Rough Sawn Lumber for Inhabited Buildings

[schakey]

On our property in Wv all we need is a building,well and septic permit. The only thing they inspect is the septic and location of the well.
The building permit is only for taxes.

[EZland]

Do the timber frame guys have to get their beams inspected?  Or log frame houses?   This grade and stamp thing seems like it is meant to keep the little sawmill out of the 2 by business with lowes and home depot. 

My house was built in 1937.  There is rough saw timber all over it. So if I try to match the lumber in remodeling I can't use rough sawn.  I have a manual mill, but keep getting hit up by folks to saw full size 2x4s for them to match their original framing, but they are afraid once the inspector comes in for electical and plumbing they will fail seeing the rough sawn. 

   I live in GA how do you get qualified to inspect lumber?  That could be a whole business, inspecting lumber for the portable sawmill business. 

Just my thoughts in a nut shell.  Love to your thoughts...

[Magicman]

Just pay attention to my Reply #19.  If you are getting financing, insurance, or permits, the construction materials have to match the specifications on the architectural drawings.

[balsabones]

If I were building a house and was ready for the inspector, wouldn't he only look at the electrical panel box and septic tank and drain field or sewer tie in? I wouldn't think he would want me to tear out a piece of finished drywall to see what kind of 2X4 I used.

[Magicman]

Inspections are normally made at different construction stages.  Construction is stopped and the inspections are made before work resumes.  The framing is inspected before it is covered up and builders are very aware of these requirements.

[beenthere]

Balsabones
If you want to hear some horror stories about inspectors, there are plenty. And if you skip some of their "stages", then they can get real nasty and bothersome. Just telling them to "hit the road, jack" won't smooth their feathers any either.

One contractor, I believe was in IL, built many tract homes...all with grade-stamped joists. Problem was he trimmed all of them back in length (for some reason) and trimmed off the end with the grade stamp. So two things, the grade is for the whole piece, not for a part of that whole piece. Second, no stamp meant no grade, and the grading agency wouldn't grade just seeing two faces and one edge. So things can get real sticky when nobody wants to bend their 'rules'.

Enjoy the areas you're in that haven't moved up to having a building inspection during construction, as there are a lot of hurdles to jump, one after another.

[Magicman]

There are counties and municipalities, etc. where I simply can not saw framing lumber because it can not be used without being graded.  Thankfully the majority of my sawing area does not have these restrictions.

My next three large sawing jobs are for sawing framing lumber for new homes.

[bozzaa69]

 I don't want to come across as a troll or beat a dead horse,but I firmly believe in this. If your building for your own "domicile" you can get away without their games. Domicile is a good word to use and works.You have to study into it a little bit and use your rights as an American. Contractor's etc. have to play by their rules if their building houses in developments for other people's use and what not, or if your looking for financing you have to go by their rules to get the money. But allot of us sawing our own lumber are in it to do it ourselves and not get financing, then you can tell them to travel off down the road.  If you are building for your own use and use some of the correct wording in a certain way so you sound like you know what your talking about, they have to beat it. I've told em to beat it off of my property and customer's properties many,many times, with the customers backing. You have to coach the customers what to say also. Sometime customers get nervous,but to keep cost down on their job, they are usually more than willing to rebel a little. I've done this over septic permits, building permits,fire permits,wetlands,etc. over the years. They all went away. They threatened me with court action a couple times,but I called their bluff and they went away. This experience covers  Building Inspectors, wetlands activists, watershed association's, lake association's, fire chiefs and board of firewards, road agents, upset neighbors of my properties and customers,etc. Police have been called at times because these so called building and/or wetland authorities have gotten so mad at me. I've even told these people to call 911 when they threaten me with police. A couple have called 911 and they got in trouble for misuse of the emergency #. Police don't want to be bothered by somebody trying to improve thier property and these building inspector's or wetlands, tree hugger's butting into it. Police take off quick once they see it's all balogna. I've got the balogna from the gamit over the years. Know what to say and say bye,bye. People have to say no to big gov't and start taking their rights back. By the way, anybody looking for any excavation,land clearing,concrete or construction work? It's a little slow right now.

[shortlogger]

I deffanatly belive the Gov local and federal often pry way too far into people's personal busisness ..... I totally understand inspections on contractor work for the purpose of protecting a future home owner who doesn't know a stud from a rafter from getting a poorly built home when they are paying for it to be done right .... BUT if its my land my money and my materials I feel as a free citizen of the USA I should be able to build and live in anything I want !!!! The government is trying to inject its opinion and or will into every aspect of our private lives . Don't get me wrong I'm not anti government I belive it has its place but way to often I see it over stepping its bounds . 

[Jemclimber]

The Gov has to know what you've built on their land so it can adjust your rent accordingly.  Building inspectors and tax assessors are just part of the process of building. 

[grweldon]

. By the way, anybody looking for any excavation,land clearing,concrete or construction work? It's a little slow right now.

Would be nice to know where you are located.  Might want to update your profile...

[beenthere]

gr
If his map is correct in his profile, then he is just west of Manchester, NH

[grweldon]

I don't bother with all that, I just look for the location on the LH margin... Thanks...

[m wood]

Do the timber frame guys have to get their beams inspected?  Or log frame houses? 




I planned a 32 x 32 log home out of Spruce from my own land.  The architect got me in touch with the county engineer cuz my logs would need stamped.  Everyone was real iffy about the process.  The engineer had no idea about the load bearing or stress calculations of a log.  He was gonna do the same research as I had already done...then charge me.  I saw so many puzzled looks from town code enforcement, county engineers, architects etc. that I saw it as a sign of things to come and ditched the plan before I sunk another cent into it. 

Now I am using those culled and girded spruce logs to build chicken coops and hunting blinds at a few hundred a pop.  The plan is for me and my wife is to pay cash to build a smaller "empty nester" cottage on our land in about 5 years.  I will buy stamped structural lumber from the Orange store and It'll still be our dream home.   

[schakey]

Do the timber frame guys have to get their beams inspected?  Or log frame houses? 




I planned a 32 x 32 log home out of Spruce from my own land.  The architect got me in touch with the county engineer cuz my logs would need stamped.  Everyone was real iffy about the process.  The engineer had no idea about the load bearing or stress calculations of a log.  He was gonna do the same research as I had already done...then charge me.  I saw so many puzzled looks from town code enforcement, county engineers, architects etc. that I saw it as a sign of things to come and ditched the plan before I sunk another cent into it. 

Now I am using those culled and girded spruce logs to build chicken coops and hunting blinds at a few hundred a pop.  The plan is for me and my wife is to pay cash to build a smaller "empty nester" cottage on our land in about 5 years.  I will buy stamped structural lumber from the Orange store and It'll still be our dream home.

It's a shame that people who don't know controls the people that do!

[bozzaa69]

It's like when I built my first garage. 24x24 with a 12 pitch roof for attic space. I looked at a co-worker at the time's garage which was similar to what I wanted to build. I was young and green. It had a 10x19 steel beam to span the 24' to support the attic floor. 10-19 means 10'' I beam at 19 lbs per foot. The width of the flange and thickness of web, is what it is for a 10-19,which is 4'' on the flange and 1/4'' thick on the web. Next bigger size,10-24 lbs per foot, flange is wider,web is thicker etc. The local building inspector at the time I submitted my plan wanted a load stamp or something or other. The beam I bought didn't have any. I asked him for some load ratings for different sizes of steel and he looked at me like I was an alien. I have an old book myself from the forties that has all different sizes of steel and load ratings, 10-19 included that I got from the dump. It covers bridge and ship building also. He had no clue about any of it. I would think he'd have access to a modern version of a book like that due to his job and all. This was before the computer age. Total incompetence on every question I asked. It's been my experience throughout life that people were usually dumber the higher up the ladder you go, as with my workplace at the time. He was right inline with that assumption. I told him "whatever" and built it my way anyway. He came to my property a couple years later to try and snoop around because I had never called him back for any inspections. I was nice and let him in. By then electrical was done in the garage/shop and it was sheetrocked. The beam still being exposed caught his attention. He asked about the load rating. I reminded him how I asked him about it 2 years earlier and how he had no clue. I asked him if he still couldn't find the information. He said that's not up to him. I told him if he's concerned he can go look at my co-workers garage 40 miles away and see how it's done elsewhere if he has no other source of info. Then I told him it was time for him to go. He went and I never saw him for another 3 years till he came back complaining about something else unrelated. (which is another story) I told him "time to go" again. He went. I always try to be nice about it, but stand my ground.

[shortlogger]

 It's a shame that people who don't know controls the people that do!
....................................................

I think the real shame is that we quietly set back and allow such things as that to happen !!!!