DH=Headache

[Orchid]

Quote:
What you basically just said is "Through proper grading, we can eliminate the need for streams and rivers."

What I didn't convey was that his house sits at the edge of a hillside and is connected to a several hundred acre farm.. It has a walkout basement in back, but the front's level with grade, meaning his backyard is fairly steep. He created the swale in the front yard to divert water away from the front of the house and send it off to one side where it can run on down the hill toward the creek that ultimately feeds a neighbor's pond.. That's where that water would have ultimately gone anyway, so he didn't really add to anybody's burden or anything like that.

The inspector guy was just being jerky. They're known for that sorta thing around here (and everywhere else, so far as I can tell).

Actually, I think what she just said was that she lives in Arizona, where it can flood at the drop of a hat during monsoon season if the rainfall isn't managed properly.

To the OP, my husband and I built a house together...and a garage...and a barn...and a chicken coop. It is stressful. I'm glad he realized that you weren't in the wrong, and I hope he came to realize how important an electrical permit and inspection really are. No one wants their brand new house to burn down due to faulty wiring!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
What you basically just said is "Through proper grading, we can eliminate the need for streams and rivers."

What I didn't convey was that his house sits at the edge of a hillside and is connected to a several hundred acre farm.. It has a walkout basement in back, but the front's level with grade, meaning his backyard is fairly steep. He created the swale in the front yard to divert water away from the front of the house and send it off to one side where it can run on down the hill toward the creek that ultimately feeds a neighbor's pond.. That's where that water would have ultimately gone anyway, so he didn't really add to anybody's burden or anything like that.

The inspector guy was just being jerky. They're known for that sorta thing around here (and everywhere else, so far as I can tell).

Actually, I think what she just said was that she lives in Arizona, where it can flood at the drop of a hat during monsoon season if the rainfall isn't managed properly.

To the OP, my husband and I built a house together...and a garage...and a barn...and a chicken coop. It is stressful. I'm glad he realized that you weren't in the wrong, and I hope he came to realize how important an electrical permit and inspection really are. No one wants their brand new house to burn down due to faulty wiring!

Eggsactly! We cannot alter the grade of the land to cause water on our property to run onto public land (especially streets) or property belonging to someone else. Because our rainfall is generally so low, we have very few storm sewers, and what few we do have cannot handle heavy downpours if water comes from anything other than the street itself (often cannot handle even that). Simply not cost effective. Some newer developments are surrounded by landscaped drainage ditches that can hold large amounts of water.

 

[Bunnylady]

Around here, there's a really fun song and dance. You can string the wire, but the connections have to be made by a licenced electrician. Or, if you know one, you can get him to look at the connections you made and lie about it!

My hubby wanted to put a gas heater in the greenhouse. Two different people in the inspections department insisted that he had to get a licenced electrician to run the power out to it - a greenhouse. So Hubby has to wait for several days for this dude to show up, and pay him to snake a wire through 50 feet of conduit and connect two wires - something Hubby could have done it 20 minutes - and this guy was here and billed for more than 2 hours! When this other fella came to connect the gaslines to the heater, he assured Hubs that the downtown clowns were wrong, unless the greenhouse is close enough to catch a residence in the explosion, greenhouse wiring is still DIY if you want to do it. Nobody came to inspect the job, of course, because the last guy was right. Is it any wonder a lot of stuff around here gets done with a "you gotta catch me first" attitude?!

My own answer to the stress of building is simple. I build, or Hubby builds (and I just steady the ladder). Both of us working on the same project equals fireworks!


Edited to add: SS, we have the opposite situation, with the same solution. We get lots of rain, which runs off into the marshes and tidal wetlands. That alters the salinity of the water, and all the baby seafood in those critical nursery grounds has a really tough time. Solution? Build all the ditches or storm sewers you like when you build your development or strip mall, but build a water retention pond on the site so it stays put!

 

[easttxchick]

My DH IS an electrician and we STILL almost killed each other while we were building this house(over electrical issues and everything else). Lack of sleep, stress, deadlines, dealing with contractors, dealing with the lender, both trying to work...all of those kinds of things combined put a strain on a marriage.
We built the house 5 years ago and we still live in it TOGETHER.
It'll get a whole lot better once you get moved in-just hang in there.

 

[justbugged]

First to herfrds a big

I understand the stress of being blamed and knowing that you are right.


I will say that after reading this I am truly blessed with a DH that is for the most part one of the easiest going guys I have ever met. We have also been blessed every time we have needed a permit in our small town. I think that it helps to have a good relationship with the building department. While we haven't built a house we have had to replace the roof, add a heating system, gas lines, gas fireplace, and a few more things that have required permits, and inspections that I can’t remember at the moment. DH is a very good rule player, but I would rather spend the money on things that are more tangible, and that make things nicer. I still don't argue about permits though. The thought of having undo or tear it down will make me a lot crazier, than spending the money upfront, and doing it right. My DH is always trying to make sure that it is done right, and will last forever when he does anything. His only fault is that he can't seem to work by himself, he seems to need me to be helping him. I don't mind unless I have other things I need to do. He has learned not to say anything if dinner is late, because I was helping him.

It is interesting to read how different each community is when it comes to permits. Here we have to have permits to re-roof the house, because the area where we live has been known to take wind gusts up to 120mph, and sustained winds of over 60 mph. So the roofs have to be able to take the winds now. The houses where we live were not built with roofing that could take it. The first few years we would watch the neighbors roofs peel off each year. After the first few times most neighbors would finally figure out that they had pay for the upgraded roofing materials. We owned the house for about 11 years before our roof was a total loss. DH and his dad spent Christmas week nailing on new roofing materials. They got it done in a sleet storm. It is nice to know that it is on better than most of the roofs in the neighborhood. It seems that all the professional roofers’ use staples, and even then rarely do they use as many per tab as the code calls for. I know for sure that the wind side of my roof is nailed with more than enough nails per shingled that there is very little chance of it ever come loose.

I remember my parents remolding a house when I was a teenager. While they didn't fight much, I can sure remember the stress of it all. My DH has said that he will never build a house for us because he couldn't handle the stress of it all. As for coops, he has built me a very unique coop. I just wish that he had looked at the coops here on BYC first. The pull out nesting box drawers are very cool, but are not the best way of getting to the eggs. I don't dare say much about it, or his feelings get hurt. Then I worry that he will not build me anything again. I also have to very careful that I don't ask him to do anything around the house when he is overly tired or overwhelmed with things. It is an awful lot of work to figure out how to talk to each other sometimes.

 

[twentynine]

Here---- goodluck getting your electrical inspection, if you haven't hired a contractor. Not saying it can't be done, but I have seen them pass some grief to a do-it yourself home owner. Then turn right around and give a contractor a drive by inspection. What can you say, a whole bunch of them inspectors used to work for the contractors.

Building a home is probably the most expensive and stressful thing you guys will ever do. Short tempers, no sleep, details, subs not showing up, you name it. It all gets to you.

Built my own home in 1981, well I guess I acted as my own general contractor, done alot of the work myself. Electrical, plumbing, roofing, exterior siding, by me. Concrete slab, frame blacked in, rough in ground plumbing, sheet rocking/finish, cabinets and flooring by subs.

I WILL NEVER EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the need would ever come up---- I am going to hire a general contractor-------tell him to build my house-------- call me when he is done--------

 

[BunnyMomma]

I just love it when my DH gets all moody and pitches his tantrums.

It just means that the next day when he's feeling sorry for what he did that he will build me a new brooder box, coop or habitat for my babies!

Yesterday he was a donkey! Today I have a new brooder box.

Plus when the dumplins were chewy at dinnertime ( Oh darn, how did that happen?) he just ate em anyway!

When your man has these psycotic episodes, just try to block out the noise and replace it with Hee Haw Hee Haw hee Haw!
We have been remodeling our 100 year old farm house for 21 years! Still at it.
Hope this helps!
Bunny

 

[herfrds]

I liked the inspector. He was very polite and had a lot of information to share.

Got home from town tonight and DH tells me he might have placed one of the breaker boxes in the wrong spot upstairs. So we go look.
Yep he is off by 2 feet. He put it right where I planned to have one of our upright freezers put. He wanted to put a freezer on each side of the breaker box, but I pointed out that it would block the door way.
I asked him if it could be moved?
You would have thought I asked him for $500.
He started again and I just turned around and started walking out.

He agreed to move the box.

We agree that this is the one and only house we are ever going to build together.

He can work on the electrical and I will continue working on the clear top coat outside and finish up the varnish on the inside windows.

 

[yomama]

And that is why I have told my husband that I don't want to build our own house!

However, he already has plans in his head about building our next house in a few years. He's a contracter too, with a million connections, so I have a feeling that is what we will be doing.

However, I'm very lucky, he is such a good guy. Very easy going and puts up with my perfectionism. He will most definitely play by the rules too. He knows all the bad that can happen if you don't. Good luck with your adventure. Maybe you guys should take a day off of house stuff, just the two of you. Get your minds on what is important, each other. Just a thought.

 

[twentynine]

Quote:
I know your checking----

can't remember to much about the little bit I knew about electrical codes, and I think we have at least one member here who is an electrician (can't remember who)

Moving electrical service box (breaker box), be aware you have to deal with clearance issues. Can't remember exactly but you have minimum access requirements, up/down and side to side requirements. Also how wires are run into and out of the box.

More than likely you guys have studied up and got all your ducks in a row, just wanting to cast that out there for you. Installing once is very expensive, having to reinstall is way more expensive.

Glad to hear ya'll got an inspector that will work with you. It will make the project go so much better.