Building inspector loves me

benevolance · July 20, 2006, 02:50:55 AM

Hehe..Started a pole barn and the inspector was by instantly...

He told me that a neighbor called in a complaint...Said that somone was putting themselves in danger and that they feared for my safety...

Funny thing is that they also called the environment and DHEC was here today too...I had to take an hour to show them all my oil containers...let them look around check the soil...

Some concerned neighbor just so happened to tell them I was dumping used motor oil on the ground...Like I would wait until they were looking in the broad daylight to do such things...

Once I showed the DHEC guy my homemade waste oil burner he was cool....He tried to buy one of my classic cars..Even had a second look at the oil burner...

I was shocked when he shook my hand...Just a nice guy

The building inspector was "less pleasant" wanted to see my permit...made me explain what I was doing about 4 times...Kept trying to tell me I needed another permit...So I had to read my permit to him....And explain I was within my permit...He said my building was too expensive....

He did not jive with me getting used roofing tin in a barter and the telephone poles for free....Here in South Carolina in my county you have to get special permits once the building costs say... 5000 or whatever....When I told the inspector I would have $2500 in the building he just about choked

all in all I think he will be okay....
Waiting for a power pole to be moved so I do not touch the 7000 volt line....And I can finish my poles in the ground....

Hopefully the power company starts installing the pole the first of the week.

thank god I do not build houses or buildings for a living...What a pain in the arse...Now I am going to be expecting a visit from the power inspector and the plumbing guy..etc....

what a hassle...

The end is in sight though...

glenn kangiser · July 20, 2006, 07:38:04 AM

Cool about the inspectors, Peter.

Sounds like one of you neighbors may love you too. :-/ Good thing you pulled that permit.

July 20, 2006, 10:34:15 AM

Gotta love thy neighbors! [smiley=kiss.gif]

I was residing a house some time ago, and did my civic duty regarding the permit and so forth. The very next day I got a call from the building inspector with the same story; some concerned citizen had called, etc. I asked him if he did not remember speaking with me the day before, and if the address did not ring a bell with him. "Oh, oh yeah... I remember now. Well, I wouldn't have called if somebody hadn't called me.." yadah, yadah.

And somehow it is always couched in terms of concern for your safety!

Some folk just have waayy too much time on their hands. [smiley=undecided.gif]

I'm glad you worked it out with the inspectors, Peter. Good luck on the barn!

benevolance · July 20, 2006, 11:12:56 AM

Glenn

The county has been here 8 times since christmas on complaints about the 35 classic cars in my yard...

So yes the neighbors love me...I know which one too....My wife's aunt... Why does it always have to be family?

First I had to move my cars....Then I had to build a privacy fence.....Now I am building a garage to store the parts so there will be no visible car parts in the yard....

And they try to give me a hassle for that.... The real problem in my mind is due to the fact that my neighbor wants to sell her 7 acres to some big developer so they can advertise it as some pristine hobby farm as there are 2 large ponds back there filled with bass and crappie....I have seen the brand new cadillac of the real estate developer on her land half a dozen times walking around measuring, taking pictures...

Luckily for me I own the road that they use for a driveway and it is only 15 feet wide...Not wide enough for any new dwelling....I went to the county office to find out that gem last week...They need 25 feet for a new dwelling and 50 feet to subdivide the property.....All they can do is work on/renovate the existing dwelling...Which is a horse stable converted to a house

... I imagine the real estate developer has figured this out as I saw them measuring the access lane I own that they use as their driveway.... No way in hell I am signing an easement either...All the trouble that they have caused me....The last thing I want is for them to develop the land so there will be 5 houses back there complaining about my cars and parts....

She is 60....my plan now is to outlive her!!! buy the land and end the problem....It may sound mean...I don't wish her any pain mind you...I just hope that God has use for her up at his house sooner rather than later....

Oh what bliss it must be to live out in Eastern Tennessee where there are no zoning laws....

benevolance · July 20, 2006, 08:03:24 PM

Billy

Yeah I think that when people call the inspectors.. the phone conversation goes something like this...

Call#1:
Neighbor: The neighbor is out working with wood in his backyard
County: So is that a crime?

Call#2:
Neighbor: My Neighbor is building some sort of structure in their yard and it looks unsafe...I am afraid for the safety of the small kids in the area.etc...

County: Well we will send someone right out there.....

I think people must be jealous....Jealous that I am still young enough to build and they are too old...Jealous that I want to make a better life for myself...Jealous that they live alone in a pathetic run down house by themselves....

Okay end of rant... I chalk a lot of the foolishness with neighbors up to jealousy ...

Just a theory I am working on...

July 21, 2006, 07:29:12 AM

Some are just plain mean. Some want to control everything around them even though they don't own it.

Jens · July 24, 2006, 10:26:23 PM

There's no room for thinking like that in a free country! God bless America huh? Land of the free, home of the brave, because they tell us it is. Don't need to turn this into an anti-American rant though

Feel lucky you don't live where I do. I swear that engineers need to leave the building up to carpenters, but to do that, there needs to be a good apprenticeship program. Seems like They go for some kind of metal to wood weight ratio or something. My building partner almost passed out when he heard that the drywall had to be inspected before we could tape, and the insulation inspected before drywall went up (he is from NY, where that kind of thing is unheard of). Of course, if there were simply more involved with home building who were more into quality than money, who had more pride than monetary desire, this may still be a free country. Ok...done. Good luck.

Amanda_931 · July 25, 2006, 09:36:31 AM

When I bought my Nashville house it had had the TVA retrofit--lots of insulation, heat pump, been rewired while they were at it.

The insulation in particular was not done remotely properly. Blown in stuff that promptly settled. None at all under some of the windows. The wiring--external conduit which fell out the minute the cats stretched on it--and we don't want to talk about the design of it.

They closed in the crawl space, didn't put in plastic.

Some extra inspection might have taken care of some of that.

That said, I really did like the house.