Getting the framing inspections complete has been quite the adventure. We first attempted to pass on Friday, March 7. After have our special hold down testing done (see Solving a Series of Problems) we called for the framing inspection. We were hoping that the inspector would do the interior framing inspection so that we could get started on the drywall upstairs at the same time as finishing the exterior shear wall downstairs. Then we would be on track to move back in by the end of April. But when he came (after Ohm's mom had been waiting at the house with Ohm for almost 2 hours) he said that we needed to have the exterior shear wall installed, and the house exterior wrapped before he would do the framing inspection. This meant coordinating the following sequence of work and inspections before starting any drywall.
1. Put insulation in downstairs exterior walls.
2. Have that insulation inspected.
3. Put the OSB (plywood) on the downstairs exterior walls.
4. Have a shearwall inspection for that.
5. Have all of the exterior OSB (upstairs and downstairs) wrapped with waterproof material.
6. Have the framing inspection.
7. Do any fixes required from the framing inspection (we hear they never pass the first time).
8. Put in the insulation upstairs.
9. Have that insulation inspected.
10. Start drywall!
With this list we sadly realized that we wouldn't be able to move back at the end of April as hoped.
We called the insulation company and told them we needed only downstairs exterior insulation on the first trip. Unfortunately, the company was a little over zealous in their work, and installed all of the interior and exterior insulation. After a few frantic calls, apologies from the insulation company, and a stern note from the inspector that it was not OK to install insulation quite yet, the installation company came out and removed the insulation from the interior. They left it in piles throughout the house for later use.
The next challenge was getting the house wrapped. We hadn't scheduled the exterior siding company yet. The house was ready for the wrap on Monday, March 17. However due to a backlog of work at the siding company, they told us that they would be able to get to wrapping our house until last weekend. It wasn't until Friday that we realized that it was Easter weekend. By then we had the final framing inspection scheduled for Monday afternoon with the inspector and framer. Ohm's dad was going to take a vacation day from work so Ohm's mom wouldn't have to be there. By 1 PM Sunday we had not seen the siders. Ohm's mom made a call to make sure they were coming, and was assured that they were still planning on coming. By 4 PM, the company president and a helper were out installing wrap on the exposed shear walls. The schedule hiccup was averted and the inspection would continue as planned.
At 8:30 Monday morning, Ohm's dad had just delivered Ohm to the babysitter for the day. He was just getting ready to go work at the house when his cell phone rang. It was the city calling. The inspector had called in sick and was unable to make it. After consulting with the framer for his availability, the inspection was reschedule for Tuesday afternoon. Ohm's dad made it into work around 9:30, and rescheduled his vacation for Tuesday.
Tuesday morning at 8:45, Ohm's Dad was getting ready to go over to the house. The city called again and said that the inspector was sick again. After being told that the inspector's back up from another local town was in class all week and checking the framers availability, we rescheduled for Wednesday morning. This time Ohm's mom would attend. Her cell phone number was left with the city as a contact number. She was planning on calling the framer in the morning and asking him to call her when the inspector arrived so that she wouldn't have to wait at the house with Ohm for 2 or 3 hours.
Wednesday morning at 8:45, Ohm's Dad was at work. He received a call on his cell phone from the inspector saying that he was getting ready to head out for inspections. His schedule was packed and he wanted to make sure someone would be at the house. He didn't know when he would be there, but he would be there.
Ohm's dad called Ohm's mom to relay the message. Ohm's mom tried to contact the framer but was unable to get a hold of him. So, she very quickly loaded up Ohm and headed over to the house. When she arrived, she discovered that the framer had been there earlier that morning, but had left. Ohm's mom had no other choice but to wait for the inspector to arrive. Ohm took this opportunity to play in the puddles in the driveway.
The inspector arrived about an hour later. After looking through the house, he requested that some fire blocking be added to a wall over the garage on the second floor, and a few more nails be added to some of the brackets. He gave the OK to install the insulation, and he will sign off on the framing inspection when he performs the insulation inspection.
Not long after the the inspector left, and Ohm's mom had returned to the rental house, the framer called. After arriving at our house this morning, he discovered that his cellphone had died. Rather than wait around, unable to to know if the inspector had called in sick again, he had gone to the Sprint store to get his cellphone fixed. All of the inspectors pickups have been performed, and the house is now ready for the interior insulation to be added tomorrow.
Whew!
We then spent quite a bit of time cleaning, and getting ready to move.
We were glad to see the port - a -potty being hauled off.
Although everything was not quite complete yet, we were glad to be back home. We had been out of the house a little over five months and added about 1000 square feet in this little adventure.
