Frustrated with permit BS for basic deck framing jobs
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FloorFiasco
·1mo·36 replies·36 participants
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FloorFiasco⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
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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⭐ Expert1mo
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File the permit online ahead of time and have your drawings ready, saves weeks of back and forth.
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MoveMaster2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Yeah, but Chicago's portal is a nightmare, takes forever to upload.
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DuctDoctor8⚒️ Journeyman1mo
35
Same shit here, every deck permit feels like pulling teeth.
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WeedWhackerKid⚒️ Journeyman1mo
12
FML, inspectors are the worst part of the job.
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AmpedUp4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Hate when they delay simple framing.
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BoxHauler3⭐ Expert1mo
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Tell me about it, lost a whole week last month.
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RoofRat87⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Just finished a monster deck without permits, but don't quote me on that.
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WeedWhackerWill⭐ Expert1mo
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Risky as hell, but yeah, sometimes you gotta.
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PipeDreamer6⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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We always overbuild to pass inspection first try.
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LawnLad5⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Permits are BS, charge extra for the hassle.
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PipeLord42028⭐ Expert1mo
10
Exactly, add a $500 permit fee line item.
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WireWizard3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Smart, clients eat it up.
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BumpKeyBandit2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Or they balk and you lose the job.
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DoorDud⚒️ Journeyman1mo
16
I built my own deck no permit, still standing 5 years later.
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LeakHunter7⚒️ Journeyman1mo
34
Haha, until the HOA shows up.
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WeedWhackerWill2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Chicago inspectors are notoriously slow.
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FloorFumbler3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Don't do it, got slapped with a fine once for a small job.
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PipeDreamer17⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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What was the fine amount? Scary stuff.
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BugBlaster⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Join the club, every carpenter hates this.
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BugBlaster2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Unified front against the permit overlords.
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BoxHaulerBen⚒️ Journeyman1mo
41
LOL, my last one took 3 visits before approval.
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DrainDemon⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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We bill for inspection delays now.
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FittingFiend⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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PE firms are buying up inspectors too, making it worse.
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TarheelTiler2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Haha, yeah the system's rigged against us small guys.
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FlangeFixer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Felt that frustration on my last build.
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GreenThumbGuru3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Same, delays kill momentum.
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WireWizard12⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Insurance nightmare if you skip.
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FlushMaster3000⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Everyone's in the same boat, sucks.
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TermiteTamer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Big contractors push us around with this crap.
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MopMaster30003🔧 Apprentice1mo
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Haha, permit roulette.
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NotAnElectrician2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Sorry man, it's the nature of the beast.
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DoorJamDud⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Collective BS, time to unionize against it.
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KeyKeeperKarl⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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We all hate the red tape.
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SpringSlinger⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Damn inspectors ruining good work.
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VentKing⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Hit $2M last year by specializing in permitted jobs only, forced me to get good at it.
