AZ ranch

[BoFuller]

Yeah, I was under the impression that an engineer's stamp meant something. Apparently not. :confused2:

 

[crash325]

Yeah, I was under the impression that an engineer's stamp meant something. Apparently not. :confused2:

Building codes were meant to insure that a home was built safely and stay together. AZ use to be one of the best.

Now it has nothing to do with safety, just a way to make money and keep some jerks employed.

The way things are going soon we will need a permit to pee.

 

[Ken]

Mr. Fuller Don't give up. I remember when working Seligman at the airport a 25 watt light was needed to light the front of a airplane in the hanger so those walking in didn't hit the prop. a 10 foot stick of conduct attached to wall out of metal switch box 90 deg. bend so 24 inches away from wall and base attached.
Wired by Master Electrician of many years. The city inspector wasn't happy . Needed 2 little hicky bends to get conduit aligned with hole in box. And charged for both trips to inspect.

But it was O'k to let the garbage truck to drive across the runway dropping sacks of trash or tires on the landing area.
Building the compressor sta. at Flagstaff The special piping bends and flange bolt to compressor was pre welded in El Paso shipped by train to the compressor sta. The union welders refused to work until removed and welds ground out reloaded on train and dumped at the sta. Then with there modified cracker box welders tried to weld the 15/16X36 inch pipe. couldn't get enough heat to get a starter bead.
months later agreed it above there experance so again returned junked and new bends and flanges were welded and sent to Flagstaff. installed with out comment.
New equipment arrived another location and the company man opened the door to get the paper work out to show location to be installed. Union walked off the job. This man could of injured a worker by opening the door.

Maybe return to engineer and thru his connections this could be satisfied.
Used stack of green in envolope at botton of resubmitted papers.
Arizona is a union work State.

 

[Ken]

Building codes were meant to insure that a home was built safely and stay together. AZ use to be one of the best.

Now it has nothing to do with safety, just a way to make money and keep some jerks employed.

The way things are going soon we will need a permit to pee.

Jim it is now in designed area isn't it.
ken

 

[crash325]

Jim it is now in designed area isn't it.
ken

Flood Control Zone. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

AZ is now a right to work state. But unions have a lot of muscle.

 

[handirifle]

Handrifle, I agree with the basis of your argument. They do want to cover their XXX and there is merit in the next owner having some assurance that the place won't fall down, but there is also a lot of overkill, minute detail on little things that don't really mean anything, except someone's power trip. :thumbsup:

And though codes were started before CA existed, CA has taken them to extreme. I know, I lived there 20 years and did a room addition to my house. They made me put a concrete footer in that would hold a skyscraper!

No argument there, but I was merely addressing the fact that it's not the FAULT of CA that other states adopt moronic codes. They are quite adept at doing moronic things all on their own.

In fact, when I built by workshop, a few months after my house finaled, I was able to refer to soils tests done for my house, to support my NOT having to over-excavate the ground for my workshop. As I mentioned earlier, I hand drew the plans myself, on 8 1/2 x 14" art paper, the plans were NOT engineered or looked at by engineers, with the exception, that the trusses, did require an engineer cert with the associated paperwork. That was no problem as the truss company I bought them from provided all that free.

My workshop is 24 x 30 x 10 with 6-12 pitch (cause it matches my house, not for snow load ) with 2x6 wall studs and hardi board siding. I ran all electrical myself. Everything was permitted and checked according to code. The county folks were very easy to work with. If I didn't understand something they were very helpful in explaining it to me. Not bad for a state with such a bad rep.

By the way, based on personal experience, for the OP, just because an engineer stamps something, does NOT mean it is right or if it is according to the local codes. If it were me, and the engineer is supposed to be up on the codes in YOUR area, I'd take the plans back to him and say it needs to be done correctly, and at his cost.

It's THEIR responsibility to know the codes for areas they draw plans for.

 

[mjncad]

Well I will be the first to blame this state, for a LOT of things, but building codes have been around for a LONG time, and California wasn't the first.

I am sure the cities and states across the country have played leap frog with them ever since. California probably has some of the tightest codes going, but houses here built later stand up to earthquakes FAR better than older homes.

There are many things about this state I do not like, many things I do like, and like I said, I will be the first to hold them to the fire for a lot of things, but this isn't one of them.

CA wasn't the first state to adopt building codes; but they sure have become the pioneering state when it comes to over regulating anything and everything.

As an example of opposite extremes, a guy named Saltman (IIRC) on TBN spent close to $20k in various permitting fees for his 1,800 square foot home in the desert way east of Sandy Eggo. While a guy in Oklahoma named Sam Walton on TBN built an earth sheltered concrete house, and the only permit he needed was for his septic system.

In both cases, the permitting system is flawed as one nitpicks everything while another authority system is essentially non-existent. Fortunately Sam built a quality house with attention to detail.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/04/22/us/20120423hoffman.html

This is what you get when a third world lifestyle collides with an over-zealous regulatory bureaucracy.

Watching these two butt heads is probably almost as much fun as watching a matter-antimatter explosion, or a supernova, or two planets colliding.

Somewhere there has to be a happy medium of common sense; but I don't expect it from either party.

Handrifle, I agree with the basis of your argument. They do want to cover their XXX and there is merit in the next owner having some assurance that the place won't fall down, but there is also a lot of overkill, minute detail on little things that don't really mean anything, except someone's power trip. :thumbsup:

My opinion of building inspectors is that there are good ones and bad ones out there like anything; but I suspect most inspectors are over worked, under paid, and under staffed, which results in power trips by some of them.

As for plan reviewers...If you've ever worked in a facilities engineering department, it's boring compared to project engineering companies. Doing plan reviews with no creative aspect to the job has got to make facilities engineering look downright exciting.

.........OFF TOPIC>>>>>


A lot of the inspectors I ever dealt with were former tradesmen that couldn't make it in the real world. Many had no idea what they were talking about and were basically on a power trip as stated above.

I've had that feeling about building inspectors, and I suspect plan reviewers fall into a similar category in which they couldn't hack it in the real engineering world.

No argument there, but I was merely addressing the fact that it's not the FAULT of CA that other states adopt moronic codes. They are quite adept at doing moronic things all on their own.

By the way, based on personal experience, for the OP, just because an engineer stamps something, does NOT mean it is right or if it is according to the local codes. If it were me, and the engineer is supposed to be up on the codes in YOUR area, I'd take the plans back to him and say it needs to be done correctly, and at his cost.

It's THEIR responsibility to know the codes for areas they draw plans for.

I applaud CA for adopting codes specific to the state's seismic conditions; but if codes are modified for no real reason other than to generate revenue, then I have heartburn with that. Denver modifies the building codes for that reason...to generate revenue.

I agree, I'd ask the engineer who stamped the drawings what's going on if the red ink from the planning department is as bad as the O.P. has said it is.

 

[BoFuller]

So I'm still refining the plans, and winding down my bickering with the county, so I hope I have approved plans soon.

Meanwhile, last weekend we installed a solar system on the trailer so I don't have to use the generator so much when we're up there. I put 3 panels on the roof and then installed a charge controller and an inverter. We just finished it when it was time to pull out and head for home on Monday. So i'm headed back tonight for the weekend again. Partly to check on the system and see how it is doing, as well as for working on a zillion projects.

Last year we were burning the small stuff after taking down some trees, but I notice they have a "No Open Fires" in effect for the whole county. I don't want to be responsible for a fire, so I thought I would check out the possibility of renting a chipper and turning all those branches into mulch instead. It will probably take me a week at least.

Here's a picture of my most recent load of logs. The tele handler comes in real handy for these. The logger estimates they weigh between 2-3,000 lbs each.

 

[MotorSeven]

Thanks for the update...looking forward to your build!

 

[BoFuller]

Here's a shot of 2 of the 3 panels I put on the roof. No more generator!!! :thumbsup: