Big deal: Inspections

Last week, on the morning before Thanksgiving, we received a very good inspection, called the "Rough-In". That means the inspector came and looked over all the 'guts' of the house, everything we won't see again: wires, pipes, drains, framing, fire-proofing between levels, electrical codes, etc. It's all about safety.

After hours, months, (years, if you count design) and brain-banging behind this, M & G followed the inspector around as he gave it a critical eye. It's nerve-wracking, like taking a huge exam. At the same time, it's also pretty helpful to have a seasoned eye look over your shoulder at all the crucial stuff that makes a house function. It can also be affirming after all the hard work and design.

Everything exposed for inspection

Little M entertained herself pretending outside. She was building a mouse-sized fire. She has been such a champ!

Into, what I call, the bunker (the washroom), where EVERYTHING is.

This guy knew his stuff. He carried only a clipboard, no checklist. and the code book is now multi-volume, inches thick.

We did really well. The 6 items to fix were, as M said, child's play, in comparison to the what they've been working on. Oh the whole team was joyous! We got the stamp 'Okay to insulate'. Woohoo! This is a big deal. (in fact, at the writing of this post, a week later, insulation inspection is scheduled for tomorrow...and then the drywall goes up...and then, as outlined in my post 'Building Phases', we're rounding the final corner of the "Getting Inspected" phase. What remains is the Certificate of Occupancy (CO).

The gift: Here's the story behind the inspection. We did not know who would arrive, since our previous inspector had retired. Well...in walks JS. He greeted us by name and said, 'I spoke with you in my office 2 years ago exactly today, the day before Thanksgiving.' He remembered us and the unique ideas we had and he knew that things might be a bit unconventional. He also knew that the new and inexperienced inspector might look at us cross-eyed...so JS took it upon himself to do our inspection. What a kindness! It meant that he worked late, on a day when the holiday started at noon. It was a great gift, graciously and professionally delivered, and willl not be forgotten.