">HomeOwnerNut

At one point or another, every handy-person will face the temptation to cut corners. But professional contractors are obligated by the law to seek permits and meet Federal, state and local building codes. Not that all work stands up to highest levels of the craft, but if you hire a fly-by-night outfit, you just might find yourself locking horns with your local building inspector.

Have a look at some doozies:

Socket to Me

No, this isn’t the famous octopus that uses uncanny prescience to pick winners of the World Cup. This is a home combustion device that’s ready for activation.

Leaning Tower of Sizzle

Here in Vestavia Hills—just outside of Birmingham, AL—a homeowner apparently lacks funds or real-world comprehension skills to rectify this rural execution device. Sparky, the famous electric chair at Sing-Sing prison, applied 1,700 volts for 30 seconds into the bodies of the convicted. Wonder how many volts you’d get from 30 seconds of this Vestavia Vulcanizer?

I Left My Heart

The SF Citizen blog reports on “an egregious pattern of housing, building, health and safety code violations.” Allegations say this property owner has come up short in meeting codes for the building’s unmaintained fire escapes, lack of hot water, leaking radiator, and severe cockroach and mice infestations.

Down in the Dumps

According to officials in Arlington, WA, this homeowner has crossed the line when it comes to codes requiring adequate disposal of household garbage. The most-common code violations in this northwest burb include lack of property maintenance leading to a public nuisance, building without permits, the use of recreational vehicles as homes, and the junking of disabled vehicles in driveways.

All I can say is, come on, people!