# Inspector you are thirty minutes late



## cda

Contractor;:;


Inspector you are thirty minutes late!!!!


Inspector ::;

In this hustle and bustle world we live in,,,

¿¿¿¿It is nice to have a few minutes to set and reflect ????


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## jar546

We give a one hour time frame for arrival.


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## ICE

jar546 said:


> We give a one hour time frame for arrival.


I work with an inspector that does that.  The office gets a lot of calls wondering where he is.


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## jar546

ICE said:


> I work with an inspector that does that.  The office gets a lot of calls wondering where he is.


So do we if the inspector is not there within the first 30 minutes even though everyone is told the timeframe.


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## TheCommish

My window is even bigger morning inspections are 930 to 1230 and afternoon is 130 to 500, I rarely make the contract stand the inspection and I do building inspection only, electrical and plumbing are handled by separate inspectors
I am a on man shop office, plan review and field inspections. I have an Administrative assistant who answers the phones.


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## steveray

We give a 2 hr window and we often hit it....How much customer service do you want to afford...


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## tmurray

We're there within 20 minutes of the appointment. I've only been late 2 times in 5 years.


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## ICE

tmurray said:


> We're there within 20 minutes of the appointment. I've only been late 2 times in 5 years.


I'm never late and I'm never early.  Maybe it is the number of inspections I do in a day or maybe it's the way I inspect but any window smaller than three hours is not realistic and three hours is not always reliable.


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## conarb

tmurray said:


> We're there within 20 minutes of the appointment. I've only been late 2 times in 5 years.


That's because you are Canadian and not an American civil servant.  My favorite late inspector story:

It was December 24th 1958, I ordered a foundation inspection for a room addition, this was before concrete pumps so we wheeled the concrete back to the addition, the time frame given was: "morning between 9:00 and 12:00", so I ordered concrete for 12:00.  The truck showed up but no inspector, finally the teamster said: "I don't think you are going to see him today, he was on a job I poured earlier this morning and he was drunk as a skunk".   I waited until 12:20 and told everyone to go ahead with the pour and I had 4 wheelbarrows lined up, around 1:00 the inspector showed up sober as a judge yelling at me, I told him what the teamster had said, had the teamster confirm that he had told us that, then asked the teamster to describe the drunk inspector, after the inspector heard the description he told me to go ahead, walked back and looked the forms and asked for my card, as he signed me off he told me to never do it again.


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## cda

conarb said:


> That's because you are Canadian and not an American civil servant.  My favorite late inspector story:
> 
> It was December 24th 1958, I ordered a foundation inspection for a room addition, this was before concrete pumps so we wheeled the concrete back to the addition, the time frame given was: "morning between 9:00 and 12:00", so I ordered concrete for 12:00.  The truck showed up but no inspector, finally the teamster said: "I don't think you are going to see him today, he was on a job I poured earlier this morning and he was drunk as a skunk".   I waited until 12:20 and told everyone to go ahead with the pour and I had 4 wheelbarrows lined up, around 1:00 the inspector showed up sober as a judge yelling at me, I told him what the teamster had said, had the teamster confirm that he had told us that, then asked the teamster to describe the drunk inspector, after the inspector heard the description he told me to go ahead, walked back and looked the forms and asked for my card, as he signed me off he told me to never do it again.



Always to nice to have ammunition pictures in your pocket


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## cda

ICE said:


> I'm never late and I'm never early.  Maybe it is the number of inspections I do in a day or maybe it's the way I inspect but any window smaller than three hours is not realistic and three hours is not always reliable.




Where does that three hour window fit on your car??   Not sure why three hour is required, my factory issued works great for WW Inpsections


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## tmurray

conarb said:


> That's because you are Canadian and not an American civil servant.  My favorite late inspector story:



I don't honestly believe it's because I'm Canadian. I work for a small municipality of just under 20,000 people with contractors who for the most part are professionals. When I get a call for an inspection they make sure they are ready and any corrections are made right away or within a day or two. I've rarely had to fail an inspection a second time. Between large territory and inspections requested before people are ready, a lot of time gets wasted and this affects everyone.


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## jdfruit

My favorite comeback:
"If you are willing to pay more for permits, I can hire enough people to make firm appointment times and be on time. By the way, please talk to your competition about doing better work so I don't have to spend so much time writing corrections before I get to your job."


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## conarb

*"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."*

For now, as formerly, every one is, more or less, for profiting by the labors of others. No one would dare to profess such a sentiment; he even hides it from himself; and then what is done? A medium is thought of; Government is applied to, and every class in its turn comes to it, and says, "You, who can take justifiably and honestly, take from the public, and we will partake." Alas! Government is only too much disposed to follow this diabolical advice, for it is composed of ministers and officials - of men, in short, who, like all other men, desire in their hearts, and always seize every opportunity with eagerness, to increase their wealth and influence. Government is not slow to perceive the advantages it may derive from the part which is entrusted to it by the public. It is glad to be the judge and the master of the destinies of all; it will take much, for then a large share will remain for itself; it will multiply the number of its agents; it will enlarge the circle of its privileges; it will end by appropriating a ruinous proportion. Frederic Bastiat, 1848


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## cda

conarb said:


> *"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."*
> 
> For now, as formerly, every one is, more or less, for profiting by the labors of others. No one would dare to profess such a sentiment; he even hides it from himself; and then what is done? A medium is thought of; Government is applied to, and every class in its turn comes to it, and says, "You, who can take justifiably and honestly, take from the public, and we will partake." Alas! Government is only too much disposed to follow this diabolical advice, for it is composed of ministers and officials - of men, in short, who, like all other men, desire in their hearts, and always seize every opportunity with eagerness, to increase their wealth and influence. Government is not slow to perceive the advantages it may derive from the part which is entrusted to it by the public. It is glad to be the judge and the master of the destinies of all; it will take much, for then a large share will remain for itself; it will multiply the number of its agents; it will enlarge the circle of its privileges; it will end by appropriating a ruinous proportion. Frederic Bastiat, 1848




I like these steps::: Seems the USA is headed that way ;;;



http://didshesaythat.com/?p=515


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## linnrg

sometimes I am just gonna pull over and just be late - our scenery is just to good to keep on driving


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## ICE

My AHJ is preparing to roll out a computer based inspection program.  The public will be able to request inspections online.  They can pick the day and time.  That's not a window of time but rather a specific time as in 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am.  All I can say is good luck with that.

We are supposed to carry an ipad while performing the inspection entering the corrections as we go.  That might be okay because we can talk to the damned thing and it will input corrections.  Then the contractor can go to the internet to see the result.  All I can say is good luck with that. 

They're gonna need extra ipads.  

The ipad will record our every move.  I give it two months...three tops.  The first inspector that walks off a plank because he was dicking around with an Ipad will be the last inspector to use one.


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## TheCommish

how will the request on the opposite end of the teritory be delt with as you pass a later inspection?


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## jar546

We now give a 2 hour window and get complaints.  The County gives a window of "sometime today."
I don't like the fact that contractors have to sit around and wait but that's the way it is and they have to bid the jobs accordingly.


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## ICE

I use 9:00 to 12:00 and 10:00 to 3:00.  I decide which band you're in.  I am always at the office between 5:00 and 5:30AM.  No breaks and I skip lunch ....and get off early afternoon.  It has been this way for 23 years and this new ipad system is going to put a spotlight on me.  I might end up a free agent.

My department would rather have inspectors that do not write corrections.  This new system is taking us in that direction.  Instead of doing ten to fifteen inspections I will have time for eight.  I will be all over the map because we will let the people pick times on the hour and be expected to honor that.  We will not be able to hand off an inspection to another inspector or help out without a bunch of BS on a computer.  The inspections must happen in a defined order at each job.  For example, there will not be a lath inspection prior to a framing inspection because the computer will kick it out.  There might not be any framing to inspect but that doesn't matter to a computer.

There will be spreadsheets.....meetings to discuss spreadsheets......can't get a bonus for looking good on a spreadsheet.....can catch Hell if you don't.  The more I think about this the better free agency sounds.


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## Keystone

We do am or pm inspections but offer priority time frames such as a specific time for concrete. Pumps aren’t cheap and neither is concrete.


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## cda

ICE said:


> My AHJ is preparing to roll out a computer based inspection program.  The public will be able to request inspections online.  They can pick the day and time.  That's not a window of time but rather a specific time as in 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am.  All I can say is good luck with that.
> 
> We are supposed to carry an ipad while performing the inspection entering the corrections as we go.  That might be okay because we can talk to the damned thing and it will input corrections.  Then the contractor can go to the internet to see the result.  All I can say is good luck with that.
> 
> They're gonna need extra ipads.  They don't call me fumbles for nothing.
> 
> The ipad will record our every move.  I give it two months...three tops.  The first inspector that walks off a plank because he was dicking around with an Ipad will be the last inspector to use one.




iPads are not good in hot weather


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## tmurray

We do provide times for inspections, but it is 20 minutes from one side of my municipality to the other. 

In 9 years I have been late 2 times.


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## steveray

I will NEVER let the public pick their time or we would have to drastically reduce the number of inspections......We tell people if they schedule first, then they can be first...Other than that they get the 2 hour window...


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## ICE

tmurray said:


> but it is 20 minutes from one side of my municipality to the other.


The area that I cover is about the same.  With a dozen inspections I can lose 1.5 hours getting from one to the other if I plan an expeditious route. That could balloon if I let the public create my route.  Then there’s the limited amount of thought given to it.  On a hot day I’ll give roofers priority so they can beat the heat.  Inclement weather plays a role.  Oh well, I can give my brain a rest and let the public decide. 

So they get to pick the hour.  How many can have the same hour?  Who was first to claim that hour?  Am I going to be the referee?


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## Pcinspector1

TheCommish said:


> My window is even bigger morning inspections are 930 to 1230 and afternoon is 130 to 500, I rarely make the contract stand the inspection and I do building inspection only, electrical and plumbing are handled by separate inspectors
> I am a on man shop office, plan review and field inspections. I have an Administrative assistant who answers the phones.



Same as the Cable guys!


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## JCraver

I like my small town. 

Contractors/homeowners call me directly, and we set up whatever time works for both of us. If I'm real busy you might not get the exact time you want, but if I tell you I'll be there at 2:00 then I'll be there at 2:00.  If we ever grow enough/get busy enough that I'm scheduling inspections in a cable company kind of window, then somebody else can do it and I'll be searching for my next small town.


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## Pcinspector1

ICE said:


> On a hot day I’ll give roofers priority so they can beat the heat.  Inclement weather plays a role. So they get to pick the hour.  How many can have the same hour?  Who was first to claim that hour?  Am I going to be the referee?



Here the priority is a pier or footing inspection, they usually have the mud on order and need the inspection in the AM. 

No re-roofing permits are issued, so no roofing inspection.

Not sure I would like the public controlling my day. 
Already have issues with walk-ins messing with scheduled inspections. I wear other hats and sometimes called to meet the dudes with badges at a location, what happens to that controlled inspection?


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## JCraver

Pcinspector1 said:


> Not sure I would like the public controlling my day.
> Already have issues with walk-ins messing with scheduled inspections. I wear other hats and sometimes called to meet the dudes with badges at a location, what happens to that controlled inspection?



I wear those hats too, and sometimes the controlled inspection has to wait.  I'll call and say, "Hey Mr. Contractor/Mr. Homeowner, I've got ________ that just came up and I've gotta' push your inspection back to X:XX".

Which is another benefit of my small town - in that those situations are rare, and when they happen, no one pitches a fit.


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## mark handler

We give a three hour time frame.
Occasionally, we need to call and say we are running late.
I am currently tracking 1,500 projects in plan check and construction.


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## tmurray

ICE said:


> The area that I cover is about the same.  With a dozen inspections I can lose 1.5 hours getting from one to the other if I plan an expeditious route. That could ballon if I let the public create my route.  Then there’s the limited amount of thought given to it.  On a hot day I’ll give roofers priority so they can beat the heat.  Inclement weather plays a role.  Oh well, I can give my brain a rest and let the public decide.
> 
> So they get to pick the hour.  How many can have the same hour?  Who was first to claim that hour?  Am I going to be the referee?


I think the major difference is that my group of contractors are relatively static. We don't have many out of town'ers coming in for the one-off jobs. When we do, they are usually commercial and managed by actual project managers. Our processes are relatively well documented, so I can just give them a flow chart and they are up and running in no time. Most of the time, the flow chart is posted in the jobsite trailer/board the next time I stop by the site.


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## my250r11

We will be starting a new software and they can REQUEST online but that does not mean you will get that time. We will of course try but Sh!t happens. Sometime get PD or Fire calls and those are priority. Sometime takes a while to write out corrections or explain them. We don't allow the public to control our schedule.

Our State inspectors on the other hand give you between 8am & 5pm and someone better be there or its a failed inspection and $120 re-inspection fee and the soonest you will get that is next week when they are in the area.


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## jar546

I can clearly see that many of us live in completely different worlds.  I have worked in a few areas and systems from one extreme to the next.  How the BCO handles scheduling of inspectors can vary greatly.
Some of you are a one stop shop or work in a small town that gives you the flexibility and freedom to accommodate your contractors and others, not so much, especially if you are assigned 20-30 inspections in day.  You have to pick the best route possible and the stops "are what they are," making it impossible to keep everyone happy.  
I for one work several municipalities, including a county school district and there are some days where I will put on over 150 miles on the car going from one end of the county to the other then from north to south and back again.
Whatever your situation is, realize we all have unique situations in which we work.


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## fatboy

AM, PM, early/late are taken into consideration, not guaranteed,  concrete, open trench's take priority


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## ICE

Scheduling concrete before passing inspection is not a good idea.  Calling me with the news that you have truck loads coming at whatever time is attempting to put me on the spot.  That doesn't work with me and I don't know why anyone would do that.  I wouldn't have even considered doing that.  The closest I ever cut it was the next day.  I always managed to pull it off but the inspector was not aware.


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## fatboy

Agreed, as a contractor back in the day.....never would I have scheduled any subsequent action until I had passed the necessary inspections to move on. In reality, everyone "assumes" they are going to pass..........moving along. Sometimes......does not work out.


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## ICE

It's not like I never try to accommodate a request for a time frame that fits them.  Last week a man called me and asked when I was coming to his house to inspect the furnace.  I told him that he is first on the list.  He said that he can't be there because he has a doctor appointment for his six month old daughter.  Now I don't know about you but I figured that he has his hands full so I said, "When can I be there?".  He said that he would be back by 10:00 so I offered to be there after 11:00.  I rerouted my day and hit the bricks.

Well I'm a dummy when it comes to remembering this sort of thing and I got there at 10:47.  I was alone.....alone in my thoughts for thirteen minutes as I waited for 11:00.  The man called me the next day.  He was falling all over himself with apology.  I started out with, "I hope it went well with you daughter."  He said, "She just wasn't having it and traffic was a bear."  Having lived with more than one high maintenance female, I understood.

I convinced him that I didn't care about the missed inspection....I get paid either way.


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## jar546

Things I don't like.
Inspections have to be scheduled the day before at the latest.  They are told to call the inspector between 7-8a to get a time frame once we have our route figured out.  I often get phone calls at 8am asking me what time I will be there and when I say you are first, I will see you in 15 minutes I get this "I am about an hour away," or  " can you come in the afternoon?" This is when I ask why they bothered requesting an inspection for today at all.  Someone has to be first.


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## TheCommish

Each contractor-inspection is special, the only one for each day, they expect I am just wating for their call as their job is the only one in town. No one comes to the office justs as I am about to leave and ask a simple question, or once I get into the field there are no questions, no one working with out a permit that needs a educational stop, or another inspection that the contractor wants me to tell them the code requirements for the next step or complain about the other town, let alone the dumb looks.

Planning ahead, leaving some time for corrections, no the xx is coming, I have to get done, just this one time can you let it go?  I though you would come here last, or first, I know it was not ready when I called for the inspection, the xx didn't show up.

yep, I stand by the 930 to noon and 130 to 5 window.


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## ICE

TheCommish said:


> yep, I stand by the 930 to noon and 130 to 5 window.



You get a 90 minute lunch?


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## ADAguy

Oy very! Never ending excuses.


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## TheCommish

No I don't get a 90 minute lunch, just the time I expect to be held up in the office mid day


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## my250r11

TheCommish said:


> No I don't get a 90 minute lunch, just the time I expect to be held up in the office mid day



Yep, checking messages and answering questions and sneak out the back between customers, sometimes 2pm before I  get out in the pm.


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## ICE

Well it's seven months since I mentioned Ipads.  I now have the Ipad....or I should say that my wife has it.  I have been told that the Planning dept. gave Ipads to the field personnel who promptly gave them back.

Years ago there was an attempt at modernization that involved laptop computers.  Ipads didn't exist but Oracle corp. did and my AHJ handed Oracle millions for a software program that would take us to the next level.  It was suggested that I be a test pilot.  I asked a few questions and never heard from the computer squad again.

I'm pretty sure that there was no refund from Oracle and now they have another hole in their pocket.  Instead of attempting to help inspectors by initiating programs at the top of the food chain they should start with us.....let us tell them what we need.  But no that's not the way it's done because all of the smart people are at the top.

Oh sure, they come around and form a committee to poke and prod....after they are too deep into it to have much success in tuning it up.  Perhaps they know that had they started with the bottom feeders we would have chewed it up before it was built.

All those years ago the first question that I had was "is there a drop down menu of common corrections?"  The answer was no.  I asked if we could create one.  The answer was no.  Well then, look at these pictures:









Among other mistakes, there is no protection from nails.  So this is the correction, "provide nails plates to protect el. cable and conduit that is stapled or the edge of a hole is closer that 1 1/4" away from the face of the framing".  I have to write that correction often. I can't just say, "protect the cable" because they won't know what I mean.  And then there's the plumbing with 1" away and 1 1/2" past each side of the pipe.  Sometimes these corrections require a drawing.

Hell's Bells it's 2020 and we still can't have a drop down menu.  My phone has dozens.


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## cda

ICE said:


> Well it's seven months since I mentioned Ipads.  I now have the Ipad....or I should say that my wife has it.  I have been told that the Planning dept. gave Ipads to the field personnel who promptly gave them back.
> 
> Years ago there was an attempt at modernization that involved laptop computers.  Ipads didn't exist but Oracle corp. did and my AHJ handed Oracle millions for a software program that would take us to the next level.  I was chosen to be a test pilot.  I asked a few questions and nobody ever heard from the computer squad again.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that there was no refund from Oracle and now they have another hole in their pocket.  Instead of attempting to help inspectors by initiating programs at the top of the food chain they should start with us.....let us tell them what we need.  But no that's not the way it's done because all of the smart people are at the top.
> 
> Oh sure, they come around and form a committee to poke and prod....after they are too deep into it to have much success in tuning it up.  Perhaps they know that had they started with the bottom feeders we would have chewed it up before it was built.
> 
> All those years ago the first question that I had was "is there a drop down menu of common corrections?"  The answer was no.  I asked if we could create one.  The answer was no.  Well then, look at this picture:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There is no protection from nails.  So this is the correction, "provide nails plates to protect el. cable that is stapled or the edge of a hole is closer that 1 1/4" away from the face of the framing".  I have to write that correction often. I can't just say, "protect the cable" because they won't know what I mean.  And then there's the plumbing with 1" away and 1 1/2" past each side of the pipe.  Sometimes these corrections require a drawing.




Yep agree

The systems are good for some things, but not others 

I could see a system with a mix,,,,

Common violations

But

Also a stylist so you can write stuff

and all is saved in never never land


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## Paul Sweet

When I did plans review many moons ago I used Autocorrect to insert words or phrases for words I started with ` or ~ (right above the Tab key).  Unfortunately Micro$oft changed the format for storing Autocorrect every time they put out a new version of MS Word, and by the third upgrade it was too much to retype the 100 or more phrases I had so I went back to typing the whole phrase.


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## ADAguy

TheCommish said:


> My window is even bigger morning inspections are 930 to 1230 and afternoon is 130 to 500, I rarely make the contract stand the inspection and I do building inspection only, electrical and plumbing are handled by separate inspectors
> I am a on man shop office, plan review and field inspections. I have an Administrative assistant who answers the phones.



So, how small is Carlton?


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## TheCommish

44 square miles, 14000 residences, 500 permit of various  types  and sizes, 80 new home a year some commercial projects.

Since the OP I now have an local inspector that  does all the residential work, I do commercial and zoning, answer questions


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