Nervous about final inspection today

11 years ago

Yes, don't laugh at me. Our permits for the whole house reno were pulled June, 2010. I tried for a final in November 2011 knowing there were still things that needed finishing only because DH wanted me to do it to get an official punch list. It took DH until three weeks ago to complete the list. :-/ (He is THE world's worst procrastinator.) Our permit had been closed for lack of activity so I had to go through the snotty permit desk woman and the necessary lectures to get it re-opened.

I had three of these last night but I am still nervous.

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Comments (46)

beekeeperswife
11 years ago
good luck! Keep us posted!

(and I think that makes your dh the world's BEST procrastinator, btw)

bee
suzanne_sl
11 years ago
Did you have the dream where the inspector shows up and you're still in your PJs - or worse?
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gldnfan, I'm curious what you say about switching out the lights...now that they are required to be pin lights, how does one "switch them out"...are there other lights that use pins? Or do you mean they have the electricians come back and change the fittings? Our understanding is that with the new law it's not easy to switch...I have the same green countertop and yellowish glow on my "cream" cabinets when the lights are on...I suppose as KD's and GC's get more familiar with this people will be advised about the combination prior to choosing it! Oh well, I find I'm starting to get used to it already so maybe eventually I won't even think about it. Gary, my understanding is that the current requirement is that you must have 50% fluorescent, i.e. if you put in one pendant as in our case which is rated for 3 100 watt bulbs, you must have at least 300 watts of fluorescent...the result being that we have LOTS of fluorescent lights. Congratulations, gldnfan...sounds like ahead of me in terms of getting moved back in. Amela, I will let you know about the insets. I love the look and because my kitchen was reconfigured, I think I gained some space to help make up for any lost due to the insets. But I haven't really been able to start moving much back in as I've had a sick DS at home all week as well as a sick DH so not much energy around here. I think it's a sign that it was really time for the remodel to be done! I'll let you know what I think as I go along about the space. The insets do look really good in my house, though, as it was built in 1931.
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Thanks for the good vibes people. I made pancakes for DD and her sleepover friends just to distract myself. The inspector came in the afternoon and walked around for a good hour with my GC. A couple of electrical misses - smoke alarm in the family room outside the bedroom door, some 220 circuits not having an arc (I think this is something for preventing short circuits I think). He was not too thrilled with us reusing vintage windows to keep the look uniform. He would have preferred to have seen tempered glass etc.. But did not cite that. Re-inspection for the missing pieces on Monday and hopefully occupancy permit then. I did breathe a tiny sigh of relief. I was very worried about my creativity in the Kitchen. My GC had felt several things there had a potential to be an issue including toe kick drawers, jumper cables for UCL led bars, drawers under cooktop and DW under sink. None of that seem to have caused an issue. Honestly with all the trouble we have been having with the GC, I am looking forward to getting him to close on the punch list and get out of our lives. All I want to do is move in, unpack and stay and home for a few days and let the happiness sink in. Hopefully just a couple more weekends I hope. I am shopping for hand soap to connect to the NeverMT.. that is a sign of confidence right!
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zeebee
11 years ago
Good luck!

Just to calm your nerves: I was most nervous about our electrical inspection, not that we/our electrician cut any corners but I'd heard nightmares about how the city inspectors can be really uptight and difficult. Day of, turns out the inspector knew our electrician ("Hey Bob, haven't seen you!" "Joe, how's it going, it's been a while!" *handshake**backslap*) so they schmoozed for 15 minutes, the inspector NEVER EVEN LOOKED AT THE HOUSE and we were signed off!
debrak_2008
11 years ago
Don't laugh about a permit pulled in 2010? Our permit is from 2004! Had what I thought was a final inspection a few weeks ago. Passed electric but failed building(need to rebuild outside steps) and plumbing. Now they want us to redo some of the plumbing that was not even involved with the permit/reno.

So our 2004 permit remains open and we need to pull a separate one for the plumbing. DH is not going to rush the plumbing. It might be a few more years.....

What I say about inspections is that they don't look at what you think they are going to look at or what you are concerned about. They see other stuff that never occured to you would be an issue.

Hope you pass!
fouramblues
11 years ago
Good luck, breezy!! I was very nervous about our final (especially since I'm also ABB and didn't know whether or not the inspector would consider drywall combustible; he didn't), but it was easy peasy. I hope yours is the same!
wi-sailorgirl
11 years ago
Good luck! I'm sure all will be fine. Of course I'm saying that as a person who lives in a place where there is no such thing as inspections. Imagine my surprise when we ripped off half of our house and stuck it back on again adding all sorts of things including a bathroom, only to find out no one "official" was ever going to look at it!
flwrs_n_co
11 years ago
Good luck, Breezy! Keeping my fingers crossed that your inspection goes smoothly!
gwlolo
11 years ago
Good luck Breezy! I know you were the GC so I understand the extra butterflies. Remember charm always works as does a fresh pot of coffee :)
williamsem
11 years ago
I bet you pass, everything you've posted looks great! Good luck!
fouramblues
11 years ago
Sorry to derail, but what did you put around the rim of that margarita, breezy? It looks delicious...
tmy_jax
11 years ago
Good luck Breezy! Keep us posted...

I was thinking having 3 of those on hand for the inspector might not hurt either. ;o)

tmy
tea4all
11 years ago
Best of luck Breezy! I so enjoy your posts and absolutely love your kitchen!
CEFreeman
11 years ago
What's a permit?

[harrrrrr haaaaa ROTFL hahahahahahah]
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
10:36am. No inspector yet.
Sharon kilber
11 years ago
You should have taken a few of those drinks to that snotty lady. That would have lighten her up. Lol
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
Shar--yeah...why must inspector's office staff be so snotty? Power go to their heads?

Bee--correction noted. He's the BEST procrastinator. :)

Suzanne--I do know that dream! And usually the inspector is a team of men....

Zeebee--Another issues worry about is our electrical. We had an off-duty licensed electrician do the work at a steeply discounted rate. So we must say that we did the electrical ourselves. I've heard horror stories of such situations where inspectors ask all kinds of trick questions to trip you up and reveal that you really didn't do the work. I'm just going to play the dumb housewife. I hate doing it because I am anything but.

Debra--you beat me! Good luck with the rest of your work.

4am--I'm worried about the lack of tile also. Although I'm not sure the inspector will have ever seen the fire power my CC rangetop has.

Wi--wow! No inspections!?

Flowers, Lalitha, Williamsem, Tea--Thanks!

Tmy--great idea!

4am--I ground dry guajillo peppers and mixed with salt. I can post the recipe later if you'd like.

Christine--No permits for all your DIY work? ;)

Off to pick DD up from preschool. I'm sure the inspector will show up as I drive out of the neighborhood.....
michoumonster
11 years ago
Good luck Breezy, hope everything goes smoothly for you!
mjocean
11 years ago
Breezy,

Did the inspector arrive yet? I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors!
MJ
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, Michoumonster and MJ.

No. Still waiting....
weedmeister
11 years ago
You should have kept some of those tasty items for the inspector.
Iowacommute
11 years ago
This sounds horrifying! I always have dreams where I look at my registration for grad school and realize I've missed a whole semester worth of classes! AH! The bad thing is I graduated four years ago.

Luckily we're moving to a very rural farm area where inspections at best are a drive by.

Good luck!
sail_away
11 years ago
Has he come yet? Hope it all goes well.

I think the concept of permits is a good one, but sometimes the way they are handled (i.e. snotty employees, seemingly random decisions, etc.).

When we built our home DH did the plans for the house, as well as the site plan; and we did the site preparation (digging ditches and getting utilities brought in, etc.), except for the actual excavation for the house foundation. He went down the the planning commission and TWICE was denied permission to run the sewer line through our backyard, to connect with a line running behind our house. This, despite the fact that the only other option, which they would okay, involved a road crossing, which would be extra hassle and expense. Incidentally, our backyard slopes down, so gravity was on our side, too. Anyway, he went back a third time and ran into someone he had known professionally who was now working at the planning commission. He looked the plans over and stamped it approved. That's what I mean by random.
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
At 12:30, right after my last post, the doorbell rang. The inspector for the mechanical, building, and plumbing portions of the permit arrived. I can't believe how quick it was. He barely looked at anything! Brief glance under my prep sink, mentioned that he bet the hood probably worked, looked under the cleanup sink and when he saw the air gap said he didn't know why they made people put those in, glanced at the master bathroom still at drywall/finished plumbing and electrical only state, and then signed my permit card. That's it! He didn't look back at the notes of corrections from my first attempt at a final inspection, nor did he look at the new insulation everywhere, new vapor barrier, the laundry/bathroom fan that wasn't vented properly before, etc, etc. There were so many things I thought he'd at least glance at, if not inspect in some great detail.

On one hand I'm happy that its over and we passed. On the other hand I'm worried that with so little actual inspection being done, what if something was missed or really needs correcting that could come back to cause problems later?

Phone just range! Electrical inspector is 5 minutes out!
function_first
11 years ago
Yay! Congrats on the first pass! Crossing fingers that the next is going well -- right now!
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
Final inspection passed!!

The electrical inspector was about as fast as the other guy. Do none of them ever look at the plans to know what's going on? This guy asked me what we had done since he hadn't been to the house during the work. (He was on vacation during our rough electrical so the guy from the state's office filled in.). I had the house plans laying on the peninsula and past inspection note sheets out next to it. He bypassed those and went right to work testing my kitchen outlets. He laughed when I showed him where we had hidden the GFI outlets in the pantry so I didn't have to have the ugly ones in my future backsplash. On the island, he only checked the outlet next to the fridge. He didn't even check to see if I had the required outlet on the other end of the island or at the end of the peninsula as required. All those hours of agonizing and researching unobtrusive ways to hide those required outlets and all the money spent on the Siillites for nothing.

Then he looked at the masterbath, determined it was done enough to satisfy the permit, and signed off on the permit sheet. After I closed the front door behind him I realized that he hadn't look at the new electrical panel. I trust our electrician, but still. I actually ran to the garage and opened the door to catch him before he drove off, and then thought better of it. I didn't want to open a can of worms if something was wrong and I, who didn't do the work but was permitted to do so, couldn't explain the work. It still makes me nervous about how little work was thoroughly checked.

So I guess a celebration is in order! My batch of homemade Meyer lemon tequila should be ready. Meyer lemon margarita, anybody? :)

Thanks for sticking with me today! Maybe it's time to start working on a backsplash now.....
pirula
11 years ago
Me! Me! Congrats!
Bunny
11 years ago
Congrats Breezy! I'll have one of those margaritas with you.
Iowacommute
11 years ago
It's like the test you studies weeks for, and then the teacher cancels it because hey you studied for it right and that's what counts.

The inspection gods smiled upon you, and I think it's good you're leaving it at that. If things look fine to you and DH then I'm sure they're fine. Our last house had all kinds of stuff wrong with it (plastic bags stuffed in with exposed wires in the electrical boxes and exposed wires in blown in insulation in the attic). So I think your house should be fine. : )
islanddevil
11 years ago
Goodness can't read your original post since it scrolls into the ads (Grrrr), but I get the gist and see you passed. YIPEE!!!! Congrats!!!
Now I would LOVE to see a post with oodles of pictures of everything you did. Kitchen, bathrooms, what else you got going on there B-Girl?
Thanks!
beekeeperswife
11 years ago
congrats!

Our final electrical inspection was a joke...the back stairs were wet. Front ones were not. When he saw the one set wet, he said everything up there was fine...

(I know it was because the electrician was awesome and my dh checked pretty much everything anyway)

May I have a meyer lemon margarita? What about a recipe? My cat's away again, I'm always ready to test yet another margarita recipe...
a2gemini
11 years ago
I was so worried about our inspection as they could have required the whole house be brought to the new standards on fire alarms etc. (We have smoke detectors but not in the spare bedrooms yet - and the code says must be a 110 - but most of ours are connected to our alarm system - and no one could tell us yes or no if this met the code)
We couldn't get any good answers, so we decided to have the inspectors tell us what we still needed to do. We passed. But our friends had to put in a zillion smoke detectors and a few other things.
It seems like it is the luck of the draw.
Breezy - congrats - i am going to have a glass of vino in your honor and hoping to see a backsplash soon!
I am out of Meyer lemons or might try one of those fancy drinks!
badgergal
11 years ago
The guy who came for our final inspection just admired my cabinets, glanced around the room, and tested one GFI outlet. He must not get out much because he pointed to the air switch and asked my what it was. Gotta have a lot of confidence in an inspector that doesn't know his arse (air switch) from his elbow!
Glad you passed inspection.
fouramblues
11 years ago
Oh, I'm so relieved to hear your news! Congrats!! And, yes, I'd love your recipe, thanks. I have several of your recipes I've been wanting to try, but this one might go to the head of the line.
sail_away
11 years ago
Congratulations, Breezy. Glad it's all over.

I am a bit concerned about the less than thorough inspections. I'm sure your house is fine, but I imagine one day we will want to downsize and it scares me that we might end up with a house with hidden serious issues hidden inside the walls that won't be uncovered with a house inspection. I'm afraid of people who don't know what they're doing working on electrical, plumbing, etc. I've always said I'd feel better if I knew they pulled permits and completed inspections. Having seen and heard of superficial inspections, I wonder?

But,back to the point of this post---congratulations and hooray!
caliente63
11 years ago
+1 for wanting the Margarita recipe - our tree is loaded just now, better use them up before they rot, right? ;-)
debrak_2008
11 years ago
Hurray!
oldbat2be
11 years ago
Just saw this one and the detail - about what I figured. Yeah!
artemis78
11 years ago
Congratulations!! Yeah! (And yes, I was similarly surprised by our electrical inspection last week--we got the inspector who did all of our kitchen inspections two years back and remembered the house. He basically just looked inside our electrical panel and that was that...and this was in California, where we had dutifully adhered to all of the Title 24 stipulations by putting the stupid vacancy sensor on our bathroom lights, dimmers everywhere, timer for the porch light...all for naught! ;) I get the sense that if they like the look of the work they see, they decide that the rest of it must be good to go too. Not that I'm complaining...

Enjoy that margarita, and congrats on being done!
sanjuangirl
11 years ago
Great news! I hope to someday have a celebratory marg, if only we could get started.......guess I'll have an anticipatory marg! (Actually Chardonnay! Cheers!

So happy your beautiful kitchen passed with flying colors!
michoumonster
11 years ago
congrats Breezy! of course, we all knew you would pass with flying colors...
drbeanie2000
11 years ago
Congrats!

Our town is notorious for having inspectors who interpret "code" in their own, pickier way. Every contractor we called said, "oh....(your town)...they're difficult but we have worked there before and we can do it!" The ones we chose had to do it exactly by the book, had inspections at every stage over several months - foundations, electrical, insulation, plumbing, roofing, and probably others that I have blocked out - and I was STILL nervous about the final one. If only I had your recipes!
Jfay
11 years ago
I predict you'll breeze through it.
huango
11 years ago
Congratulations!!!

Yes, all my inspections passed last week.
I was worried about the Make-up Air for my 1100 CFM hood, but he didn't even blink.

But still a lot to do left...
- painting molding/peninsula beadboard
- sealing tile grout
- dust/vacuum everything
- touch-up paint EVERYWHERE!!!

Happy for you.
Amanda
breezygirl
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, everyone! I'm still shaking my head today about what wasn't inspected, but we did have regular and more thorough inspections along the way while building. I'm glad to know others experienced lackadaisical finals also.

Congratulations to you, Amanda. You're geting so close to being done.

DH was very happy that I didn't stop the inspector to come in and look at our new panel. I'll remember those words if something ever goes wrong. :)

Caliente--I'm jealous of your ready supply of Meyer lemons! I made some delicious Meyer lemon curd last weekend, but I have to pay a decent price for my citrus up here in the north.

I posted the margarita recipes in a KAW thread. Linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: KAW Margarita Edition
deedles
11 years ago
Yay for the passed inspection! Yowza for the margarita recipes from the other thread! If my little potted meyer lemon tree ever gives me more than 3 lemons at a time I have to try the lemon version. Sounds delicious!
AnnaA
11 years ago
Congratulations Breezy. I'm glad all went well today.

What a suspenseful story, and I loved the dreams of men knocking on doors while still in pjs. :-)

Nervous about final inspection today

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