Building a Deck, Day 0 – The Permit
DAY 0 - The Permit
We took it upon ourselves to build a deck this year. Not an easy feat. The planning alone has taken months. Who would have thought that you would practically need an engineer's degree to figure out how to build it so that it won't collapse under its own weight, let alone tear the wall of your house off from its foundation?
We live in a cold climate. Mother nature is a nasty mean woman, who's frigid winters are even tougher than her summer heat (-20°F winters, 90°F summers and humid). Strangely enough, there is a very lax building code for our area when it comes to non-habitable structures (decks, outbuildings, etc). I gave the inspector a call to ask about the permits that I'll need to start this deck project and quiz him on a few other key questions.
Me: "So, how deep do I have to go with the deck piers?"
Inspector: "Try to get them below the frost line."
"So, 4 ft should be good. Do you need to come out and check them before I build."
"Nope, that'll be plenty good."
"Do I need to reinforce the poured concrete with rebar or anything?"
"Nope."
"When do you come out for an inspection?"
"When it's done."
"So, you don't need to check anything along the way?"
"No, I'll mainly just come out to make sure that it's stable."
"Wait a sec, you're telling me that you don't need to verify anything after I file for the permit until the job is complete?"
"Yes."
(thinking, What exactly am I paying for a permit for then?)
"I've been told by the township that the permit is good for a year. How much is the permit again?"
"Yes, $25."
"Ah, look for my check in the mail."