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County: Roof not required over window.

Nuke | Posted in Business on December 1, 2005 06:10am

I’ve mentioned this before in several other threads during the last year. It got me wondering a bit this morning. You see, in Gwinnet County, Georgia, I was told from the horse’s butt (Chief Building Inspector) that bay windows are not required, by code, to have any roof structure. This came up a year and a half ago when I had interior water damage resulting from missing masonary flashing that allowed water into a bay window ceiling cavity. I learned after the ceiling dropped that no structure was there, and wasn’t required to be there according to the horse’s butt.

So, this morning I wondered how many ethical builders out there choose to not conduct business in counties where the codes are a joke, and are often more harmful to the homeowner than of benefit. I also wonder if some people in the business cater to counties where code-joking counties are laxed enough to generate a lot of repair business.

Anyone got any thoughts from a business perspective?

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Replies

  1. BobKovacs | Dec 01, 2005 06:26pm | #1

    I'm a bit confused- if there wasn't a "roof" over the bay  window, what "was" there? 

    Bob

    1. User avater
      Nuke | Dec 01, 2005 09:34pm | #2

      There was a piece of tin that was nailed to the top-plate of the bay window and glued (caulked) to the brick facade. The cavity was moderately stuffed with fiberglass, but that is it. Water got behind the brick facade were two second-floor eyebrows had been improperly flashed post-brick. It simply travelled down the back side of the brick and pooled on the drywall that formed the 'ceiling' of the bay window. Nothing else was there, and certainly nothing to support this piece of tin.

      BTW, the builder did three homes like this and then stopped. All three had water problems. And he is deemed as doing know wrong--because there was no code forcing him. I was just wondering how some my form there business around these kinds of strange county conditions.

      1. blue_eyed_devil | Dec 03, 2005 04:05am | #10

        66550.3 in reply to 66550.2 

        There was a piece of tin that was nailed to the top-plate of the bay window and glued (caulked) to the brick facade

        That's funny!

        blue 

  2. jimblodgett | Dec 02, 2005 12:36am | #3

    I am having a hard time imagining myself saying "X-county?  Sorry, I don't work there.  The codes are too lax".

    I'm still going to build to my own standards, regardless of lack of local codes.

    That builder you mentioned who built several homes with the same problem definately should have fixed them all.  The fact that they met local code is no excuse for a building that won't keep the elements where they belong, outside of the house.  "Incompetant" comes to mind.

     

  3. PeteVa | Dec 02, 2005 02:57am | #4

    The codes in all areas are the MINIMUM. Saying something is up to code is only stating that it meets the minimun stantard for whatever it may be. Code writers and enforcers both can try all they want but there will always be cracks to fall through. Hopefully when someone seeks out a professional to do any kind of work for them they will take a second to look at his work history which will usually be much more important that his bid price.

  4. Schelling | Dec 02, 2005 02:59am | #5

    From a business perspective, any competent builder is responsible for his work. Code has very little to do with it. He will produce a product works or he will come back and make good on it.

    For instance, I can easily envision a bay window that did not need any framing in the roof. I can envision one that only needed sheetmetal for a roof (though it wouldn't be a very deep bay.) It is not lack of a structural roof that is causing the leak but a poor flashing job. I don't know of any code for and we don't have a building inspector who inspects for poor flashing.

    Building codes are a mixed blessing. On the up side they provide a minimum standard and are rigorous in fire and safety issues.  On the down side many builders accept the minimum standard as desirable and many consumers mistakenly assume that the code covers quality issues (in this case a leaky roof). You may live in a county with lax codes, poor enforcement or no codes at all, but you are not much worse off than in a jurisdiction with strict code enforcement. Even in those places the homeowner's most important decision is who to hire to do the work.

  5. User avater
    JeffBuck | Dec 02, 2005 04:13am | #6

    I was told from the horse's butt (Chief Building Inspector) that bay windows are not required, by code, to have any roof structure.

     

    Roof Structure ... really doesn't add or subtract to the "water in the house" problem. If they could figure a way to build w/o said roof structure ... w/o any water damage ... great.

    I'm not seeing a roof structure problem here as much as an inadequate flashing problem. Now granted ... maybe actually building a roof structure first would make for much better flashing ... but ... I'd go after the other angle.

    forget about the roof structure ... focus on the interior water damage.

    Jeff

        Buck Construction

     Artistry In Carpentry

         Pittsburgh Pa

    1. seeyou | Dec 02, 2005 05:29am | #7

      Yup, what you said. Bay windows are one of my biggest headaches. They're seldom thru-flashed and I can't make 'em stop leaking unless some brick is torn out and thru flashing is installed. I groan everytime I get a call to fix one we didn't install.Birth, school, work, death.....................

      http://grantlogan.net/

    2. User avater
      Nuke | Dec 02, 2005 03:33pm | #8

      forget about the roof structure ... focus on the interior water damage.

      I can't begin to focus on the damage until I focus on stopping the cause of the damage. But that is not the topic of why I posted. :) I really was curious if some catered their business to the certain county weaknesses or strengths. I know someone that as an all-around carpenter (jack of many trades), focuses on large-scale renovations and storm damage business. He makes a lot of money on the consequences of poor codes and duped homebuyers. Its amusing, bt only cynically so.

      1. User avater
        Huck | Dec 02, 2005 06:15pm | #9

        I've never heard of anyone catering their business practices to county codes. The shysters get away whatever they can whatever county they're in, and the conscientious guys are conscientious no matter what county they're in.That's like saying Do certain cheapskate homeowners just buy in counties with lax codes so they can get cheaper housing built to a lower standard?

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