# Building Inspector Dispute



## monroe154 (Sep 7, 2005)

Need To Know How To Figure Max. Load Limit [by sq. yd. ?] On A Second Story Roof/deck 11' X 22' - Brick structure with support at 11'. Joist run from lintel to support (11') and from support to rear wall(11')2" X 8" Joist At 16 Oc - Surfaced With 3/4" Plywood Followed By 5/4"x 4" T & G.


----------



## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

I have a little book called Architectural and Engineering Calculations Manual but you better have gotten staright A's in math to do load calcs and even so without a structural engineering license the building inspector won't care what you tell him. Roof loads vs floor loads are tricky because you have to figure in snow loads, etc. You need to call in an engineer to run the numbers.


----------



## K2 (Jul 8, 2005)

[


> QUOTE=monroe154]Need To Know How To Figure Max. Load Limit [by sq. yd. ?] On A Second Story Roof/deck 11' X 22' - Brick structure with support at 11'. Joist run from lintel to support (11') and from support to rear wall(11')2" X 8" Joist At 16 Oc - Surfaced With 3/4" Plywood Followed By 5/4"x 4" T & G.


[/QUOTE]

You local lumber yard might have some basic span charts for your area. Like Tim says the engineer needs to know the live load, dead load, snow load, pitch, (if any), and the lumber species. Your 2x8's could be stretching the limits in my area.


----------



## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

First off, you don't figure loads by the "square yard". 

Secondly, the fact that you're asking a question like this in a public forum, with only half of the information required for anyone to even attempt to give you a proper answer, and in a thread called "Building Inspector Dispute" tells me that you don't have a leg to stand on. 

I'm assuming the inspector has questioned your selection of materials/sizes for the proposed construction, and asked you to prove that it's acceptable. As I'm sure you've already found out, he doesn't have to prove that it "doesn't work", but you have to prove that it does. I'd spend a few $$ on having an engineer review the design and seal the calculations, since you'll end up doing that after a few more rounds with your inspector. Better to just do it right now, instead of belaboring the problem and ticking the inspector off (making it more difficult down the road).

Bob


----------



## reveivl (May 29, 2005)

How about asking the inspector what he would like to see, and then do it. There is a sign on the wall in one of the building inspectors that I deal with that says: "Arguing with a building inspector is like wrestling with a pig, eventually you realise the pig likes it and you're not going to win". This issue is a simple application of code, and the code is the minimum you would want in your building, so why argue? Rich.


----------



## PipeGuy (Oct 8, 2004)

Bob Kovacs said:


> As I'm sure you've already found out, he doesn't have to prove that it "doesn't work", but you have to prove that it does. I'd spend a few $$ on having an engineer review the design and seal the calculations, since you'll end up doing that after a few more rounds with your inspector. Better to just do it right now, instead of belaboring the problem and ticking the inspector off (making it more difficult down the road).
> 
> Bob


Great advice. Another thing you need to get straight on right away is wether or not the inspector has the authority to approve what you did. If not, you're wasting a lot of time. I've seen plenty of guys beat their heads against a wall with inspectors only to find, after weeks of arguing / reasoning, that the inspector can't actually make 'the call' and needs to refer it to someone else. By then, it's typically become a very costly fix.


----------



## Spectatorz (Jun 11, 2004)

*Minimum Standards*



reveivl said:


> How about asking the inspector what he would like to see, and then do it. There is a sign on the wall in one of the building inspectors that I deal with that says: "Arguing with a building inspector is like wrestling with a pig, eventually you realise the pig likes it and you're not going to win". This issue is a simple application of code, and the code is the minimum you would want in your building, so why argue? Rich.


Very Well Said !! :Thumbs: 

If you are 
"Not Able to Build to the Minimum Standards of Building, You Should Not Be Building at ALL !!"


----------



## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Exactly why I over-build everything, no hassles. 

Well, it's that and my work doesn't collapse, blow down or away.


----------



## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

Who signed off on the blueprint in the first place. Didn't your plans get reviewed first? Or is it that you failed the review?


----------

