Permit for finished basement req. electrical and Plumbing test...What books to read?

[jfalken]

I'm a homeowner. I was thinking of finishing my basement. For some crazy reason, I thought I'd do it via permits rather than without. All my friends and my parents have either done them without or with a small contractor who also didn't pull permits. Anyway, I called the local building code office to ask about fees, schedules, etc. They tell me that a homeowner can do any of it, but needs to take a test on the Electrical codes and Plumbing codes after applying for permit and before recieving go ahead. When asked what material to study, they said just visit a library and they would have the code books. All right, Here's my beef. I want to finish my basement and run 2-3 new circuits. I have a rough in for the plumbing sticking up through the floor. I don't want to be a contractor, electrician or plumber by trade. I never intend to rough in my own plumbing, attach the main drain, add a sub panel, work on anyone else's house. I want to do about 3 weeks work(mostly finish). The books they are talking about are the raw code books that I would need to memorize if I wanted to build a damn skyscraper. OK, rant done. Well, I said I would do it thr proper way and rather than admit to my friends and family that I should have just snuck it, I will. So finally, are there any recommended books I should pick up to do prepare for the test? One thing that strikes me about the test is that it is probably not open book, yet in the real world, I would have been continuously following the advice of books and/or tips. thanks for your help.

[Chuck Norris]

[e-mail] wrote: I want to finish my basement and run 2-3 new

all the code tests I ever took were open book. maybe you should just hire someone who is licensed to do those parts.

[HerHusband]

Interesting... Around here I can do all of my own work without taking any kind of test. But, the final job must be up to code and pass the inspection.

I've never had any problem passing an inspection, but based on the looks the inspectors give when they first read "homeowner wired" on the permit, I'm guessing they see a lot of really bad work by homeowners. :)

"Code Check Electrical" and "Code Check Plumbing" (both by Redwood Kardon) do a good job of condensing the code down to something readable. But, there's a LOT of information in there. It's easy to skip over important codes, so read and reread them.

"Wiring Simplified" by Richter/Schwan/Hartwell is also good at explaining the basics and is often found in the electrical section of hardware stores.

As for plumbing, my two favorites are "The Complete Guide to Home Plumbing" by Black and Decker, and "Plumbing - Basic, Intermediate & Advanced Projects" by Merle-Henkenius". Neither are real deep on code information, but they're both good references for planning new projects. Lot's of pictures... :)

Same here... No matter how much I "think" I may know about an upcoming project, I still "go to the books" and re-educate myself before starting a project.

Good luck!

Anthony