumer@yahoo had gotten his permit FIRST then the contractor would have made sure everything was done to code instead of having to post a bunch of "what do I do now to get out of this mess" questions. And everything that flunks inspection gets fixed at the contractor's expense since any mistakes are their fault.

Steve.

[eDeck.net]

If it's attached to the house, you defininely need a permit, and I would definitely NOT skip it. If the footings are already in, you'll need to substantiate their size somehow. The rest of the job will be easy to fix now, but probably impossible to fix later without another teardown.

[eDeck.net]

I've built over 350 decks and the only one over $19K was 1100 square feet with 3 sets of stairs. Sounds like a lot of money, 22K? approaching $100/sq. ft?

[ericjonesstairs]