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What If Everybody Did This?

HeatingHelp
HeatingHelp Administrator Posts: 680
edited September 2018 in THE MAIN WALL
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What If Everybody Did This?

Sometimes, my column writes itself. This is one of those times. Last January, a guy posted this on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com. Read it and see what you think.

Read the full story here


Comments

  • BradHotNCold
    BradHotNCold Member Posts: 70
    One issue often overlooked by homeowners in renovation work, whether do-it-yourself or by a professional: Insurance! In event of any subsequent loss from windstorm, fire, etc., any insurance recovery may be reduced.
  • Dave_132
    Dave_132 Member Posts: 65
    In my 38 years of operating my own company I have encountered this countless times. I have even had homeowners ask me to falsify an insurance affidavit which is fraud. My answer has always been the same. I simply point out to them that I don’t need there business if it means I have to lie or break the law. I am getting ready to retire after a very fulfilling career and in that time there was never a personnel injury, property damage, or lack of performance action taken against me or my company. I guess I was just
    “Lucky”

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    BradHotNCold
  • NY_Rob
    NY_Rob Member Posts: 1,370
    It's not hard to forget that thread regarding the illegal oil to gas conversion in Brooklyn. The OP was warned repeatedly in very plain language by pretty much every person who replied that what he had in mind was so far out of bounds that he would be crazy to actually go through with it.

    It's very possible that he finally "did the right thing" only because even the shady/fly by night guys were worried about the repercussions of the illegal conversion and wanted nothing to do with it?
  • Jackmartin
    Jackmartin Member Posts: 197
    I know from.expérience very few gas inspectors care about anything but the installation they are there to inspect. In the north end of our city - the real working class- it is a tradition to not get a permit for construction ,if you do, you are giving into the man. I have installed equipment in this part of the city and I have never had a gas inspector waste a minute looking at anything but the mechanicals.
    I agree totally that having your licence and your meams to make a living put in jeporady is foolish in the extrême. Heavens forbid ,something happens, you loose your trade and the homeowner has breached their insurance agreement .The insurance on your home is now void, because you breached the disclosure rider in your policy. Honesty is not the best policy it is the only policy. All the best Jack
  • RobertJordan
    RobertJordan Member Posts: 5
    I read the original post with bemusement and compassion as I imagined the anguish and torment this guy experienced as he contemplated his options. Clearly he was tortured over some period of time as he contemplated the situation he was in and as he met with contractors and realized his options were becoming fewer and fewer. Then he relives it all as he writes in excruciating detail everything that has happened and in desperation seeks help from this forum, fearing there won't be any.

    The TV doctor Dr. Amen on PBS calls these ANTS - automatic negative thoughts. We anticipate the worst and it seldom happens.

    About the deck though. As it was built without a permit, it might not be up to code. There have been many catastrophic deck failures that weren't structurally sound and then collapsed when a crowd of people overloaded it. It might be a good idea if an engineer took a look at it to be safe.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,294
    I'm just revisiting this crazy story. My goodness. The things that go through this forum. It's a real teaching tool.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
  • cross_skier
    cross_skier Member Posts: 201
    Work without permits is extremely common in my area.  A neighbor challenged his taxes and there was no permit on his HVAC so the city won.  Another neighbor has new porch steps, new central air and furnace, and upgraded electrical, I believe all work was done without permits.  The front steps don't meet code, I did point that out to her.

    The view seems to be that permits are an excuse for the city to raise taxes which almost everyone feels are too high.  Not much worry about insurance, no recent fires, floods, tornados, or hurricanes in our area
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,955
    I want to see this deck that he was so convinced the mechanical inspector would go out of his way to find out it wasn't permitted, get someone out to look at, and was so bad that it would be a tear down rather than a pay a fine and pull a permit and maybe make a couple minor repairs.

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