I just want to build an ark!

I was recently sent a humorous story about what it would be like for Noah to attempt to build the ark in 2013.  You can read it here.

While this story is humorous it does have many of the “hard facts of life” for builders at its core.  I have worked with many city building officials and inspectors - most of the time they have been very pleasant and helpful.  They often get a bad reputation as “government workers just trying to make everyone’s life difficult.”  I have found the opposite to be true.  As long as I, a builder, come in prepared and having made my best, honest effort to do things correctly, they are often very accommodating.  Northfield (my home town), for instance, has always been a pleasure to work with.

Still, there are other cities and areas that do seem to have so many regulations and require so many permits that you can only scratch your head and wonder why.  Why, when all I want to do is build a simple garage, must I get approval from a Planning Department, submit drawings and get a permit from a Building Department, get a permit from the Public Works Department, pay for a soil sample, hire a surveyor to survey a lot that was surveyed less than 10 years ago (as if the property has moved!), and on it goes…

As a builder I see the value and wisdom in having standard building codes.  It helps to ensure that homes are built in a safe and durable manner.  As I wrote in a previous blog, I appreciate having an inspector look at my work.  Having an objective and trained pair of eyes looking over my project gives me reassurance that I have done my work correctly.

On the flip side I find myself defensive of the impositions that governmental bodies have put forth.  Why should anyone care what I build on my property and where, so long as it does not hurt another person or their property?  I’m already spending a bunch of money on the project, why should I pay more to the city so they can tell me where and how to build it? 

Those are the two forces that I as a builder must keep in tension, without letting it tear a project apart.  Many homeowners feel inconvenienced by city ordinances, while many cities are trying to keep their community and citizens safe.  And I the builder am stuck in the middle, trying to keep both sides happy.  You may not need a degree in construction to be a builder, but a degree in communication and counseling sure wouldn't hurt!