BUSTED!

Well, In our old hometown of Columbia,  one isn't required to secure a city building permit for cosmetic alterations to a home.  A permit is needed for structural changes, additions, decks, and changes to the systems of the house (electrical, plumbing, hvac), but if you're just changing a wall covering, tiling, re-roofing, etc. then you're all set.  Not so in Charleston I've discovered.  No, here in Charleston, one is required to get a permit for EVERYTHING.

So, I found this friendly note on my front door a couple weeks ago in the midst of removing the interior plaster from the walls and the outer layer of siding from the exterior.

I visited the building dept to find out what I needed to do to be in compliance and was told that before ANY renovation can commence on a residence in city limits, any suspect material must be tested for asbestos.

Having already taken samples of suspect materials and sent them to the lab for testing myself in August for my own safety I figured I could show them the lab results and be on my way.  Nope, they can't accept my test results, as I may have falsified the samples (because I want lung cancer...and mesothelioma, yep that's right).

No, I have to have an asbestos abatement company come to my house so THEY can take the samples and send them to THEIR lab for testing.  The cost for this 20 minutes of work?  $420.00.

I got the work done.  The results of course were the same as my own samples from august.

Now, after significant waste of time and money, I have my permit and I'm back to work.

I was pleased to find that the folks at the building department were actually really friendly.

I met the inspector who left the note on my door.  He said to call him anytime, with any questions about the codes.  He'll even come by the house for free consultations throughout the project.

A few days ago I rented the truck again and hauled another 6,000 pounds of plaster to the landfill.

I bought most of the windows for the house over the weekend because they were 10% off, plus I had a 10% off coupon, plus there's a statewide Energy Star sales tax holiday which saved me another 6%.

Then, the guy at the big-box corporate hardware store didn't charge me for three windows, which saved me another $500.  I figured that pays for the BS asbestos test for the city.

Bargain hunter extraordinaire!

Now I'm working on securing the cellar so that I can safely store windows and tools down there.

The old cellar window was long gone and the door was rotted out so I'm re-framing them both and a sash from one of the old windows in the main house will become the new cellar window.