Building material quality and grades

[Clint Dixon]

Wow Norm.

Originally posted by MoparNorm
these grades are just pretend grades out here, they MAY be OK in Georga at the Depot's HQ, but not here in SoCalMN

I have no desire to move any closer to either coast than I already am. Too scared to leave the midwest. There are still areas around here where farmers are not required to get building permits.

Junior

[Hoody]

No permits

Yep...my entire county (Mercer)! And only one of those cities acually has a permit, and it isn't inspected. They just want the income for the permit. I design everything to meet UBC code, but whether or not it ends up built that way...who knows.

[Gordon Maney]

Re: Wow Norm.

Originally posted by Clint Dixon
I have no desire to move any closer to either coast than I already am. Too scared to leave the midwest. There are still areas around here where farmers are not required to get building permits.

Junior

No permit required where I live. If I want an entrance across a ditch, the county has to do that, but they do it for free.

In Cedar Rapids it is a much different story, and in certain other counties.

[Hoody]

Re: Re: Wow Norm.

Originally posted by Gordon Maney
No permit required where I live. If I want an entrance across a ditch, the county has to do that, but they do it for free.

In Cedar Rapids it is a much different story, and in certain other counties.

Same here. Clint Dixon lives 10-15 west of me, but he is in Rock Island county, which is a WHOLE lot more stringent than my county. Rock Island county is primarily urban (Moline, Rock Island, rest of Illinois side of the Quad Cities), and has a very strict building code in the county, and all individual cities. The next county south is Mercer, is almost entirely agricultural, and the largest town is about 3,000 people. The entire county may only have 15,000 people in it, and there is no code what-so-ever. As a designer, my first question to customers is, "where is this project going to be built ?", just so I can know which building code I need to design for.

[Clint Dixon]

Re: Re: Re: Wow Norm.

Originally posted by Hoody
Same here. Clint Dixon lives 10-15 west of me, but he is in Rock Island county, which is a WHOLE lot more stringent than my county. Rock Island county is primarily urban (Moline, Rock Island, rest of Illinois side of the Quad Cities), and has a very strict building code in the county, and all individual cities. The next county south is Mercer, is almost entirely agricultural, and the largest town is about 3,000 people. The entire county may only have 15,000 people in it, and there is no code what-so-ever. As a designer, my first question to customers is, "where is this project going to be built ?", just so I can know which building code I need to design for.

Just so people don't get the wrong idea and start to think I am a "city slicker", I do live in a primarily urban county, however, this county does have a lot of farm acreage within "city" limits. And, I reside at the southern most end of the county, only a mile from the Mercer county line, and a mile from the nearest town of 600 people. I do see cornfields when I look out my windows. Now Hoody, he is a little farther out in the sticks. You're what, about 2 miles from the nearest town of 500-800 people?

I don't think the county building inspector even knows the road that I live on exists. The last project that I called him on, a 200 sq. ft. gambrel dormer addition to my modified A-frame house, he didn't even inspect anything. He just said, "Yep, it looks like you know what you are doing." Then he left, and the county was X number of dollars richer. Darned right I know what I am doing. I have to live here. I make sure this place is not going to fall down around me.

I just wanted to clear up all of that urban/dpcd myth, lest someone gets the wrong impression of me. ;^)

[Hoody]

Sorry, Clint...

Not trying to start any bad rumors about you. :0)

[Clint Dixon]

Thanks Steve

Originally posted by Hoody
Not trying to start any bad rumors about you. :0)

That's mighty neighborly of you. ;^)

Junior

[Clint Dixon]

BTW

Originally posted by Hoody
I design everything to meet UBC code, but whether or not it ends up built that way...who knows.

Hoody has my dream job. I enjoy carpentry more than most anything, but I went back to school so I could get into the design side of the building trades. So, wouldn't you know it, I end up as a Mechanical Designer instead. But I am designing the precision equipment that will assemble the earthquake proof wall systems that will save countless losses to life and property in California.

Junior

[bosco]

Yeah, What is That..?

Originally posted by Gordon
Come on, Norm, you can't bait us like that. You have to tell us about this picture. What is the boxy feature on the left?

I was thinking the same thing too when I saw that picture Gordon.

Speaking of permits. I called the engineering department of the county I live in regarding the permits and other paperwork needed for my workshop. I was told a form needed to be filed with the county stating the building size, cost, construction material and what it's intended use was to be. If I remember correctly to file the form it would cost 50 bucks (so, I guess this is a permit). The only other form (permit) I needed was for the culverts I intend to put in the county ditch for access to my property. This one will cost me 150 bucks (go figure), and I have to buy the culverts ... but the county is so nice that they will install them for free (yeah right). Oh, I should also mention that I do not live in the city of Houston ... I am several miles south in a rural area. The city of Houston is very strict with it's codes and I wouldn't even want to guess the permits required to build something in that town.

[Gordon Maney]

Re: Yeah, What is That..?

Originally posted by bosco
I was thinking the same thing too when I saw that picture Gordon.

Speaking of permits. I called the engineering department of the county I live in regarding the permits and other paperwork needed for my workshop. I was told a form needed to be filed with the county stating the building size, cost, construction material and what it's intended use was to be. If I remember correctly to file the form it would cost 50 bucks (so, I guess this is a permit). The only other form (permit) I needed was for the culverts I intend to put in the county ditch for access to my property. This one will cost me 150 bucks (go figure), and I have to buy the culverts ... but the county is so nice that they will install them for free (yeah right). Oh, I should also mention that I do not live in the city of Houston ... I am several miles south in a rural area. The city of Houston is very strict with it's codes and I wouldn't even want to guess the permits required to build something in that town.

How long will it be before Houston arrives at your gate?

[Gordon Maney]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow Norm.

Originally posted by Clint Dixon
Just so people don't get the wrong idea and start to think I am a "city slicker", I do live in a primarily urban county....

Clint can be so deceptive at times. He plays the role of a good old boy, but that is really not Clint. He lives in an upscale, highrise building in a wealthy, urban business district. The value of the jewelry he wears on any given day far exceeds my net worth.

His driver picks him up in one of his several automobiles, most often a 7-series BMW, taking him downtown to evaluate and consider his next, wise investment move. Clint does not have to work, though he serves on the board of directors for a half dozen large corporations in Western Illinois.

Occasional business trips take him out of town in his private jet. It is a big change for Clint to put on his special, country clothes and come to the Iowa rally. He says it helps keep him real.

[Clint Dixon]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow Norm.

Originally posted by Gordon Maney
Clint can be so deceptive at times. He plays the role of a good old boy, but that is really not Clint. He lives in an upscale, highrise building in a wealthy, urban business district. The value of the jewelry he wears on any given day far exceeds my net worth.

His driver picks him up in one of his several automobiles, most often a 7-series BMW, taking him downtown to evaluate and consider his next, wise investment move. Clint does not have to work, though he serves on the board of directors for a half dozen large corporations in Western Illinois.

Occasional business trips take him out of town in his private jet. It is a big change for Clint to put on his special, country clothes and come to the Iowa rally. He says it helps keep him real.

Well....Martie does, on occasion, tell me to "get real!"

Junior

[bosco]

Originally posted by Gordon
How long will it be before Houston arrives at your gate?

Actually Gordon, not much longer. I've only been at this place for a short time (20 years this March) and I've seen major changes during that time. Gravel roads turned to blacktop, increase in traffic and noise, flushing out of the deer, wild hogs and other animals out of their natural habitate. But when they helped in the decline of the population of lightning bugs, well that's just too much. What use to be a 14,000 acres cattle ranch behind me is now a 14,000 acre master planned community. Although not directly in my backyard, I can still see lights ... where as before there were stars at night.

It amazes me that folks want to move out of the city, only to bring the city with them. They do not want to give up their comforts, so they move into these master planned communities with their golf courses, country clubs (who defined this term..?), gas stations, schools, dentist officies and I could go on. Oh, I forgot ... the traffic. Get this, these newly planted residents in this master planned community are now complaining about the developer and his building of apartments. Ok, folks ... what did you expect? I guess they didn't hear my voice when I complained about their new community.

You can't really blame anyone. The old farmers and ranches are dieing off and their offspring don't want the hassles of that life, if they ever did. So they sell off acres and acres of land that's been in their family of many years for a few bucks. I guess they just tired of that life. This 14,000 acres I spoke of before was originally part of Stephen F. Austins land that was acquired from the Spanish back many years ago before Texas was even a Replublic. What a shame. But, that's progress.

I could say more, but I will hold my tounge. The wife and I are still here and will stay for awhile longer. The one positive thing is that my property value keeps going up. By the time I retire, it may be a little gold mine. Until then, we'll just hang in there.

Sorry for going a bit overboard on this issue.

[BobbyMike]

Don't worry Bosco, you're excused.

I left Houston in 1989 (all my folks are still there) because of the continued sprawl. I currently live about three hours north of NYC in Columbia County (considered rural). We live in the last town that doesn't have zoning. Currently the new Board is looking into putting zoning into place so we don't get flooded with suburbia.

"They" do all seem to want to move into the country and bring the city with them.

Go figure.

Regards,
Michael