Above ground pool permits?

Often times inspectors can get a bad rap from the builders. We understand that at times, everyone can have tiffs with building departments and inspectors BUT at the end of the day it is very important to get along and work with inspectors and building departments. Why should this be important to you as a homeowner? That is a great question!

Permits-

We hear more and more that homeowners are being asked to pull their own permits. They are receiving explanations such as “the main purpose of a permit is to make sure the government gets its tax money”. This is simply not true. One of the main reasons to make sure you have the correct permits, is to make sure that the project design and installation method is sound and to code. As complicated and frustrating as it can be, the building departments (good ones) objective is to insure the work and project is safe. From a homeowner perspective this is how you know your builder doing everything right!

Inspections-

By having inspections the builder is partially transferring liability from themselves to the building department. This is why building inspectors may seem like they are just being too ‘darn picky’. A good department and inspector is going to insist that he or she knows what is required and know what they are looking at. This is not always easy. Most inspectors do a lot more than just inspect swimming pools. In fact most don’t do a whole lot of pools of any kind. They are typically electric inspectors that also do swimming pool inspections. To complicate matters each type of pool follows different guidelines and codes for a lot of items. By them approving and signing off on an inspection they are literally putting their name on the work and are responsible for insuring its safety / code compliance. As a homeowner you should absolutely insist on permits and inspections for this reason.

Getting Along –

This can be the tricky part. Clearly a good builder and building department have a common goal: Code compliance and safety. Unfortunately there can be a lot of grey in there. From interpretation of the code to applicability to a project, it is important to understand what the inspector wants to see. As a homeowner, please be sure to be patient with your builder. As the requirements change, there can be unforeseen items that can cause delays. The most important aspect as the homeowner is to notice the relationship between the two and to make sure that everything is being done with your best interest in mind!

We would love to hear some feedback from the customers who chose to pull their own permit.