We had a helluva time getting our permit for our deck. It's 28 inches above grade and is 20 feet (the width of the house) by 10 feet. The guy approving the permit made me redundantly label a whole bunch of things on the plans and then wouldn't approve it until I changed the plan to include 3 16 inch diameter, 5 foot deep piles. In the end we got the permit but didn't actually call for the framing inspection because, as it turns out, 16 inch piles can only be drilled by specialized heavy equipment. We did 12 inch piles and the guy drilling them told us they were the largest piles he's ever done for a deck that size. All in all, was a terribly trying experience. No wonder so many people do things like this without permits.
Oh, and so far, no repercussions for not following up with the permit. Honestly, we hugely overbuilt the deck. If the city came along and told me they had problems with it I would throw a fit. There's a guy across the lane from us whose deck came in just under the 24 inch floor for not needing a permit and the thing is a total piece of junk. I would be afraid to stand on it, yet somehow his is legal and mine is technically not to code (according to the guy issuing the permit). Go figure.
Last edited by Aegypticus; 07-11-2011 at 05:27 PM.
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