Land Owner Built Home Permits & Inspections

[e3CHM3VG]

If this is the wrong subforum or website for this information please accept my apologies and if you could recommend where to go it would be helpful. Since this site contains people who have their heads screwed on straight (where you answer questions instead of saying, "Why would you want to do that") this was the best place I could think of for questions.

Overview
We are purchasing acreage (15+) in a county that does not require any permits for new construction on properties outside of city limits except for septic. We are wanting to build the home ourselves doing all of the electrical and plumbing. After being bounced around 3 different government agencies I can't seem to get a clear answer from anyone hence my posting here.

Issue
We would like to have the home go through the electrical and plumbing inspections so that in the future if we decide to sell the land the new owner doesn't have issues getting a mortgage and/or insurance. None of the people I've called can point me to the law however they are saying if we do get an inspection the person doing the installation work must be licensed. Since I'm new to this process I don't even know where to start.

Contacted
#1 - The building inspector for the closest major city to where the property is who referred me to #2
#2 - Texas Residential Construction Commission who referred me to #3
#3 - Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations the person I've spoke with there doesn't seem to know who a owner would contact and the people I speak with only deal with builders and aren't sure how to deal with a non-licensed owner.

As an aside is it just me or is this counter to my rights as well as general common sense? If the inspector comes in and it meets the code who cares if 3 trolls did the installation?

[joseph sugarman]

Contact me. Joseph Sugarman, design@dream-home.com

[Levi Philos]

I have built structures with and without permits.

Also have many years experience in commercial construction.

Your question seems to expose a lack of self confidence.

Document everything you do with diagrams and pictures. Keep a written record of daily work.

If and when you sell, pass on the documentation with the place. Also, you could privately employ a home inspector to keep an independent record.

I personally don't like the building inspection system as designed, but at the same time caution that following the codes is generally a good thing. In the north (my bailiwick), freezing water lines, frost damage, and any defect in chimney or furnace design (wood stoves etc) are the most likely to cause problems later.

Where you are at perhaps wind damage - tornado and/or hurricane protection may be prime considerations.

Levi Philos

[fulltitle]

Without Prejudice.
Its not that complicated. Study the various code books so that you actually can verify it yourself. Get someone competent to do the job according to code.

Consider these possibilities:

If they have proof of competency, make them fill out an affidavit that they can and will do the job *in harmony with* such and such a code and after they are done make them complete and affidavit that they did the job IN HARMONY WITH the national or state or local code (or all of the above).

Now call an inspector from the local authority--or a retiree if you can find an union or guild that can locate one for you and pay ask him an inspection of the wiring before the drywall goes up.

Dont ask for a license or a permit. Just get it in writing that the wiring or w/e is done in harmony with widely accepted codes. Dont say that its done UNDER the code just in harmony with it.

If the govt. inspectors wont do it, just get someone that has competency and then verify--get them to make out certificates or affidavits in their professional capacity--the handiwork of those that did the work. Get three professionals to look it over. Get a book about housing inspections or those that pertain to specific compliance issues. Nothing wrong with being competent.

[joseph sugarman]

These suggestions from Levi Philos and Fulltitle are execellent ones for anyone building on acreage, in a county with no residential permit and inspection process.

[Notorial dissent]

e3CHM3VG, if your county does not have a building code and inspection requirement, there will be no one who can officially review any work that you do.

You therefore have two options.
(1). If you are doing it yourself, get hold of a copy of the national code requirements for the type of work you are doing and then make sure you stick as close to the national model as you can. Your state may have also adopted a version of the uniform code, and that would be a good place to start. You might also be wise to have a licensed professional come through and look at the work while it is in progress to see if you are doing it correctly. I did most of my own electrical, and had a master electrician check it before the final permit was checked, had no problems at all. On the other hand, you couldn’t pay me to do plumbing. (or)
(2). Have the work done by a licensed plumber, electrician, etc. It won’t guarantee it is perfect, but it will come closer to being on the mark if they are licensed and respected where they primarily work. If you have the work done by professionals, get their contractor and/or license numbers when they do the work and keep it in your records.
(3). You might have someone who is a licensed, if they do that sort of thing in your state, house inspector that usually looks at places for people before they buy a house, if they are good, they can point out a lot of things that will cause problems down the road if someone does want to buy the house.

This is probably going to be about the best you can hope for, since, if and more likely when your county does adopt a code, there will be differences as the code is constantly changing. At least you will have been to code when you started, and as such you will be grandfathered in as having existed before the code was implemented.

[joseph sugarman]

ND. One of the major promises of the combining of the three previously used residential codes systems in the country into the International Residential Code is to preclude the problem you properly discuss about code changes. There will, of course, over time be minor changes in the IRC as new technologies are created and adopted. In general however, every state in the country had adopted the IRC and abolished the previous regional code.

[Notorial dissent]

True, there are, however, just enough places contrary that even that is not countable. I would check to see what the major version being used in that state is and go by it as a best bet.

[joseph sugarman]

I agree with you as all your points are well taken.

[fulltitle]

Key for e3CHM3VG is: become as knowledgable as you can about what you are trying to accomplish rather than leave it all up to others.

With electrical issues, even with my knowledge, I really would get a license electrician to do the high voltage side of things. But I'd tend to suggest that anyone learn enough about wiring and codes even just to be able to know for yourself that the work has been done properly. This should be easy stuff to find at a local library or home improvement store or online. A couple good illustrated books on wiring in addition to a book dedicated to national wiring code should suffice. No you dont have to master things electrical, just know what is going on.

Consider a wire running through holes drilled in a wall. Many code books will dictate that you place a metal plate over where the wire passes through the wood. By doing so, you reduce the likelihood that you would drill a hole to hang a picture and electricute yourself. There might even be code about the exactly size or placement of holes in wood why? To the wood from being over drilled and therefore being weakened to the point that of creating structural hazards.

Another issue that I find important is ADA compliance, that's even for the sake of guests or visitors. Even though am not compelled by ADA regulations to make a place suitable for handcapped people or people in wheelchairs, I consider it to be a courtesy even for a home. Also, what if you were to get into an accident and be in a wheelchair for a time? What if someone you love where in a wheelchair a time? Might as well make the house or property amicable. Its really simple thiings: the degree of slope of walkways, driveways or ramps; also widths of doorways, hallways, height and strength of railings.

When it comes to plumbing, you can read about that stuff too. Getting the stacks compliant can be a big issue and harmonizing with good plumbling code can really be good for your health! Do you want feces odors and bacterial gases leaking into your house making you sick? Probably not. There is a lot of material on this topic on the net and in libraries. But the stacks are probably one of the biggest issues.

A lot of the code is easy to measure numerics: height of ceilings/beams (typically 7'... high enough that if someone where in a panic during a fire that they wouldn't knock themselves out by hitting their head on a beam--"common" sense and courtesy), width of doors. Other things might pertain to location of exits, emergency lighting location. Its a good idea and some cities require that you have one or two window exits (such as emergency step ladders to get out) in basements if you finish them and someone will be sleeping down in the basement.

If it weren't for the codes there are those who might not give a crap if floors caved, killing people within a week of a new house or building being purchased--as long as they got their money, they'd be happy and hope that insurance covered it. Maybe consider that perspective.

If your mind is on health and safety for yourself and your family and for others who might live there should you move, you shouldn't have much trouble exceeding standards based on code. Remember some 'codes' are put in place for people who care more about money than they do about things that mean more than money. Admittedly, maybe code issues might be silly. But many if not most of them really make sense and promote the safety and protection of your life, property or estate.