Thanks everybody! I swear the first thing I thought of after the 'code officer' left was running here to the WS forum cuz I just KNEW you all would 'get it' !!! And you have, and I really appreciate the understanding thoughts & comments too! I agree about the fact that whomever this was would have been WELCOMED if they had just come to me directly.. I've only been in this house about 3 mos, but it is the house I grew up in from my teens til my early 20's. So I do know alot of people on my particular street. I really don't think it is one of them, we have alot of walkers from the other roads in the subdivision that pass by our house. My guess is on one of them. I have decided I'm going to go w/ the lattice fence idea for a short term solution. I have other bigger, GRANDER ideas further on down the road, but for now I think it'll work. I've just got to fig out a way to anchor the lattice pieces w/out having to go out and purchase rebar.. I'm thinking maybe bamboo stakes or something... I'll post a pic over the wkend if I get it finished up. I've already moved a good bit of them from where they were. I am still waiting on the code officer to call me back however, just to make SURE this will be a solution that'll work. I can't imagine they can say what I can or can't do in a fenced in back yard.. but in this day & age.. who knows!? For those that asked too, I don't live in a HOA subdivision, it's a rather old subdivision for the area, but I am within the city limits and it's THEIR codes that I've got to fig out how to abide by :D I am almost tempted to do the planted toilet in the front lawn he mentioned.. he did say since it had plants that it was not in violation of codes.. heck maybe I'll do a whole row of toilets w/ plastic covers to WS in.. *chuckling. OK maybe I'm gettin' carried away.. but there is a part of me that wants my smart sASSy revenge! :D THANKS so much everyone! I'll let you all know the outcome! ~Wendy

Well, hello, everyone! What a nice surprise to see emails from cottage gardeners in my inbox. I hope you're all doing well, and I know you Northerners must be on pins and needles awaiting Spring. I hope it's sprung for you guys. We're in the throws of Spring down here in Florida. The weather has been gorgeous. Yeah, I've been pretty dull for a while. I'm still gardening, but I haven't been on the forums in ages. I miss you guys! The City Code Enforcement seems to have seen the light regarding my modest garden. It was nonsense, and the City Manager seemed to agree. So I shouldn't have any more problems. Crossing fingers... Gene and I went to Ireland in Sept. 06, and I was so inspired by the small front yard gardens and all the lush hanging baskets. Most of the yards had a rock wall, or a tidy hedge in front, then wild abandon behind it. So I decided to redo the front of my garden to have a more "orderly" appearance like the ones I saw in Ireland. I made a short picket fence/edging and put tall red pentas behind it. I keep the pentas trimmed as a hedge. Anyway, I think this makes my garden look more like a garden, and not just random "horiticultural overgrowth". Here's a few pics, and I included a link, too. Hugs! Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Ooooh. Easter candy... Cadberry Eggs... Excuse me while I run out for chocolate... Nicki Here is a link that might be useful: More photos

Greenie, I don't know the code there but it's a moot point this far down the road. The home was built in 2005 and you were not the party who did the deal with the builder. It's unreasonable to ask the builder to do any repairs at this point. If a warranty issue comes up in a reasonable amount of time, the builder has recourse against the company or supplier who installed or supplied the product. The builder has zero recourse here. Some builders allow the home buyers to do some work on their own or do a deal directly with the builders subcontractors. Who knows what went down here but automatically assuming the builder did something wrong won’t get you anywhere. I’m sure the builder won’t touch this with a ten foot pole. Most builders worry if they give an inch on these circumstances, the property owner will want a mile. The risk to the builder is getting dragged into a never ending problem. Once the builder steps foot onto the property, the property owners can claim anything and they do all the time. The grey material with the folds in the corners is your shower pan membrane. The drywall is green board which has some water resistance property but you still need a water membrane on top of the green board. My advice is just get it fixed because you have zero recourse against the builder. Buying a used home is like buying a used car in many circumstances. The buyer has the responsibility to inspect for problems. If you had a home inspection when you purchased the home, most savvy inspectors will pull the trim off around the shower head and diverter to inspect for a membrane. Did you pay for a home inspection? This post was edited by mepop on Sun, Mar 17, 13 at 13:33

Trying to get this straight. When you refer to the "electrical inspector" it sounds like this is someone you are hiring privately and not the local government inspector. If so, why are you assuming that he is required to notify the building inspector (or as you are calling him, the "code officer)? That's not normally the case. In every jurisdiction that I've worked in, that's not a requirement. It's up to you or your contractor to deal with the local building inspector. With respect to the permit that was obtained, in most places they will eventually catch up (depending how busy they are) to the fact that there is an open permit that was never "finalled." You will then get a call asking about it. If it were me I wouldn't mention the junction boxes (burying junction boxes is not patricularly unsafe but if there is a failure, good luck finding the problem). Technically they have the right to ask you to open walls, etc. to see that the work was done properly. Whether or not this happens is solely in their discretion and could go either way (some factors they consider is if they know the contractor and his work, the outward appearance of the renovation, etc.). As far as responsibility goes, even though the contractor would be legally liable to you for the cost of corrections, that's between you and him. The building inspector doesn't care about that, you as the owner are ultimately repsonsible to correct any code violations. At this point you can sit and wait to see if they ever uncover the open permit (could still be an issue if it comes to light when you sell) or call the building department and explain the problem and hope that they are reasonable.