jar546
Forum Coordinator
Do you like the thread topic name? I thought so. There isn't much that gets inspectors shaking their heads or rolling their eyes than responses from those getting inspected such as "I've been doing like that for 20 years" or "I just did 3 other jobs the exact same way in another town without a problem" or even the "I've never heard of that before." On the other side of the coin, if you want to get contractors to bond together, get them talking about inspectors and they will go from competitors to best friends in a heartbeat. Controversy is a big part of this industry but it doesn't have to be if we analyze what's going on.
First let's talk about inspectors. We are as a group very inconsistent. There is no denying that. Some of you are very disciplined with your inspections, knowledgeable, fair and consistent. Others are somewhat incompetent or worse yet are in the "do as I say, code required or not" camp. Those are the guys that make my blood boil. Those that want people to do things there way and write stuff up that is not a code issue, only an issue because the inspector does not like it. In other words, the "chest beater" inspector with an attitude. I for one inspect in many municipalities and see first hand what is going on because in some of those towns I just fill in and often get called out for reinspections. I get to see what others write up and what they miss and hear the complaints from the contractors. I routinely go out for a reinspection of specific items only to find significant violations that were missed by the previous inspector. I write them up anyway because I refuse to turn my head to obvious and important violations. I too, like everyone else misses things but it is the exception, not the rule. Inspector and AHJ attitudes in other areas affect everyone because it makes a uniform code not so uniform when the enforcement is lacks or inconsistent. You are really not helping the cause or truly helping a contractor out because you "feel bad" that they have to spend money to fix a violation, so you look the other way. You are just setting them up for failure in another jurisdiction that is not afraid to do their job. It also helps to even the playing field with contractors as they are all held to the same standard regardless of how they bid the job.
Now on to the contractors. Oh yeah, the GC, electrician, plumber, mechanical contractor, etc. that is always ready with an excuse for why the obvious violation is not a violation. Remember those responses above in the first paragraph? Let's look a little deeper into them. They all have one thing in common. They are excuses, not legitimate reasons. Contractors, in general, will get away with whatever they can based on the level of code enforcement they encounter. Here is an example. Years ago I did an expert witness job for a few homeowners in a development. The development was actually sitting on a border and one side of the street was in one jurisdiction and the other, in another. The houses were built by the same contractor but the inspections were performed by different AHJs. The level of construction quality and code compliance was a polar opposite based on what AHJ was handling the inspections. On one side of the street the houses were code compliant due to proper enforcement. The other side was another story. Shortcuts such as no underfloor insulation in the basement, no housewrap, no window flashing, smaller beams and a myriad of other violations were all consistent where the code enforcement was lacking. This was one development with the same contractor. If he knew he could get away with it, he did. By the way, the incompetent inspector was decertified by the state and lost his job as a result of this lawsuit. This might be just one example but responsibility is key to these situations.
Regardless of what contractors get away with in other municipalities, they have a responsibility to know the codes and follow them. Just like we received education to keep up with code changes, so should they. When I hear this from a contractor: "I wish you guys (inspectors) would all be on the same page so we know what's required" it sort of sets me off. My response to that is usually "You are the contractor and should know what is required and not change how you do things based on the quality of the enforcement." You see, we can't allow our (inspectors) inconsistency be an excuse for the contractors. They have a responsibility to know what they are doing and know the codes. Unless a municipality hase amendments that are more strict that the code, there should be no inconsistencies. Both the inspectors and contractors have a responsibility to each other, the industry and themselves.
First let's talk about inspectors. We are as a group very inconsistent. There is no denying that. Some of you are very disciplined with your inspections, knowledgeable, fair and consistent. Others are somewhat incompetent or worse yet are in the "do as I say, code required or not" camp. Those are the guys that make my blood boil. Those that want people to do things there way and write stuff up that is not a code issue, only an issue because the inspector does not like it. In other words, the "chest beater" inspector with an attitude. I for one inspect in many municipalities and see first hand what is going on because in some of those towns I just fill in and often get called out for reinspections. I get to see what others write up and what they miss and hear the complaints from the contractors. I routinely go out for a reinspection of specific items only to find significant violations that were missed by the previous inspector. I write them up anyway because I refuse to turn my head to obvious and important violations. I too, like everyone else misses things but it is the exception, not the rule. Inspector and AHJ attitudes in other areas affect everyone because it makes a uniform code not so uniform when the enforcement is lacks or inconsistent. You are really not helping the cause or truly helping a contractor out because you "feel bad" that they have to spend money to fix a violation, so you look the other way. You are just setting them up for failure in another jurisdiction that is not afraid to do their job. It also helps to even the playing field with contractors as they are all held to the same standard regardless of how they bid the job.
Now on to the contractors. Oh yeah, the GC, electrician, plumber, mechanical contractor, etc. that is always ready with an excuse for why the obvious violation is not a violation. Remember those responses above in the first paragraph? Let's look a little deeper into them. They all have one thing in common. They are excuses, not legitimate reasons. Contractors, in general, will get away with whatever they can based on the level of code enforcement they encounter. Here is an example. Years ago I did an expert witness job for a few homeowners in a development. The development was actually sitting on a border and one side of the street was in one jurisdiction and the other, in another. The houses were built by the same contractor but the inspections were performed by different AHJs. The level of construction quality and code compliance was a polar opposite based on what AHJ was handling the inspections. On one side of the street the houses were code compliant due to proper enforcement. The other side was another story. Shortcuts such as no underfloor insulation in the basement, no housewrap, no window flashing, smaller beams and a myriad of other violations were all consistent where the code enforcement was lacking. This was one development with the same contractor. If he knew he could get away with it, he did. By the way, the incompetent inspector was decertified by the state and lost his job as a result of this lawsuit. This might be just one example but responsibility is key to these situations.
Regardless of what contractors get away with in other municipalities, they have a responsibility to know the codes and follow them. Just like we received education to keep up with code changes, so should they. When I hear this from a contractor: "I wish you guys (inspectors) would all be on the same page so we know what's required" it sort of sets me off. My response to that is usually "You are the contractor and should know what is required and not change how you do things based on the quality of the enforcement." You see, we can't allow our (inspectors) inconsistency be an excuse for the contractors. They have a responsibility to know what they are doing and know the codes. Unless a municipality hase amendments that are more strict that the code, there should be no inconsistencies. Both the inspectors and contractors have a responsibility to each other, the industry and themselves.
