Inspections Q & A
Q
: Now that we have our building permit, are inspections required?
A: Yes. The general list is on your permit.
Q: How will you know when to come and do the inspection?
A: You or your contractor must call the office preferably 24 hours in advance.
Q: The Code Office does not watch our project on a daily basis?
A: No, there are way too many permits out there for us to be a “clerk-of-the-works” on every job.
Q: Other than your inspections how do we know the contractor is doing what he is supposed to do?
A: You could hire a “project manager” to oversee everything. The Code Office can only verify substantial compliance to the building code of New York, and at only certain intervals.
Q: At what stage should somebody be calling to schedule an inspection?
A: Again, the general list is on the permit. However, the critical points are footings before concrete, foundation wall before concrete, foundation after concrete before backfill, framing before insulation, wiring and plumbing before insulation, insulation before sheetrock or being covered, then usually the final.
Q: Do you do these inspections because you think the contractor is trying to get away with something?
A: Of course not. That’s not it at all. These are the minimal inspections needed to verify substantial compliance to the state building code. If the Code Office does not see the work, it cannot be verified.
Q: If we use a contractor who is really reliable, do you still need to inspect?
A: If we don’t see it, we can’t verify it. The vast majority of contractors do a great job. Our job is to verify substantial compliance to the codes.
If work is covered up before we see it or we don’t do the inspections, we cannot verify it.
Q: Why is that a problem?
A: Maybe it never will be a problem. However, if you had disagreements with the contractor, or there was some sort of law suit for whatever reason, and the Code Office is dragged into a court battle, we can only speak to what we saw, not to something that was covered up before we got there.
Q: Are you the owner’s or the contractor’s advocate?
A: Both. We have seen disputes between owner and contractor many times.
Sometimes, the customer is not always right… then again, there are contractors who need to be watched very carefully. It works both ways.
Our job is relative to the building codes, not necessarily as to what the customer thinks he is getting.
Q: If we had a project manager to oversee the job, what would his job be?
A: That would be up to you. He could be very part time, or on the job every day. Obviously, there are additional costs involved.
Sometimes the architect or engineer for the project gets involved with the progress of work. Either way, having that third party involved can be very helpful.
Q: Have there been times when the Code Office was insisting on something that the contractor, or owner, did not want to do?
A: Absolutely, here are a few common examples… People hate having handrails at 36 inches on their decks because it blocks their view when sitting.
Insulation on the basement walls or covering the foam board with a thermal barrier are common issues.
Fire Code Sheetrock in the garage attached to the house is often misunderstood.
Window size for sleeping rooms, spiral stairs, egress from lofts, exit requirements in finished basements, NYS Energy Code… these are all common things that come up.
Q: How do you avoid these problems?
A: The best way is to have a good and complete set of plans, prepared by a competent architect or engineer who understands code details for a house and a thorough plan review in the Code Office.
Then, sit down with your contractor and go through all the plans in as much detail as possible, ask questions, don’t be shy.
—
The best example of why the contractor should want inspections is simple.
If the contractor is dragged into a court proceeding after the job is complete, and the Code Office is dragged in to testify as well, and the code officer is asked, “Was the work inspected and found to substantially meet the minimum standards of the NYS Code?”
Which answer would best support the contractor?…
“Yes, everything was inspected, and here are the notes of that inspection” or “because nobody notified the code office that an inspection was needed, we cannot tell if the work was done to code or not…”
In a courtroom the code officer can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare.
This works for either the owner or contractor.