Part 8 – Repairing the Hood

[Slither]

OK Rod. Maybe I can reciprocate my license and pull the permit for Paul's cottage.

Wow this has taken quite a turn! Sorry to derail the thread, Rod.

I appreciate your offer Tony, and I would have taken you up on it, but I pulled the plumbing permit a few weeks ago, myself! It made it much easier to get someone onsite once that barrier was down.

It is a shame that the trades are holding folks hostage down here, especially for the last few years. I suspect that those regulations not allowing the homeowner to pull permits for their own property will fall by the wayside before long. As most have suggested, not in so many words, we need basic property rights. A man is really only king of one thing, and that is his castle. It matters little if he does a crappy job on it, if it is his choice.

The plumbing is close to being done, and I did not do much of it 'cept get the materials, mount the water heater out on the back wall (tankless), and cut the bottom of the tub/shower down. I needed to lower it so I could put a window above the top for lighting (had to build a custom-engineered header for that to fit, and ran the numbers to make sure). I guess I could call it the Flintstone tub, and then it would fit better into this thread. A licensed plumber did most of the work. I dare say that it would have been a nicer job had I taken full responsibility for it, but done is GOOD, VERY GOOD!

I chose to use type-L for all my copper, with schedule 40 drain (no Orangeburg), and Wardflex for the gas. I had figured how much copper I needed, and guess what... exactly what the plumber figured, and it was correct to within 3ft.

I am using ductless mini-splits for the A/C, which will provide redundancy and better climate control for each level in the tower of terror (tall skinny building), and have just today finished with the compressor mounts.

The wiring rough-in for electrical and security is all but complete, though that was hired out as well. It was interesting having all of them in the building at the same time. Made my head spin trying to keep up with helping each one get through the day.

Interestingly, things are slowing some down here in building. The initial boom, primarily fixing up the homes that were still standing but only flooded, has ended. Very little new residential construction seems to be happening, and most of the transient tradesmen have gone home now.

You are correct when you say that "you just don't want anyone doing it." I'd rather do it and know that it is done right.

But, I get your point, and agree with you. If someone is not capable, but still pulls their own permits, they should NOT hire some hacker to do what a licensed professional should be doing. I suspect most of the issues lay where someone bypasses the permit process and hires a hack, and not where they do their own work. Keep in mind I said most!

Tony, once we start the house, I'll take you up on your offer. You can come down with the wife (in the Cobra, of course, with your tools in the trunk), have a little RnR, and we'll knock out the plumbing. Make it in February when it is nasty weather up there. We can put you up in a FEMA trailer for atmosphere!

Thanks for the support guys.