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Average day 5-15-13

ICE

ICE

Oh Well
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
12,914
Location
California
This is the pole that Edison is going to replace.



This is how they dig a hole for the new pole. That's a vacuum truck.





The hole is cut with high pressure water and the wet dirt is sucked up.



If I can get by there tomorrow, I'll get pictures of the crane.....it is huge.
 
The black wad in the middle is a bunch of neutrals twisted together and wrapped with tape. The work is being done by a HO with a bad attitude. He thinks that because he has a permit, I am duty-bound to teach him all that there is to know about a kitchen remodel. His wife is worse.



Today's class was on GFCI neutrals and wire nuts. We did touch on securing NMC but too much too soon gets him wound up tighter than..... well a bunch of neutrals.
 
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Looks like he could also use a lesson on box fill. This outlet could keep you busy for a long time if he can only take one lesson at a time without getting too excited.
 
There is no permit for a building sewer replacement. The workman called his employer. The contractor played the "It's an emergency repair" card.



There is a permit (expired) for the A/C condenser. A little more dirt and I might not have noticed.

 
Retaining wall.

For some reason that's not clear to me, there is a grading permit. The inspection was requested for footing bottom. From the bottom of the key to the top of the cut is 12'. The soil is mostly sand and there are cracks indicating that larges sections could collapse. They became angry when I directed them to consult with their engineer for a safe procedure to follow.

Yes I know that safety beyond my own safety is not within the scope of my authority.





Here is an example of an engineer's fix for a similar situation.

To be honest, I didn't think much of this attempt to stabilize the earth. There is no steel in the gunite and it is surcharged. The soil was more cohesive than the sand on the latest case but it was drying out fast. Well it worked as my concern was a buried worker and not so much the house.



To get a sense of scale note the workman. When I went there the first time, there was just a big hole with the hillside that supported the house missing. There wasn't even a barricade from the patio. On top of that; there wasn't a permit for a retaining wall and the site plan for the pool showed a flat lot.

The contractor that started the job stopped dead in his tracks as soon as I showed up. Winter was coming so I gave the contractor ten days to commence an engineered plan to proceed. When nothing happened, I gave the same correction to the owner. The owner then hired a different contractor.

And just look at all that steel sticking straight up.....I should have a Teddy Bear.

What bothers me about these instances is that there are lots of people involved from the engineers to the contractors and owners. There are electricians and plumbers, rod busters and equipment operators, laborers and a family. Yet I am the first to raise an alarm.

How could it be that smart, successful, savvy people miss the mark and a mere building inspector finds the bull's-eye. Sometimes I get the feeling that I am the problem.
 
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That truly is the wild, wild west out there. It is as if there was never any code enforcement at all or no one has ever been fined and paid for their stupidity, therefore there is no incentive to comply.
 
jar546 said:
I love the headless people
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jar546 said:
That truly is the wild, wild west out there. It is as if there was never any code enforcement at all or no one has ever been fined and paid for their stupidity, therefore there is no incentive to comply.
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Headless zombies don't pull permits.
 
"What bothers me about these instances is that there are lots of people involved from the engineers to the contractors and owners. There are electricians and plumbers, rod busters and equipment operators, laborers and a family. Yet I am the first to raise an alarm.How could it be that smart, successful, savvy people miss the mark and a mere building inspector finds the bull's-eye. Sometimes I get the feeling that I am the problem."
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Well, let's see; The engineer has probably been to the site one time, if at all. The contractor was the lowest bidder and probably has never been in a situation even close to this before. Last week he was tapped out putting in a skylight or something. The homeowner only knows work is being performed. Homeowners by and large are cheap idiots. If they aren't, then you don't see this type of thing.

The workers? Really? It's everything you can do just to GET a job, and you expect them to come forward with a complaint or something? Most those guys are at the very limit of their abilities as it is, and only know what they are told.

There is no "team" there. That's a free-for-all in that picture.

Brent.
 
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MASSDRIVER said:
Well, let's see; The engineer has probably been to the site one time, if at all. The contractor was the lowest bidder and probably has never been in a situation even close to this before. Last week he was tapped out putting in a skylight or something. The homeowner only knows work is being performed. Homeowners by and large are cheap idiots. If they aren't, then you don't see this type of thing.

The workers? Really? It's everything you can do just to GET a job, and you expect them to come forward with a complaint or something? Most those guys are at the very limit of their abilities as it is, and only know what they are told.

There is no "team" there. That's a free-for-all in that picture.

Brent.
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Well, let's see; I'll concede that in this case, the engineer was clueless but from there you are wrong on every other point.

The pool contractor has been around for a long time and has done many projects akin to this. The low bid wasn't low at $128K. The contractor has few employees and sublets the work to other contractors. All of the workmen that are involved are competent at their trade and would have little difficulty finding a job.
 
Was anyone fined for this situation? Is there a double or triple permit fee for working without a permit? Are there any disadvantages to getting caught without a permit or is easier to risk not getting a permit because nothing happens anyway?
 
ICE said:
Well, let's see; I'll concede that in this case, the engineer was clueless but from there you are wrong on every other point.The pool contractor has been around for a long time and has done many projects akin to this. The low bid wasn't low at $128K. The contractor has few employees and sublets the work to other contractors. All of the workmen that are involved are competent at their trade and would have little difficulty finding a job.
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Your post just proves my point. The amount of gas stations you own is no indication of your intelligence or financial tendencies.

The dollar amounts you quote may not even be enough to cover costs. That may be a 200 G job disguised as a 128 G job.

Iv'e built things for millionare doctors that were almost criminally cheap, to the point of not paying the bill just because they could do it.

So Please.

But my comment was not a dig on anyone in particular. You asked how can you be the only one who notices such problems. Well, not to bust the ego bubble, but your'e not. Everyone knows what a crapfest that job is, you are just the only one who can say something with no consequences. The homeowner wants the job done as cheap as possible, and all those wonderful craftsmen just want to keep working and get paid and not rock the boat. You are the only one with any kind of motivation to improve the situation.

And no; not much in Esparto, but plenty in San Francisco, Napa, *****ula, Sacramento...:devil

Brent.

PS: this is ICE butting in....I miss Brent.
 
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jar546 said:
Was anyone fined for this situation? Is there a double or triple permit fee for working without a permit? Are there any disadvantages to getting caught without a permit or is easier to risk not getting a permit because nothing happens anyway?
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No fines. Permit fee can be doubled. We don't double fee homeowners so if a contractor gets caught they send the owner in to get a permit. The incentive is to not get a permit until being told to. The disadvantages of getting caught depend on what the job is. An el. service would only need an inspection.....a room addition might get torn up some.
 
MASSDRIVER said:
YYou asked how can you be the only one who notices such problems. Well, not to bust the ego bubble, but your'e not.
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This is what I said:

What bothers me about these instances is that there are lots of people involved from the engineers to the contractors and owners. There are electricians and plumbers, rod busters and equipment operators, laborers and a family. Yet I am the first to raise an alarm.How could it be that smart, successful, savvy people miss the mark and a mere building inspector finds the bull's-eye. Sometimes I get the feeling that I am the problem.
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I am quite certain that I am the last person to notice in as much as I am the last one to show up at the party.
 
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ICE said:
This is what I said:I am quite certain that I am the last person to notice in as much as I am the last one to show up at the party.
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Just for clarity, allow me please to reset and restate...

Nobody cares unless caught. Very few people in general really want to get things correct. There can be very few conditions. There can be honesty and integrity. Failing that, you have deceit, greed, or ignorance.

I did not mean for my comments to seem belligerent to anyone in particular, just to general conditions.

It's obvious though something went wrong.

Brent.
 
The job is two houses being built by a contractor. Inspection was requested for the under-slab plumbing. It became an under-plastic inspection. They were primed and ready to start throwing sand.



They acted like I was a little bit crazy when I asked them to remove the plastic.



That's as far as we got. The dirt that came out of the trenches was spread out in the slab area without compaction.





They have the 10' pipe for a head test but no water.....according to them, all of the water evaporated. The pipe looks almost flat and is is covered with dirt. Once it is ready for inspection I'll tell them about rolling the vents above the flow line.

Here we go again.
 
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Headless zombies freak me out. I dont inspect unless the contractors are wearing hard hats.
 
jar546 said:
Well, progress is a good thing
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Yes and I was impressed with the effort. The workman that met me yesterday didn't speak English and it was like I was being tested to see if I actually do inspections or just blow through. I spent ten minutes going over the plans and answering questions. I realized that the contractor knows what he's doing and that went both ways so the job may not go as bad as I had predicted.
 
The inspection was for a solar installation. The house was built in 2007 and it appears that the panel was approved at that time.



 
The tub has been built out of concrete. The pvc pipe is a mockup of a handrail that will be made from stainless steel. There are holes that are for water jets.



The pump is on the other side of the wall.

The copper water pipe was not bonded to the pump motor so a ground rod has been provided.

 
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