Special Inspections

[gbhammer]

It seems odd that there is not a Special Inspections sub Topic.

I am curious as to how other jurisdictions approve special inspection agencies, and how the contractors react to the requirement of a special inspection agency.

When we started requiring special inspections the body that governed the county at the time nearly came unglued.

 

[beach]

Our building dept. tests and certifies special inspectors that want to work in our city.... they also have to have all the required certs. etc.

They don't always pass our tests.......if they pass, they are put on a list and given a card.

If a special inspection is required, it is noted on the plans at the time of plan check approval, so it shouldn't be a surprise to the contractor. Epoxied hold down bolts are pretty common for special inspections

 

[Architect1281]

The Owner should think of its QC - Getting what I paid for and the builder GC should feel the same.

The DP's a little less so cause then if it's wrong way later, the it didn't meet spec excuse is gone.

 

[ICE]

Our building dept. tests and certifies special inspectors that want to work in our city.... they also have to have all the required certs. etc. They don't always pass our tests.......if they pass, they are put on a list and given a card.

If a special inspection is required, it is noted on the plans at the time of plan check approval, so it shouldn't be a surprise to the contractor. Epoxied hold down bolts are pretty common for special inspections

Beach,

Do you require special inspection for dowels? How do you handle the requirement for shear walls?

 

[Darren Emery]

I receive and review all of our SI reports (growing number these days, as we have a lot of commercial growth right now) in our office - and often wonder how other jurisdicitons handle their paperwork. Seems like there is often a lag between first SI and the reports flowing into the office - I try to contact all contractors and make sure they are scheduling the required SIs, but sometimes the ball gets dropped.

Once they have to x-ray and scramble on a masonry wall, they seldom forget twice.

 

[gbhammer]

The paper work can be a pain. This is pretty much common statements on large projects:

o 01452 Part 1.4; A, 1.c. Jefferson County Code Enforcement does not require copies of each special inspection report or testing, unless there is a situation of non-conforming work.

o 01452 Part 1.5; C. Jefferson County Code Enforcement requires 1 copy of a summary report for each area of special inspection upon completion of that areas inspections and testing.

o 01452 Part 1.8; Q. Deviations should be reported to the Jefferson County Code Enforcement division immediately

o 01458 Part 1.6; H. Jefferson County Code Enforcement will need to review and approve remedial work or resolutions, before any final inspections may be made in the area of deviation.

o 01458 Part 1.6; I. Jefferson County Code Enforcement will require a copy of the observation logs tracking resolutions and remedial repairs to deviations.

 

[beach]

ICE, typically not for dowels. Are you referring to shear wall bolts?

 

[Builder Bob]

I receive and review all of our SI reports (growing number these days, as we have a lot of commercial growth right now) in our office - and often wonder how other jurisdicitons handle their paperwork. Seems like there is often a lag between first SI and the reports flowing into the office - I try to contact all contractors and make sure they are scheduling the required SIs, but sometimes the ball gets dropped. Once they have to x-ray and scramble on a masonry wall, they seldom forget twice.

Implement into the inspection checklist, Special Inspection reports are to be provided prior to "insert point X" for next inspection to be performed. Example, prior to approval to pour foundation, compaction report must be made available to inspector for review.... (simple project)

Prior to approval for phase III pouring of foundations, Special Inspections reports for phase I and phase II must be up to date with reports submitted to office.

Some of the best software has SI signoff's required prior to progressive inspection reports. Usually, the inability to connect to permanent utilities is a good way have a great conversation starter with owner/contractors/ and designers about the status of the special inspection reports.

 

[Mark K]

IBC Table 1704.4 calls for inspection of cast-in-place bolts as well as post installed bolts. Unless you have explicitly modified the code these inspections would be required.

 

[ICE]

ICE, typically not for dowels. Are you referring to shear wall bolts?

I agree about the dowels but there has been a push around here to get a deputy for doweling. The shear walls I mention are those with less than 3" spacing on the nails.

 

[ICE]

Speaking of special inspectors, I had a case where caissons were being poured. There were many. They were 40' deep and I can't remember the diameter. I found the deputy sitting in his truck as the third hole was being filled. I went to the next hole and dropped a rock. I heard the splash. I determined that there was 8' of water at the bottom. The tremie was 20' long. The deputy couldn't take samples because he had no cylinders and lacking a cone, he couldn't do a slump test.

 

[Mark K]

Suggest that since the drilled piers were not being installed in accordance with the construction documents the capacity of the piers already installed are called into question. The Geotechnical Engineer and the structural engineers should be asked to respond to these concerns. Suggest that either replacement piers be installed or that the existing piers be load tested to show they are adequate..

 

[ICE]

Here's another concrete deputy story. Her name was Cindy. I say was because, sadly, she has passed away. Well the job was several million sq. ft. of tilt-up. The panelized roofs were a pain to inspect. The nailers kept countersinking the nails and it was getting to be a big problem.

Cindy would tag along at my inspections and she was a bundle of questions. She was even on the roofs. At one point I said Cindy could do a better job of staying on these nailers than their foreman was doing. That's when it hit me. I deputized Cindy and she spent the next few months on the roofs and the problem was cured.

Shirley, you are going to ask where I got the authority to do such a thing. Well like a lot of stuff, I pulled it out of thin air. Don't you?

 

[ICE]

Suggest that since the drilled piers were not being installed in accordance with the construction documents the capacity of the piers already installed are called into question. The Geotechnical Engineer and the structural engineers should be asked to respond to these concerns. Suggest that either replacement piers be installed or that the existing piers be load tested to show they are adequate..

Yup, that's the ticket. I condemned three. The engineer put in three more. Of the proper ways to handle the situation, the contractor opted to pump out the water.

The loose soil at the bottom collapsed and that was pumped out with the water. That created a large ball of concrete at the bottom. An expensive large ball with 4 to 6 yards of concrete. Of the 90 or so caissons, only about 20 were so affected.

The short tremie was approved by my superiors and without mechanical consolidation below 20'. The decision was based on a CalTrans report that stated that concrete tailgated 50' had better Fc's than concrete deposited at the bottom.

The best part of the story is that the contractor sued the university for hiring a lousy special inspector. The claim was based on the premise that a competent inspector would have stopped them from wasting all that work. They wanted $80,000.00

I am curious about your suggestion of a load test. How would that be done?

 

[Mark K]

First I would not expect the Contractor to prefer that option because of the cost but it is part of the strategy of having the Owner and his consultants determine the way to correct the problem. The building official should not tell the contractor how to solve the problem. There may be some situations where load testing will be the prefered option.

The geotechnical engineer should be familiar with the details of performing a load test. They are commonly performed with driven piles to verify the capacities early in the process but they are occasionally performed on drilled piers. For drilled deep foundation elements the tests would be performed by installing additional piers on either side of the questionable pier and then installing a beam over the piers so that jacks can push on the center pier with the two outer piers providing the resistance to the jacking forces.

The Contractor's claim for an extra could be stronger if the inspector had actively told the Contractor what to do.