Pensivemonk vs the Code
One of the best parts of this journal is to document all the trials and tribulations that are part of house construction. Unfortunately, for various reasons, it is not always appropriate to share the full story.
We recently had quite a hair raising episode with the build, and though I won't be going into any details there are a few good lessons that could be learned and some advice I may be able to offer.
Just recently we had something come to light with a small portion of the house that appeared to be non-compliant with the Ontario Building Code. If you are building a new house or renovating an existing house, you should be aware of the OBC. It lays out, in very particular detail, the minimum requirements for every structure (and every part of that structure). Everything from plumbing, to electrical, framing, roofing, doors, porches, and almost everything you can possibly think of. Now, I am no building professional, so I haven't read the whole code (very dry reading), but I certainly knew what it was.
So, long story short, something didn't look to be code compliant. This could be a very big problem as it might have meant, in a very worse case scenario, that some of the underlying structure of the house would need to change (very, very bad). Several options became apparent to us.
- we could have continued as per the approved and permitted plan and hope that the inspector didn't notice. If he did, then paying very dearly in time and money to correct it.
- Modify the layout, sacrificing some functionality to make us compliant. This adds complexity and questions about how such modifications will be interpreted.
- Pause our work in that area and consult the inspector to get his take on the plan, and if there is an issue, take it back to the permit office to get a final interpretation.
Luckily we have a very open minded inspector in our area (as demonstrated by his interest in our rather unique build). We went to him and explained the whole reasoning as well as the architect's take on the area. As it turns out, he said (tentatively) that it looked fine with him.
It is a huge relief for us.
The moral of the story is: always do what you are comfortable with and always work constructively with those that are part of the permit office; from good relationships and honestly, often come rewards.
Gypsy: Did you get that in writing...? (06/13/08)
PM: No, but we have to have faith, I suppose. Since he is the same inspector that will be inspecting our house, it would be strange for him to change his mind. At any rate, he has been extremely game with all our custom construction. I believe he says what he means.
I also think it made a difference to ask him first before we finished to get his opinion up front. More collaborative and less reactive. (06/13/08)
Gypsy: I guess I'm less concerned with him turning around and being a jerk, rather more with someone else showing up and you don't have written proof that he said it was ok. (06/14/08)