# What to leave open for inspection?



## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

I picked up electrical and building permits for my remodel. The building inspectors wants to come by for only the final, before I put on the tape and mud on the drywall. My biggest issue is with the electrical inspector: I'm going to have entire spots where I can't hang drywall because I'm needing to keep the area open for electrical inspection. Is the inspector going to want to see exactly how I've attached the boxes, nailed the wire to the stud, etc? Or can I just put up the drywall and leave the wire hanging out? I have a full basement where you can trace all the wire back to the panel. Bare drywall is ugly, but a room of mixed drywall/bare insulation is even worse. I'd rather be able to just hang the drywall, call it done and move to the next room.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Where I am the electric inspection is seperate & before any insulation or sheetrock is installed. Better make sure


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

Odd. Around here their is always a pre-closeup and a final inspection.


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

Scuba_Dave said:


> Where I am the electric inspection is seperate & before any insulation or sheetrock is installed. Better make sure


The problem with going that route is that I'm doing the entire house. That would leave me a house without any insulation or drywall at all until the entire thing was ready for inspection.



Michael Thomas said:


> Odd. Around here their is always a pre-closeup and a final inspection.


I spoke to the building inspector and he said he didn't want to waste my time with anything but a final inspection, since I'm not changing any framing or anything of the sort. I can't get hold of the electrical inspector(his voice mail says he only answers his phone between 8am and 8:30am Monday through Friday; he also does not return calls). How I routed the electrical wires, there's absolutely no reason to inspect anything but where the electrical is. Typically, there's two or three studs to either side that are open currently for his inspection.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Building Inspector can do what they want
Since the structure is existing the main issue is if you use the proper insulation

But electric is a whole nother ball game
They usually want to see rough 1st, then the final


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

What constitutes a rough in? Just installing boxes or running cable but not hooking into the panel? Final would be installation of the sockets and hooking into the panel?


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Rough for us is boxes installed, wire run, wire coming out of the boxes ready for devices/outlets/switched
I was told to have the neutrals & grounds landed = no hots
Not sure if that is how it is everywhere


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

Okay that's what i have right now. I just want to know if they need to see the wires between the box and the subfloor.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

I have wire running along the floor joist - 2nd floor
I cut the piece of plywood, but its not secured in place
So that can be opened for inspection
But in my sunroom I had the subfloor down - since the walls were built on top of the sub-floor. It wasn't a problem

Its up to your Inspector on what they want

Not sure what others maybe have encountered?


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Set your alarm clock and get up and CALL THE INSPECTOR AND ASK HIM. The electrical inspector in your jurisdiction is the only one who knows the answers to these questions.


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

Leah Frances said:


> Set your alarm clock and get up and CALL THE INSPECTOR AND ASK HIM. The electrical inspector in your jurisdiction is the only one who knows the answers to these questions.


I've been trying. It goes to voice mail. He does not return calls. I suspect the only time I'm going to see him is when I schedule an inspection through the main office.


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## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

forkvoid said:


> Okay that's what i have right now. *I just want to know if they need to see the wires between the box and the subfloor*.


If he is a good inspector and does his job, he will want to see all of your work, BEFORE it is covered up.

A good inspector will look closer at a homeowners work than a professionals work, because the HO usually don't know what they are doing.


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

forkvoid said:


> I've been trying. It goes to voice mail. He does not return calls. I suspect the only time I'm going to see him is when I schedule an inspection through the main office.


Can the main office give you a guideline as to what stage the inspector wants to see? 

If not I would just schedule an inspection and see where it goes.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Again, it's based on where you live. In the various counties in the metro Atlanta, electric is generally inspected before insulation. Some counties after, but all before drywall.


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

I was able to get hold of another inspector for the city(but still cannot get hold of the one I was assigned). He said since I'm doing an entire house, they are willing to come out multiple times to do rough-in and final of sections of the house, instead of the entire house at once(which would leave me with a house with no electric). I've already got one room insulated and mostly drywalled, except for the portions where electrical is. I'm not going to insulate any other rooms until I have him come out and do a rough-in, at which point I'll get more specifics of what he will allow me to do.

Thanks for your responses, guys.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

bwalley said:


> A good inspector will look closer at a homeowners work than a professionals work, because the HO usually don't know what they are doing.


Really? Don't assume just because someone is paid to do a job, that they do it correctly. There's plenty of pictures on here of licensed "professional" work that is either wrong or very poorly done.


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## bwalley (Feb 10, 2009)

jerryh3 said:


> Really? Don't assume just because someone is paid to do a job, that they do it correctly. There's plenty of pictures on here of licensed "professional" work that is either wrong or very poorly done.


Different states have different requirements for licensing, I am in Florida which is the hardest state to get licensed in, unfortunately many of the "Licensed" contractors are not licensed.

I have seen a lot of hack work by Homeowners and handymen types, I have seen a very small amount of hack work by properly licensed contractors working within the scope of their license and of the hack work I have seen it was usually done by the license holders employee or subs.

Unlicensed contractors can't pull permits, so their work is not inspected.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i lucked out with my elec. inspector.... he's so busy he said for me to just take hi res digital photos of the wiring and all outlets and switches, and leave one or two open for him to see, and i could go ahead and close the walls and mud.... when he finally was doing this area, he checked the crawlspace for stapling (every 12" or so) and fireblock caulking, and looked at the pics and the outlets i left opened, and ok'd me. i even powered up the room so he could test the grounds and gfcis in there. 

DM


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

I actually take pics of everything that I do
That way I can go back & figure out location of wires etc if needed


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

I'm starting to take pictures of everything I do just so I can get advice on how to fix my mistakes from you guys.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

bwalley said:


> Different states have different requirements for licensing, I am in Florida which is the hardest state to get licensed in, unfortunately many of the "Licensed" contractors are not licensed.
> 
> I have seen a lot of hack work by Homeowners and handymen types, I have seen a very small amount of hack work by properly licensed contractors working within the scope of their license and of the hack work I have seen it was usually done by the license holders employee or subs.
> 
> Unlicensed contractors can't pull permits, so their work is not inspected.


As an inspector, I assure you that there are a lot of DIYers that do beautiful/safe electric work, and there are a lot of licensed electricians that are hacks. And there are homeowners that have no business doing wiring, and licensed electricians that do beautiful work. I firmly believe that licensing is a joke in a lot of states and jurisdictions. I could care less whether or not someone flaunts a license...There are guys that have them that have no business having them. Being a licensed contractor is often no reflection on the quality of work someone is capable of producing, it is based on their ability to take a test and pay a license fee. All I care about is their ability to do work that meets the minimum standard of the code.

Remember the "Certified Master Builder" program that was all the rage? Thousands of builders payed their membership dues in that organization and were instantly Certified Master Builders. In this area, you take a few hours of continuing education classes, take a faily easy test and pay a fee and you're licensed in the county...Better than nothing but it gives buyers a false sense of security.

I've been a combination inspector for a long time, and I assure you that everybody gets the same inspection from me. I look just as hard at professionals' work as I do at DIYers' work. A good inspector doesn't trust anyones' reputation or perceived integrity...He checks their work. To hear earilier in this thread that the inspector stated that he only wants to do a final absolutely boils my blood. That's shameful of him, as is the fact that he doesn't return phonecalls. I'd lose my job if I acted that way.


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## forkvoid (Feb 12, 2009)

thekctermite said:


> To hear earilier in this thread that the inspector stated that he only wants to do a final absolutely boils my blood. That's shameful of him, as is the fact that he doesn't return phonecalls. I'd lose my job if I acted that way.


There were permits on this house that were finalized right before I bought it... the previous owner showed me the work that had been done. You would have strangled the inspectors to see the work that they passed. Wires not attached to studs, wires capped off outside junction boxes...sometimes with only electrical tape. In one case, that we didn't even realize until yesterday, there was a 220v wire that was hanging bare inside of a wall. It was on at the panel when I bought the house, but I turned it off shortly after buying when I determined it did not go to anything. And all this was passed by the electrical inspector for this area. I've been told by other people in the area that even the building inspectors are next to worthless... they'll look at one section of work(ie, one wall, ignoring that the whole room has been done) and pass the entire job based on that.


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