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eastgate_gw

Permit Question

eastgate
15 years ago

Last month, I bought a small, run-down, one-story cottage (1100 sq. ft. total, 900 sq. ft. living) built in the 1840's. A carpenter agreed to level the house (one sill needs replacing), but asked that I have the electricity turned on first. So I contacted a local electrician; he made the necessary updates (very minor) and filed a permit with the city. This morning I received a call from the electrician who told me that the city's electrical inspector saw the house and will not allow the electricity to be turned on (even though the wiring is okay), and that he was going to report me to the building code department for violations because he saw that the house is structurally unsound. Why am I being reported? I haven't started any renovations; I applied for the appropriate permit; and I can't start the renovation without electricity. How do people normally start the renovation of a property in poor condition? (And by the way, I happen to have a report from a structural engineer certifying that the house is structurally sound--I needed the report to get insurance and a mortgage!)

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