Building Regulations: A Self-Help Guide For The Owner-Builder

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'It's not that anyone wins or loses. It's just that you have to descend into that game level in order to deal with them. You're jousting with each other. It is interesting to learn that the former head of the building department is now selling Challenger Homes. . . "

And speaking of women, Alex Wade's approach (in his chapter "Some Problems to Overcome" in the book Low-Cost, Energy-Efficient Shelter for the Owner-Builder) to the building inspector presents a neat twist any woman or family can use:

Do your homework carefully before approaching the inspector. Try to locate someone who has dealt with him to find out what he is like. It might also pay to have a friend test the waters by going in and asking questions concerning a mythical small house in another part of town. Friendsof mine have used another technique very successfully. Since the husband has a fulltime job, his wife has done a great deal of the work on bout their new homes. Upon finding out that they were faced with a notoriously difficult building inspector, thewife spent several weeks boning up on construction details (for post and beam construction) and confronted the building inspector herself. Dealing with a woman who was knowledgeable on construction matters was such a novel experience that the building inspector was too flustered to be nasty . . . . Finally, remember that you are dealing with a bureaucrat who is near the bottomof the ladder. He needs to feel important. Flatter him, ask his advice. Also bear in mind that it is your tax dollars that are paying his salary, and he is there to serve you . . . . Try always to be reasonable and cooperative, as frequently the mood is contagious.

Excerpts from and references to the following books are reprinted by permission of the publishers:

The BOCA Basic Building Code/ 1975, copyright 1975 by Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., 1313 East 60th St., Chicago, III. 60637 (Cost: $12.50).
Standard Building Code, copyright 1976 by Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc., 3617 Eighth Ave. South, Birmingham, Ala. 35222 (Cost: $14.00).
Uniform Building Code, copyright 1973, together with 1975 Accumulative Supplement, copyright 1975, by International Conference of Building Officials, 5360 S. Workman Mill Rd., Whither, Calif. 90601 (Cost: $14.00).
One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1975 Edition, published by all, and available from
any, of the four model code groups listed here (Cost: $8.00).
Dwelling, by River (quotes are taken from pages 158-.159), copyright 1974 by Freestone Publishing Co-, Box 357, Albion, Calif. 95410 (Cost: $5.00).
Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country, by Les Scher (quote is taken from pages 158-159), copyright 1974 by Les Scher, published by Collier Books, a Division of MacMillan Publishing Co. Inc., 866 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022 (Cost: $6.95).
Low-Cost, Energy-Efficient Shelter for the Owner-Builder, edited by Eugene Eccli (quote is taken from pages 33-34), copyright 1976 by Eugene Eccli, published by Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pa. 18049 (Cost: S5.95).
Your Engineered House, by Rex Roberts (quote is taken from page 97), copyright 1964 by Rex Roberts, published by M. Evans and Company, Inc., 216 E. 49th St., New York, N. Y. 10017 (Cost: $4.95).
"Local Regulation of Building: Agencies, Codes, and Politics" by Charles G. Field and Frank T. Ventre, in the 1971 Municipal Yearbook, copyright 1971 by the International City Management Association, 1140 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (Cost: $15.00 or available at your library).

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