Building control inspector came round today

[RaceDiagnostics]

I'd converted a breakfast room and adjacent bathroom into a kitchen/diner/snug room and a kitchen into a utility room and shower room.

He came in with a trainee and did the most cursory of inspections, asked a few questions and took all my responses at face value and didn't really check anything for himself. All in they were only here for about 5 to 10 minutes. Didn't even have a look outside at my drainage work.

Only one corrective action needed which I did argue with a bit, but given its only £30 to correct I accepted just to move on without any major issue.

I'd installed a new interconnected heat/smoke/CO alarm system in the new rooms and lower and upper landings but nothing in our existing formal sitting room. I argued that the regs say that there must be one in the main living room. I told him that our snug was our main living room and not the sitting room. He is wrong and I argued a bit but gave in just to get rid of them and get my completion certificate.

 

[mtt.tr]

I've never had issues with them, it's all about not *********ing them

 

[MetalMonkey]

Like anybody, sometimes you get one that has a particular bee in their bonnet about a particular thing - at the end of the day you just have to work with them to get what you need.
We once had a change of inspector mid project, and had to go around and replace some of the items the previous one had been happy with because the new guy didn't like them. You just grin and bear it.

Found most of them are fairly reasonable and laid back, unlike planners.
Even more fun when the two don't agree with each other.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Anyway, thanks to all the help from the forum members who got me here with their advice on;

Plumbing
Drainage
Wiring/Electrics
Carpentry
Tiling
Plastering
Kitchen installation
Etc

Got to be one of the best online communities out there.

 

[Bobtail4x4]

Im a bco
yesterday 11,55 bloke rings saying he forgot to ring me, and concrete is going in 25 miles from where I was, got there in 35 mins,
today at 3,15 bloke rings asking can I "call round" no problem will call in morning, "cant you come now?" er no.
I am going back weds to the same house to sign it off for the 4th time, they say they are in but never seem to answer the bl**dy door,
its a common thing everyone is stretched,
during lockdown everyone seemed to sit at home planning "improvements/extensions" but then employed a diy bloke or gardener to build the extension, they wonder why things go wrong.

 

[mtt.tr]

Im a bco
yesterday 11,55 bloke rings saying he forgot to ring me, and concrete is going in 25 miles from where I was, got there in 35 mins,
today at 3,15 bloke rings asking can I "call round" no problem will call in morning, "cant you come now?" er no.
I am going back weds to the same house to sign it off for the 4th time, they say they are in but never seem to answer the bl**dy door,
its a common thing everyone is stretched,
during lockdown everyone seemed to sit at home planning "improvements/extensions" but then employed a diy bloke or gardener to build the extension, they wonder why things go wrong.

I don't get people, my interactions have always been, here is my schedule of inspections call me.

Builder are just a pain and badly organised.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I don't get people, my interactions have always been, here is my schedule of inspections call me.

Builder are just a pain and badly organised.

I hate working for builders. Always last minute and poorly managed.

 

[sako243]

I hate working for builders. Always last minute and poorly managed.

Another strange thing is they don't seem to be interested (apart from a couple) in making a good impression to get more work.

I've had/have probably £100k of work over the coming years on my place and you'd have thought they'd be jumping at the opportunity to secure the work but no. Eventually managed to find a half decent builder and it's just an old bloke and his labourer but they turn up on time, let me know when they can't show and just get on with the job.

A larger firm was brought in initially to do some lintels in the workshop and it took them 5 months and a day to replace the three relatively small lintels due to no shows etc.

 

[Scalarocco]

From what I can gather based on some work I had done a couple of years back is most builders these days seem to have a minimum of two jobs on the go at once. The days they turn up at your job are the no-shows for the others. This was according to the plasterer and the electrician we were using. I understand they want to ensure continuity of income but it was the lottery of will they show up today, or not, that was annoying.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

From what I can gather based on some work I had done a couple of years back is most builders these days seem to have a minimum of two jobs on the go at once. The days they turn up at your job are the no-shows for the others. This was according to the plasterer and the electrician we were using. I understand they want to ensure continuity of income but it was the lottery of will they show up today, or not, that was annoying.

If your gonna run two jobs you need to at least have enough staff to get one lad to site working while your elsewhere

 

[Gareth J]

Im a bco
yesterday 11,55 bloke rings saying he forgot to ring me, and concrete is going in 25 miles from where I was, got there in 35 mins,
today at 3,15 bloke rings asking can I "call round" no problem will call in morning, "cant you come now?" er no.
I am going back weds to the same house to sign it off for the 4th time, they say they are in but never seem to answer the bl**dy door,
its a common thing everyone is stretched,
during lockdown everyone seemed to sit at home planning "improvements/extensions" but then employed a diy bloke or gardener to build the extension, they wonder why things go wrong.

Slight tangent. I'm trying to get an extension/bit signed off. Everything's completed but I can't get the electrician to come back to get whatever but of paper the bco will want to look at. Frankly I can't get him to respond at all! Is there a procedure for switching electricians midway through a project? It must happen but I can't find anything online about it.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Slight tangent. I'm trying to get an extension/bit signed off. Everything's completed but I can't get the electrician to come back to get whatever but of paper the bco will want to look at. Frankly I can't get him to respond at all! Is there a procedure for switching electricians midway through a project? It must happen but I can't find anything online about it.

Find a sparks explain the situation. Sit down before you get the price then send an invoice to the old electrician for the costs. No one likes checking someone else's work.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Slight tangent. I'm trying to get an extension/bit signed off. Everything's completed but I can't get the electrician to come back to get whatever but of paper the bco will want to look at. Frankly I can't get him to respond at all! Is there a procedure for switching electricians midway through a project? It must happen but I can't find anything online about it.

I did all the electrics myself for my building work and did all the testing so I was sure it was ok. I then found an electrician that would do a EICR on the new circuits I put in. Building control accepted this.

 

[Bobtail4x4]

I did all the electrics myself for my building work and did all the testing so I was sure it was ok. I then found an electrician that would do a EICR on the new circuits I put in. Building control accepted this.

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

 

[striker]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

Common sense. Not a lot of it about though!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

My stalled kitchen fit was interesting. Spurs off spurs to little mini sub rings. I made them rip the whole lot out and give the "delightful customer" a big bill. Forecast for chances of me returning to install the kitchen are low.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

I told my inspector that I was competent with electrics but he didn't ask me about it. I was ready to trump him with my old CERN work pass but it didn't come to that. Overall he was very reasonable.

I was responsible for the new ATLAS experiment wiring and detectors in the end cap.

 

[keithski122]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

I've seen the wiring that blokes have done to their classic cars, I wouldn't want them touching the wiring on my car let alone the house wiring.

 

[addjunkie]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

The issue I had was how my inspector defined what a competent person was….basically he was lazy and wanted a cert from a paid for body. Fortunately his boss came for the final sign off and he had some common sense. Accepting that been qualified to be Chief Engineer on any ship in the world might just make me capable of connecting up a heating oil tank On a suitable base.

 

[bricol]

I have been known to accept a electrics installation on a job from a non "competant person" ffs the bloke had just rewired his classic car, and loads of other work, I wasnt worried about him running a ring and lights in his extension,

Knowing how much many car enthusiasts know about even simple car electrics . . .

And viki verki too - many domestic and industrial electric types have professed complete lack of understanding of car wiring diagrams to me, never mind the actual wiring.

I did all the wiring installation of my new bits, and had recommended sparkies attach the faceplates etc so they provided the relevant bits of paper . . . a few months later I fitted a fair few wires back into faceplates and consumer unit rather better so they didn't fall out or create funny sparking type noises . . . .