">HomeOwnerNut

I have mixed feelings about code violators.  It’s a matter of scale and good sense. I shudder at the thought of having to secure a permit to install a new breaker switch. But I brook no quarter with DIY homeowners or shady contractors that slap up a dangerous addition, bang together a few boards to support a massive appliance, or strap electrical tape over a leaky gas line. Let us continue…

Exhibit 1. Stairway to Heaven

Passen Law firm writes about the Illinois widow who filed “a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of their apartment complex after her husband fell from the back staircase of their two-flat apartment, and died as a result of cervical fractures from the fall.”  The widow testified that she found him at the bottom of the stairs and he told her that he had fallen over the railing.  The judge ruled against her, saying, “Violations of an ordinance or failure to comply with the building code, by themselves without evidence that the violations caused the injury, do not establish proximate cause.”  Where is Judge Wapner when you need him?

Exhibit 2. Pierless Contracting

Here’s concrete evidence of a complete lack of support. Contractor needs pier counseling. Check out Bill Volk’s other glaring examples of malfeasance.

Exhibit 3.  Quadrophobia

I’m not paranoid. There’s a passage in a Cormac McCarthy novel where a crowded saloon built on an hanging porch in the mountains of West Virginia takes a tumble down a massive ravine. Last call for alcohol!

Exhibit 4. Going Airborne

Who says there’s no such thing as a free launch? (Good thing they never have hurricane-force winds in Florida.)

Exhibit 5.  Bronx Cheer

According to photographer Pat Morgan, this grim reaper on the north end of Manhattan Island is rife with more than 300 building code violations—and those are the reported ones. The fire exits are blocked by cabinets. Cozy!

Exhibit 6.  Dozing Off

Colorado’s Granby Town Hall may look sub-par when it comes to compliance. In truth, it was destroyed when Granby muffler shop owner Marvin Heemeyer drove an armor-plated bulldozer into the building to protest fines for building code violations. In addition to Town Hall, Heemeyer reportedly drive the home-made tank through a former-mayor’s home and at least five other buildings before shooting himself.  He had been fined for—among other things–not having a required septic tank.

Our blogger Kit believes that some people should be licensed before being allowed to do any renovations.  Now that’s a thought!