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An average day

11' deep.

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There is a dinky excavator onsite. You can see where a shovel took over


When I asked about shoring they pointed to this:

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The job is a remodel. The steel beam is shown as "existing header" on the plans. The rafters on both sides are new, as is the header in the distance. The I-beam is 6"x6"x16'. The engineer has approved this work via a Structural Observation form. I asked the contractor if the engineer performed calculations on the I-beam and he said yes but he lacked proof. I asked that the engineer do it again.

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I mentioned the strap and was told that the engineer required it because the top plates do not overlap. That was easy to accept but asking for 36 nails on each side of CS20 seems odd.

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I had an engineer once show (and calc!) a continuous roll strap that started 10' outside of the building (in the patio slab), continued up the exterior wall, over the entire roof to the opposite wall, then down that exterior wall, then out an additional 10' in another patio slab. He was dead serious about it, since the numbers in his calcs showed that it worked. This engineer also regularly showed in the calcs that an A35 worked as a holddown. Luckily the owner's nixed that project and downsized it to something reasonable!
 
On any real construction project, the contractor would have an engineer design the shoring system or determine if shoring is even needed.
in reality very seldom does a contractor have an engineer design the shoring system. That only happens in very rare circumstances where something is out of the norm. Most contractors have a person trained for shoring design or train themselves. This is allowed under OSHA standards and is what the normal procedure is in most areas. Contractors don't have time to wait around for an engineer to design shoring which is only temporary in nature.
 
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Before:

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After:
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The job is remove existing siding and install new siding. The before picture was before any inspections. The walls were insulated and sheathed with osb. None of the wiring or plumbing was protected prior to sheathing and they had great pictures of the insulation. The insulation was inside out.

The after picture is after the sheathing was removed and the insulation was corrected. They still had not protected wiring or plumbing. They will.
 
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The job is a remodel. The steel beam is shown as "existing header" on the plans. The rafters on both sides are new, as is the header in the distance. The I-beam is 6"x6"x16'. The engineer has approved this work via a Structural Observation form. I asked the contractor if the engineer performed calculations on the I-beam and he said yes but he lacked proof. I asked that the engineer do it again.


I mentioned the strap and was told that the engineer required it because the top plates do not overlap. That was easy to accept but asking for 36 nails on each side of CS20 seems odd.

when the strap fails between the first 4 nails it is a failure due to strap says the engineer
 
These are corrections that I encountered and I am curious to know where to find these in the California codes.

1. "Attic light shall be equipped with a vacancy sensor.".....maybe in the Green Code but I wouldn't want one myself.

2. "Identify on the garbage disposal which plug is for the garbage disposal". This might be about multi-wire branch circuits that serve a single outlet. So far two inspectors have written the correction.

3. "Install 4" back splash at bathroom sinks."

4. "Identify the switch for the garbage disposal." I almost forgot this one.

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None of those corrections make any sense to me....You need the tied breaker for sharing the neutral on D/W and disposal if you can even do that anymore, but identifying plugs and switches?
 
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place; what do I do about my own mistakes? When I find something that I missed am I allowed to write that correction after the fact?....I think not.

...

I blew it again last week when I found a sub-panel in a bathroom at the final of a new dwelling. Wait a minute here....that might be deadly....or not....I suppose it's a matter of how loud the contractor gets with the manager. He was plenty loud with me: "You are the fifth inspector to see it and none of the others said anything".

I've found things I should have caught on a previous inspection. It's a real humble pie moment when I have to explain to a contractor I made a mistake and missed it. They always fix it though...

The contractor should complain about the quality of inspections given by the other 5 inspectors and what else you are going to find. Apparently, they aren't doing their jobs.
 
I've found things I should have caught on a previous inspection. It's a real humble pie moment when I have to explain to a contractor I made a mistake and missed it. They always fix it though...


I take pictures of almost everything I see. I also write a lot of corrections. I am always in a hurry because of the workload. When I get home I download the pictures to my computer to see if any qualify for my website. A few times each week I will find a correction that I didn't write. Either I missed it or I forgot to write it. (sometimes corrections come to me faster than I can write them down)

As an example, a recent el. service upgrade and complete rewire of a 4500 sq.ft. house got 17 corrections. In looking at the pictures I realized that I forgot to verify that the smoke alarms are hardwired and interlocked. So I called the contractor, who by the way, thinks that I am picking on him. I understand his frustration but detest his willingness to perform shoddy work and then bitch about the inspector.

As far as the taste of humble pie goes....I love it....every time it happens I realize that I haven't lost my edge. I mean really now, 17 corrections, and all of them worth the ink....who does that?
 
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to find these in the California codes.
1. "Attic light shall be equipped with a vacancy sensor.".....
2016 CA energy code §150.0(k)7 Residential Compliance Manual=6.6.4
1. High efficacy, or 2. Controlled by a vacancy sensor, or 3. Controlled by a dimmer See section 6.2 for residential lighting control requirements.
 
Well there you go Mark. An attic is an "other room". Thanks for that. I think I'll ask for dimmers.:cool:

Could you shoot me a link for the commercial manual? I'd like to add that to my website as well.
 
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ICE- I may have said this before but I'm amazed at the work you do. I keep expecting to log on here someday and hear that you quit altogether, and took a job in a different trade. I hope that doesn't happen, but I'm astounded by your side of the story and the amount of BS you put up with from your "superiors".

You're a better man than I - because you stay, and because you try. I'd have been fired many times over were I you - your tolerance for stupidity with bosses (let alone contractors) is mind-boggling.
 
I have so much invested in this job that to toss it would be painful.

At the end of July all contract workers are to be eliminated. That's a lot of people and there are few people to fill those positions. Many of the contractors have been offered a job but at a substantial cut in pay. Government and all.....start at the bottom ... maybe step two of five steps. The good ones will not take that cut. I will be on vacation the first two weeks of August. I might not recognize the place upon my return.
 
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This could ruin the department for decades. Well who am I kidding, the dept is on the skids and has been for a long time. Those same inspectors that will be hired have been at it for years.

I think this is true most places...I blame it on poor staffing/ funding around here...No one sees the effects of the cuts for years, so it is not a problem...
 
ICE I feel your frustration. I work for a 3rd party inspection agency. Where I work 3rd party electrical inspectors from other companies can be used or in one township must be used even though I am a certified electrical inspector. I see a lot of electrical work that I would not pass but I am not allowed to say anything about it if it is passed by the other 3rd party inspector. In the municipal where other 3rd party electrical inspectors are required I am required to pass footing inspections with rebar in them with no electrical inspection for the grounding of the rebar. I was told to just look for the rough and final electrical inspection sticker and act like I don't know anything about electrical codes. So if a house has an electrical update I need blinders and just check the sticker and test the smoke alarms.
 
ICE I feel your frustration. I work for a 3rd party inspection agency. Where I work 3rd party electrical inspectors from other companies can be used or in one township must be used even though I am a certified electrical inspector. I see a lot of electrical work that I would not pass but I am not allowed to say anything about it if it is passed by the other 3rd party inspector. In the municipal where other 3rd party electrical inspectors are required I am required to pass footing inspections with rebar in them with no electrical inspection for the grounding of the rebar. I was told to just look for the rough and final electrical inspection sticker and act like I don't know anything about electrical codes. So if a house has an electrical update I need blinders and just check the sticker and test the smoke alarms.
I enjoy certain protections. Such as civil service rules and a union.
 
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