# Final Inspections



## jetlag1946 (Mar 20, 2017)

I wanted to live in a new house I am building for 2 years to get the tax break when I sell . I was wondering about some things to get the final inspection and certificate of occupancy . One is people are ticky about the cabinets and they are expensive . I would like to get a buyer without the cabinets and let them have what they wanted installed . I know you have to have a sink in a house , what if I just install a sink base cabinet and one wall cab over it for me to use for the two years , I live alone and dont need all those cabinets . I also have a 28 ft motor home that will be connected and has lots of cabinets . Also about the floor coverings , I also hate to try to guess what a buyer might want , carpet tile hardwood laminate board etc . What is required for floor coverings to occupy ? I could Paint with porch and floor enamel would suit me and maybe carpet in the master bed .


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## cda (Mar 20, 2017)

Man you are doing it!!

I think concrete floors are allowed

And more than likely your cabinet set up is good 

Will let the experts answer


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## mtlogcabin (Mar 21, 2017)

The code does not require floor coverings or a minimum amount of cabinets. Depending on the area you live and the financing you have will determine the minimum you have to do before you occupy your home
Example I live in an area that only has electrical inspections. In my original construction loan I had an upper floor that I labeled unfinished storage and the credit union had no problems with it for the construction loan.2 years later when I went to convert to a regular mortgage the Feds changed the rules and I had to finish the space out with the planned 3 bedrooms 2 baths and they did not accept the 90# rolled roofing I used. I had to install my metal roof to convert to a conventional mortgage with the same credit union

The mortgage holder will have more requirements than the code


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 21, 2017)

Not sure your cabinet idea will *fly*, (airplane humor), do you already have the required cabinet receptacles installed in the walls meeting distance, GFCI and required minimum circuits to the kitchen?

Also, 28-ft motor homes are  upon as living quarters in a lot of residential subdivisions. 

My wife's got a cousin in Arkansas with painted floors, his 4x4 in the front yard is worth more than the house, I think he's a redneck.


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 21, 2017)

mtlogcabin said:


> The code does not require floor coverings or a minimum amount of cabinets. Depending on the area you live and the financing you have will determine the minimum you have to do before you occupy your home
> Example I live in an area that only has electrical inspections. In my original construction loan I had an upper floor that I labeled unfinished storage and the credit union had no problems with it for the construction loan.2 years later when I went to convert to a regular mortgage the Feds changed the rules and I had to finish the space out with the planned 3 bedrooms 2 baths and they did not accept the 90# rolled roofing I used. I had to install my metal roof to convert to a conventional mortgage with the same credit union
> 
> The mortgage holder will have more requirements than the code


Thats interesting , glad it worked out for you .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 21, 2017)

Pcinspector1 said:


> Not sure your cabinet idea will *fly*, (airplane humor), do you already have the required cabinet receptacles installed in the walls meeting distance, GFCI and required minimum circuits to the kitchen?
> 
> Also, 28-ft motor homes are  upon as living quarters in a lot of residential subdivisions.
> 
> My wife's got a cousin in Arkansas with painted floors, his 4x4 in the front yard is worth more than the house, I think he's a redneck.


1- I have a class 2 master electrical license , and the electrical is up to code
2- This is not a subdivision , it is on 9 acres of land and I wont be living in the motor home , there is no law against using   the storage space in your motor home .
3- This is a 3 story house and all built to code , it is also a lake front home on lake sinclair in putnam county ga. It will be in the 375,000 range . The cabinets people would want in this could be in the 20 to 30 thousand range . I dont see why I have to install contractor grade cabinets and might have to rip those back out in two years to sell the house . A 5ft sink base with a 20 " drawer cabinet on each side and a 24" wall cab on each side is all I need . I wont even paint the floors , I will be moving in the basement area and just storing furniture in the main house . There is no loan on the house , I have paid for everything as it was built . If this makes me a redneck I am proud of it . hmm I could put a 4x4 sterling silver post in the yard and paint over it and tell people aww that old metal post is probably worth more than the house.


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## ADAguy (Mar 21, 2017)

Ok, so you don't want it to be turn key, so market it as ready to finish by buyer.
If you don't need a sink in the kitchen for your use then just cap off the plumbing. You can get by in the garage or put up a Yurt while waiting out your time.
Did you design it? If so, then can you recover your investment and profit on the basis of its design alone?
As they say, location, location, location and square footage is sometimes all they are looking for.


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 21, 2017)

Well it will be a turn key except for some of the floor coverings and the kitchen cabinets . I will go either way , as is  or they select the cabinets and floor coverings they want and I will add the cost plus 15 % overhead in to the selling price . There will be ceramic tile already in the baths and kitchen . The basement  has everything but a sink and stove . It will have a c top with microwave and a frig . The laundry room is also down there . The vanity wont pass for a sink thats why I will put the sink upstairs because you have to have a sink in a residence , but I will use the sink in the motor home so not to make a mess upstairs . And yes , I drew my own house plans and got them approved by the county P&Z . By the way , what is a Yurk , it is not in the dictionary .  Thanks for the reply .


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## north star (Mar 21, 2017)

*@ ~ @*



> *"By the way, what is a Yurk"*


ADAguy stated "Yurt"........These are only some images of Yurts !











*@ ~ @*


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## rogerpa (Mar 21, 2017)

Yurt.  http://www.bing.com/search?q=yurt&q...476E28994B49ADB1D274ED902A54BC&FORM=QBRE&sp=1


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## steveray (Mar 22, 2017)

I can't imagine a house selling or not selling or selling significantly less because someone did not get to pick their cabinets or flooring options....They didn't get to pick the floor plan either and I bet that is more important. If you pick decent finishes it will sell and matter little...


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 22, 2017)

steveray said:


> I can't imagine a house selling or not selling or selling significantly less because someone did not get to pick their cabinets or flooring options....They didn't get to pick the floor plan either and I bet that is more important. If you pick decent finishes it will sell and matter little...


maybe , but I wont have to pull out 40 k  until I have a buyer that likes everything else , and putting what they want in wont take long .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 22, 2017)

north star said:


> *@ ~ @*
> 
> ADAguy stated "Yurt"........These are only some images of Yurts !
> 
> ...


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## steveray (Mar 22, 2017)

jetlag1946 said:


> maybe , but I wont have to pull out 40 k  until I have a buyer that likes everything else , and putting what they want in wont take long .


I would let you install a sink in a piece of plywood on sawhorses for a C of O....Unless it didn't meet the approved plans...


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## FLSTF01 (Mar 22, 2017)

I would ask for a kitchen sink and a sanitary counter at least 30 inches wide.  No flooring required-someone may argue that a finished floor is required in a bathroom, but we have all seen homes with wide pine floor boards in a bathroom, so I don't see plywood or Advantech as being much different.


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 22, 2017)

Curious?

If your the AHJ and you received a set of plans that show a kitchen layout and you checked it off as being code compliant, all the receptacles where they need to be. You then issue the permit and the project takes two to three years to get to a final inspection and the owner request the CO, do you allow the kitchen not to be finished as per approved stamped plans? 

No refrigerator being set is typical, what about the other appliances, do you require any to be installed for the CO? If all the appliances are in boxes in the garage, do you approve the final and issue a CO? What about light fixtures plates or temp fixtures? Do you care if the house is painted inside?

I don't see a lot of residential plans that indicate the flooring except commercial plans. Has to do with flame spread indexes and required ratings.

I don't see a problem with painted floors except for the fastener heads and possible splinters from the sub floor. 

Just asking


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 22, 2017)

Thanks for all the replies but some people are missing my point . I will have 2 years before I  would need the expensive marble top counters and custom built solid maple walnut or whatever cabinets . I am not saying that I wont do these things when the time comes . I made this post to see what is required for me to get a certificate of occupancy for the cabinets and some of the floor coverings . Everything else will be finished . The dining room , kitchen , and all the baths will have the ceramic tile already in., and all the interior painting will be done . Houses are sold every day will out the cabinets and some floor coverings . My daughter and son in law bought one two years ago all they did was agree to the contractor grade cabinets and the contractor installed them the price for that was already in the price . But they wanted the marble counter tops so they had to pay extra for that . Carpet was already in the price for the main living and family room and they wanted solid 3/4 oak flooring , so on that part the contractor subtracted the price of the carpet allowance and they bought the house that way and they hired someone to install the hardwood floor . The contractor would have done it for them but he would have to add in his overhead and profit . Now what if the contractor had went ahead and guessed at what might sell , he would have missed a sell or lost the cost of the things he had to rip out . People seem not to understand that is the same thing I am trying to do except I have 2 years before I even get to that point . I do appreciate all the replies .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 22, 2017)

Pcinspector1 said:


> Curious?
> 
> If your the AHJ and you received a set of plans that show a kitchen layout and you checked it off as being code compliant, all the receptacles where they need to be. You then issue the permit and the project takes two to three years to get to a final inspection and the owner request the CO, do you allow the kitchen not to be finished as per approved stamped plans?
> 
> ...


Man you are getting way off the subject , all the electrical will be in ,  fixtures and all . All the plumbing fixtures will be in . The frig and free standing range will be in . The sink will be installed in a cabinet . Those things are required by code . I am trying to ask if to what extent cabinets and floor coverings are required by the code . The plans just show an out line of a counter top and the words counter top on it . It says nothing about cabinets or what the counter top is made of . The counter tops in my house are hand made of 1x6 tongue and grove pine , sanded and 5 coats of marine varnish .


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## FLSTF01 (Mar 23, 2017)

Beyond what was stated above regarding a sink and a sanitary section of counter to prepare a sandwich (could be a small table), no cabinets or flooring are required for a C.O. in my jurisdiction.


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## steveray (Mar 23, 2017)

The only real issue I could see with cabinets and counters at a later date would be if anything changes in the electrical code you could possibly have to upgrade to meet the NEC in effect at that time...As the receptacles you have installed are not "countertop"...unless you put a plywood counter everywhere you think it might go...


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 23, 2017)

steveray said:


> The only real issue I could see with cabinets and counters at a later date would be if anything changes in the electrical code you could possibly have to upgrade to meet the NEC in effect at that time...As the receptacles you have installed are not "countertop"...unless you put a plywood counter everywhere you think it might go...


I disagree with you on some of that , the counter top recepts have to be in the rough inspection , are you will have a bad time installing after the dry wall is in , as far as the recepts not being counter top unless a counter is there , you can install a recept any where you want as long as it is not more than 6 ft above the floor space you want to count it in . It will become counter top when the counter goes in . I have the proper spacing and the required 2 --- 20 amp circuit circuit to the counter top . Are you saying the inspector will come back in 2 years if I install a counter top . I dont think you need a permit for that or to change a fixture like a sink . Thanks for reply , I need all them help I can get so I wont get in a trap .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 23, 2017)

FLSTF01 said:


> Beyond what was stated above regarding a sink and a sanitary section of counter to prepare a sandwich (could be a small table), no cabinets or flooring are required for a C.O. in my jurisdiction.


Thanks that is the kind of info I was hoping to get . If it's not required in your jurisdiction , I believe it must not be in the IRC either .


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## mark handler (Mar 23, 2017)

Install cheap cabinets less than a grand
Get your CofO


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 23, 2017)

Why bother with cabinets, the trend is to put shelves up and let everybody see your junk, it's called staging.

Don't you watch HGTV?


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## ICE (Mar 23, 2017)

[RB] DWELLING UNIT. A single unit providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.

If you want to have just a sink, shower and toilet, you have met the definition of a dwelling.  No kitchen is required much less cabinets.  Flooring is not addressed in code except for volatile organic compounds. 

The entire building could be a shell.  The code states that a dwelling unit includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.  All of those things but by who's definition of those things.  I pretty much live in my garage.  I can sleep in a hammock.  I eat here, there and everywhere.  If I have a receptacle, I am cooking.  I'm big on sanitation so I have to clean four bathrooms.


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 24, 2017)

ICE you need a maid


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 26, 2017)

Pcinspector1 said:


> Why bother with cabinets, the trend is to put shelves up and let everybody see your junk, it's called staging.
> 
> Don't you watch HGTV?


Well one mans trash is another mans treasure but I wont be putting either on display any where .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 26, 2017)

Pcinspector1 said:


> ICE you need a maid


What ICE is that I cant accept your application at this time , my computer is set to auto reject applications with a drag queen photo . You might apply to 2 1/2 men , you look as good as Berta .


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 26, 2017)

ICE said:


> [RB] DWELLING UNIT. A single unit providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
> 
> If you want to have just a sink, shower and toilet, you have met the definition of a dwelling.  No kitchen is required much less cabinets.  Flooring is not addressed in code except for volatile organic compounds.
> 
> The entire building could be a shell.  The code states that a dwelling unit includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.  All of those things but by who's definition of those things.  I pretty much live in my garage.  I can sleep in a hammock.  I eat here, there and everywhere.  If I have a receptacle, I am cooking.  I'm big on sanitation so I have to clean four bathrooms.


Thanks , enjoyed the video , the next one up called electrical 101 is out dated now though , it states they are showing a bed room rough in wiring because it has to be on a separate arc fault circuit , Most every circuit on a house has to be arc fault now , there can be other spacers that require arc fault on the same breaker


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 26, 2017)

mark handler said:


> Install cheap cabinets less than a grand
> Get your CofO


 If inspector says I have to I will ,other wise it will  be a sink base with minimal cabinets , remember I will be living in the basement 2 years . It will have bed room , full bath , game room with pool table , laundry room , counter top with frig and microwave , and bar sink .


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## cda (Mar 26, 2017)

jetlag1946 said:


> If inspector says I have to I will ,other wise it will  be a sink base with minimal cabinets , remember I will be living in the basement 2 years . It will have bed room , full bath , game room with pool table , laundry room , counter top with frig and microwave , and bar sink .




Are you required a kitchen??

Call that area media room with sink??

Sometimes you have to get creative


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## jetlag1946 (Mar 26, 2017)

cda said:


> Are you required a kitchen??
> 
> Call that area media room with sink??
> 
> Sometimes you have to get creative


I dont know if the inspector will count the bar sink the same as a kitchen sink . He might , . I dont use a stove very much but I dont think the IRC requires it but If I need a stove or oven  the motor home will be right outside near the garage door.


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