Frustrated with permit BS for basic deck framing jobs
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FloorFiasco
·6mo·36 replies·36 participants
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FloorFiasco⚒️ JourneymanOP6mo
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Man, I'm so sick of dealing with these permit offices for every little deck I build. Had a client in the Chicago area wanting a simple 12x16 ground-level deck with pressure-treated 2x10 joists on 16-inch centers, nothing fancy, but the city inspector is nitpicking about every detail like it's a skyscraper. I've been doing this carpentry gig for 8 years and in Illinois they make you jump through hoops for a $3500 job, including engineering stamps if you're over a certain height. It's killing my turnaround time and the client's pissed at the delays. Someone in the Contractors Network Facebook group said just pull the permit yourself to save hassle, but I'm tired of the red tape. Saw a similar rant on r/Carpentry last month about this. Anyone got tips to speed this up without getting fined?
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WattTheHeck29⭐ Expert6mo
20
File the permit online ahead of time and have your drawings ready, saves weeks of back and forth.
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MoveMaster2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
16
Yeah, but Chicago's portal is a nightmare, takes forever to upload.
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DuctDoctor8⚒️ Journeyman6mo
35
Same shit here, every deck permit feels like pulling teeth.
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WeedWhackerKid⚒️ Journeyman6mo
12
FML, inspectors are the worst part of the job.
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AmpedUp4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
11
Hate when they delay simple framing.
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BoxHauler3⭐ Expert6mo
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Tell me about it, lost a whole week last month.
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RoofRat87⚒️ Journeyman6mo
19
Just finished a monster deck without permits, but don't quote me on that.
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WeedWhackerWill⭐ Expert6mo
11
Risky as hell, but yeah, sometimes you gotta.
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PipeDreamer6⚒️ Journeyman6mo
13
We always overbuild to pass inspection first try.
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LawnLad5⚒️ Journeyman6mo
14
Permits are BS, charge extra for the hassle.
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PipeLord42028⭐ Expert6mo
10
Exactly, add a $500 permit fee line item.
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WireWizard3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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Smart, clients eat it up.
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BumpKeyBandit2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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Or they balk and you lose the job.
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DoorDud⚒️ Journeyman6mo
16
I built my own deck no permit, still standing 5 years later.
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LeakHunter7⚒️ Journeyman6mo
34
Haha, until the HOA shows up.
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WeedWhackerWill2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
12
Chicago inspectors are notoriously slow.
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FloorFumbler3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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Don't do it, got slapped with a fine once for a small job.
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PipeDreamer17⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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What was the fine amount? Scary stuff.
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BugBlaster⚒️ Journeyman5mo
13
Join the club, every carpenter hates this.
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BugBlaster2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
14
Unified front against the permit overlords.
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BoxHaulerBen⚒️ Journeyman5mo
41
LOL, my last one took 3 visits before approval.
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DrainDemon⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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We bill for inspection delays now.
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FittingFiend⚒️ Journeyman5mo
12
PE firms are buying up inspectors too, making it worse.
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TarheelTiler2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
35
Haha, yeah the system's rigged against us small guys.
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FlangeFixer⚒️ Journeyman5mo
24
Felt that frustration on my last build.
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GreenThumbGuru3⚒️ Journeyman5mo
36
Same, delays kill momentum.
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WireWizard12⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Insurance nightmare if you skip.
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FlushMaster3000⚒️ Journeyman5mo
35
Everyone's in the same boat, sucks.
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TermiteTamer⚒️ Journeyman5mo
18
Big contractors push us around with this crap.
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MopMaster30003🔧 Apprentice5mo
33
Haha, permit roulette.
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NotAnElectrician2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
15
Sorry man, it's the nature of the beast.
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DoorJamDud⚒️ Journeyman5mo
13
Collective BS, time to unionize against it.
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KeyKeeperKarl⚒️ Journeyman5mo
20
We all hate the red tape.
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SpringSlinger⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Damn inspectors ruining good work.
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VentKing⚒️ Journeyman5mo
16
Hit $2M last year by specializing in permitted jobs only, forced me to get good at it.
