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So the fault for the mistake lies solely with plan check? Does the Architect, contractor, or even the onsite engineer have any responsibility? Really, the buck stops with the Architect, and your example sounds extreme. We just did a ADA upgrade at Alta Bates Ashby campus and had a wonderful group of people.
I just refuse to think of the glass as half empty, and will always have a place in my heart for the bay area. I just think of how lucky the both of us are for being able to spend our working years there. When I see how families here in Nevada struggle with lower wage and benefit jobs it makes California a great place.
I try not to name names, but have you worked with Herrero? Also, cities wouldn't mandate gutter color, that would be an HOA, and that's a choice.
The new wing was a Dedicated Surgery Center and the conflict was between the Building Department and Fire Services... it's ironic that the plans as submitted by the Architect were the final as-builts...
The problem was the Building Inspector had different ideas after construction started... he required a third scrub sink in one area which meant the entire sterile corridor and sub-steril had to be reconfigured... this was after the two were already in as per plan.
Fire Marshal had a problem because the change required reversing door swings... in the end, we were told to go back to plan as originally approved... Building is city and Fire is County
I would never advise anyone to do anything illegal... my only point is getting permit approval and final inspection does not mean there can not be problems even when the owner has followed the procedure to the letter.
I have friends that own a ranch between Pleasanton and Castro Valley... because they are AG... it was very simple to add a barn and outbuildings... another friend has 4 acres on Palomares and he has been trying to build a simple barn identical to the neighboring rancher and because he is not AG... it will cost nearly double.
As to the color of the gutters... this is Oakland's Montclair District and 100% city because there is no HOA.
Btw, i got an estimate from a few people for the addition......it came down to a choice: contractor 1: 11,700 not including the foundation or the garage door. They included everything to get the job done. Contractor 2: 15,900 not including the foundation, door, or painting the garage.
Contractor 1 is NOT licensed and insured, but said "they have an agreement with their friend to use his insurance for the jobs they do..."....hmm....interesting!
Contractor 2 is licensed and insured. Both contractors have done good work for me and my family before. Contractor 2 is also taking out my trees (2 tall pines) for 1000 total including the roots.
Anyway, i think for 4k more, i'm going to go with contractor 2. he seems to know what he's doing....more so than contractor 1.
I was thinking the same Mr. Rational. At least where I live - NE Florida - "a solid foundation is the key to your home". We have issues in various areas here with muck (and places with those issues have to be demucked and filled before putting in a foundation/building). But people in other geographical areas in the US could have issues with stone - or building on hills - or in areas with mud-slide potential - etc. - etc.
I don't understand why the OP would consider not getting a permit - or using an unlicensed contractor - unless he lives somewhere in the rural boonies of the US (like "Deliverance Country"). I live in a pretty small county in NE Florida - and it has all the fancy tech stuff that other people have described in terms of identifying new construction. Not to mention that I think our building department is really good. We built our house - and it called our builder out on a few things in the course of construction. Building codes and enforcement are there to protect my safety - and the integrity of my house - and that's what our building department did IMO. Also - FWIW - we are an *extremely* red part of the world. Doesn't mean we want our houses to be built lousy . And - since I went through Hurricane Andrew (disruptive and costly for me) - well I think good building codes and good building code enforcement are . Robyn
Just watched an episode of "Flip Flop" on HGTV, where a couple purchased a bank repo to fix and flip. They discovered an UN-permitted room addition. To get it permitted and legal to sell, they would have to submit a complete set of plans to the city planning dept and go though the whole process.
Estimated time was three weeks to get permits, and $20,000.00. Until the permitting process was completed, they could not do any work on the home.
They opted to tear the room down. After demo work, putting in a slider, and everything else to make it correct, it cost $6000.00. That was the cost just for repairs after removing the room, not the remained of the home.. By removing square footage, they also lost value on reselling the home. Not a very good gamble....
Well......
I went to the permits office and applied for a permit. I wasn't going to do it but after reading some of the comments, i was convinced to do so. I really hope i won't regret it. I really hope they won't give me too much trouble through the process....but looking at the list of inspections that they have, i'm already starting to question my decision. there are 4 inspections before concrete is even poured!
If it makes you feel any better, I would NEVER buy a house that had any illegal "improvements" done to it. And doing things without permits and inspections is illegal.
Why would you even consider a quote that did not include the foundation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
Ya think?
But hey, we've moved on to garage doors. So screw the foundation, as long as the garage door is the right size and purrrrrrrty who cares!
Because i have already selected a different contractor solely for the foundation.
ps. do you guys ever wait for the answer before jumping on people and assume they're stupid?
ps. do you guys ever wait for the answer before jumping on people and assume they're stupid?
Funny, because I assumed you'd broken it apart. These guys jump to conclusions to make themselves feel superior to make up for self esteem issues. Go figure, and I'm sure they'll pounce on my comment.
...do you guys ever wait for the answer before jumping on people and assume they're stupid?
There was no assumption on my part. I read, try to comprehend, then execute an intelligent response based upon what I read.
Remember, this thread was titled "...should I get a permit"- YOU SAID IT, not me.
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. And - since I went through Hurricane Andrew (disruptive and costly for me) - well I think good building codes and good building code enforcement are 
