First the neighbor sets up surveillance cameras on us, now calls the Building Inspector. She has been watching our job since DAY #1 and is trying to MAKE PROBLEMS on our retaining wall.
I’m just a crew member right now but being considered for a foreman and I love watching your videos to perfect and improve all my skills. So thank you for making such excellent content!
I was on a job where a guy fell from the second floor and got injured really bad at the very least. OSHA guy comes out looks at the opening from outside by the Superintendents trailer, goes inside the trailer and BS with the Super for a while and then leaves without overlooking the job etc.
If my local authority had building inspectors they could just send out at a neighbour's whim, I'd strongly suspect I was paying way too much in property rates.
Had the building inspector called on me once...we were also building a retainer wall....neighbor lied and said we were building a garage....thankfully the inspector spent about 5 mins and left....told us it was a waist of his time....what we did was obviously just a wall.....lol....neighbor was now the one in trouble....love it!!
When an asshat calls a building inspector on a neighbor, what actually happens is that the inspector will figure out _in like 3 seconds_ that the neighbor is dealing with an asshat, and from that point on said asshat can expect code enforcement to be _very_ interested in everything they do or don't do on or with their property for the next 5 years or so. _Trying to cause troubles with someone via building inspectors almost always backfires on the troublemaker._ I just bought a place and am prepping to knock down some trees and build a garage/storage building, and I'm stepping through the process of getting every single one of my ducks in a row so that if any of my new neighbors are asshats I have the might of sound paperwork and doing everything right the first time on my side. The former property owner apparently had run-ins with one over a property line, but he gave me the impression of being a douche canoe in his own right so I don't know who to suspect started what - my solution for that was getting an up-to-date survey done to legally establish boundaries.
When we have projects I put up trail cameras to keep an eye on our equipment. I've caught neighbors doing everything from egging the vehicles/equipment to tampering with and removing items such as tarps, etc. The police always love seeing the Trail Camera footage.
Often cameras pay for themselves the first time they're used. In prob areas, have seen cheap larger cameras in obvious areas and less conspicuous ones hidden or camouflaged.
I have a crazy tenant . She loves to call all sorts of inspectors on us . When they come , they roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders and before leaving, wish us a good day .
They eventually learn who the trouble makers are who call in and their name/address is passed around all the departments. Sure they have to show up, but they'll only do a cursory inspection/questioning/etc., before going on with their day.
Just find out how much and how soon you can legally raise the rent until she moves,if they choose to help you make more money then maybe it's not as hard to put up with. Hehehe
Hey! I have *TWO* of those kind of neighbors!! Sneaking over with a tape measure to check height code, putting up slow down signs on traffic cones, calling the city out to complain about dust and noise when workers are on site, denying access to power transformer on easement, etc. We have just started working on our new property so it has already proven quite the adventure!
"putting up slow down signs on traffic cones" - That's effectively erecting traffic-control devices, and illegal for common folk in most jurisdictions.
Im a teickwe. There was this tiny curvy road i travelled through every day to load. One day this guy decides he doesnt like vehicles crossing the center line (trucks have to) so he put a shitload of little 6" tall cones on the centerline. The locals were obviously annoyed by it. So being a concerned citizen i helped them out by turning them into 1/4" flat pieces of plastic
I once had a nosey kid asking what we were doing when putting sod down. So I told him that the neighbours were so rich that they'd sent the grass away to be cut. His dad came out in tears laughing about it 🤣
A friend of mine was having a house built and the crazy lady next door was calling the city inspectors' all the time and watching all the time. He was nice to her and asked her to respect their privacy. She didn't leave him alone, so up went an 8 foot privacy fence. LOL Her husband came over begging for it to be taken down and apologized for his master's behavior.
@@that_thing_I_do she actually passed away about 4 years later. Now there is a 3 foot iron fence from the corner of the house to the water. My boss plays golf and goes fishing with the husband now.
Sometimes they just wanna get out of the office lol I mean how depressing is it in there when you go to pull permits. Sometimes its nice to get out and have a conversation with a normal person and not a paper pushing nerd.
I love watching crews that are professional and not just hacks. Love the way the wall looked and the tips about keeping them clean is something I didnt know.
When I worked construction years ago we worked across the street from a very well known grumpy old man and he would call the police on us for making noise, he did it three times. Finally the Chief of Police paid him a visit and said if he kept complaining he would arrest him for filing a fake report because the town only had quiet hours from 11 pm to 7am and we were always there at 8am.
I bet there's a decimal noise level on the books it usually hard to enforce as reading has to be done on site. Noise complaints is not only about quite hours but it also should cover the noise level in normal hours.
We did some tree felling and other garden work for my grandma, at her big summer house property, the neighbors came out and said that "we were not allowed to make so much noise", we then showed them the rule phamplet of the "local homeowner association", it was a friday, we came at 10 and planed to work untill 17, the rules stated that "no loud motor noice between 21 and 07, except on sunday, that day it's no noise all day", they then called the police, the cop that then came and measured the noise, told them that we were in our full right to do what we did. The neighbors then got snooty and went to the beach so they "didn't have to put up with us".
@@johnree6106 Depending the city ordnance depends where the reading has to be taken. A lot of times it's the streets or edge of the property line. Use to deal with it a lot for doing events at clubs and such and out door venders.
This was very enjoyable. Especially due to the Building Inspector being called by an obnoxious neighbor and everything was perfect. Plus the job was completed and looking excellent! Congratulations on a job well done. Looking forward to the next video.
I’m a carpenter. Not interested in building retaining walls or landscaping outside of mulching around my house… but I thoroughly enjoy watching these videos! I love seeing the care and precision going into the work.
What people think happens when they call the inspector: Companies fined, project shut down, etc. What actually happens: this video - just guys swapping stories about nightmare things they've seen.
It's funny how people freak out about inspectors. I was in commercial pest control for 25 years. We specialized in USDA food processing plants and it never failed when we got a new client the very first thing I would do is contact the USDA inspector for that plant and the client would freak the hell out. I had to teach them that the inspector was there to help them, not just fine them or shut the plant down. In the end the plant manager and inspector would end up best friends.
@@OldGriz708 I was called by the owner of a termite company as to what happened. I told him as a Building Inspector I asked what project his worker was doing. Conversation with the worker lasted 15 seconds. Worker freaked out. Told him no permit needed to apply pesticides. He felt harassed!
If you know you do not need a building permit , *Never* *Ever* let a building inspector onto your property . Be nice about it but do not voluntarily agree to let them enter.
They didn't say if they just let the inspector onto the property or not. The inspector might of had a search warrant or permission from the home owner. These guys probably deal with inspectors a lot so who knows
I'm sure there are places where inspectors are just out fishing for bribes, but this guy seemed pretty nice. What's the harm in taking a stroll around the property and talking a little shop?
for what its worth, when i did heavy restoration of my home and i knew there would be lots of workers and their nosey machines, i gifted my neighbors to the right and left and across from me all 50 dollar gift cards for a meal out at a local resturant, , that was my way of saying sorry for the incovience as my home gets repaired
That’s a nice sentiment, if the neighbor would have allowed the project to be finished. Some people like drama in their lives. My advice is, get out of the cities and suburbs!
@@curse4316 sorry but here you don't have to bribe or buy your neighbor good side. People here mind their own businesses, as long as you're reasonable with the noise and you don't damage your neighbors property nobody cares.
@@sykwookiee I was thinking more about handling your tools in such a way as to NOT damage the paint in the first place... But, yes, touch ups are done during after work/weekend maintenance, not on the job site...
Would love to have seen the neighbours face when the inspector said there doing nothing wrong and doing a fantastic job what a picture that would be 🤣🤣🤣
You would have loved it even more when I handed them a bill for $450 for causing me to lose a half day of work because of bull crap like this. She was directly responsible for my losses. Basically the same thing happened to me that's happened to this man
@@Bryan-Hensley how could you bill the person who called when its anonymous and purely speculation. I do agree that its that neighbour but no hard proof.
We had the building inspector called in on us back many years ago by a grumbling neighbour. We had a permit and all was good when another neighbour approached the inspector to complain that the grumbling neighbour put a second story on their garage and an in ground swimming pool without a permit the year before. Long story but eventually the pool passed but the addition was ordered to be dismantled and was. It may have been allowed if all the neighbours agreed to a variance of the local height restriction but only one neighbour agreed and the addition was condemned and ordered to be removed. Apparently the building inspector knew about this but needed a complaint to move on it and he got it due to the hatred this person sowed amongst their neighbours. Cheers all. 🇨🇦
I built an un-permitted pergola on the back of my house--consulted an engineer and I over-built it, to cover my backside. I never pulled a permit because it's outside the setback and I wanted it attached to the house. No hardhsip, so I knew I'd never get a variance. Neighbor felt it was too close to their house, complained and I got nailed. Permitting office approved an "accessory structure" in same location if detached from my house by at least 4ft and moved 4ft CLOSER to hater neighbor. That was 11yrs ago, I never moved it. No fines, but Red Flag on my property means I cannot transfer deed (I.e. sell) until I correct the "condition." I'm not moving anytime soon, so what do I care. I'll keep enjoying it as-is until we decide to move, and deal with it then. That's the best "meet in the middle" compromise I could think of. I knew it'd be WW3 if I moved it toward them.
So glad I don't have any neighbors ( I live in a rural area - nearest neighbor is more than 1/4 mile away). No HOA, no crazy zoning laws, no crazy people.
It’s as hard or harder than it looks. It’s all the little details you don’t see that makes a great project a grand slam. You have to stay dynamic and be equipped to deal with whatever Mother Nature fells like tossing your way at any given time. That’s why I love it. Keeps you on your toes and always be ready to learn something new. I don’t care how many block you laid in your life. Mother Nature has a way of humbling us all. I for one love that. Listen to Stan and the dirt monkey force. They don’t cut corners like the ones we tear out and redo.
As one Pollack to another you guy's do awesome work. Work ethics was instilled in me since a young age and it carries through life. On harder jobs dealing with difficult costumers it comes in handy. Don't get down on your self for mispronouncing words. I speak a few languages and no matter how well you speak words do become intertwined and difficult to manage sometimes
I’ll bet this building inspector appreciated Blaine and Sam. You have some great people Stan, and they keep coming back so you must be doing something right! Great work guys!
I laughed so hard that he was able to slip the, “That’s what she said” in there. Love the work and that just made me hit the sub button... lol 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
Title of crazy neighbor caught me too. You do nice work, but even more impressed with amount of time you put into editing the video. Narration, cut to different views, adding time lapse. Nicely done.
It's a pleasure to watch great builders who know what their doing complete a project with such professionalism, you are a credit to the industry keep up the good work lads 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇮🇪
@@kevindowdall3792 What !? are you claiming to speak american (not american english) ? Actually, it is grammar and spelling... I'm sick of seeing, 'there' for 'they are' and 'your' for 'you are'. Anyone who won't use proper grammar and spelling, especially when on a computer, is just plain LAZY and goes to the way they conduct their lives.
I'm from Ireland... so my native language gaelic was taken from me by the English bastards.... people were killed in my country for speaking gaelic and now its a dying language but you wouldn't know much about that because you've no need to judge so in future be careful with your replies pal.....
This project was so cool! You and your Dirt Monkey crew are awesome. I am sure the homeowner was pleased. Now he needs you to build him a privacy wall to block that neighbor. I am blessed to have great neighbors. 😊 Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for the wonderful videos.
@@frandanco6289 Just a huge company with beautiful equipment. Was it worth rigging a fix on the trailer and possibly having a tire fly off, or would you rather send your guy to the shop without the trailer and get the right tool? Small companies have to do stuff like rig things just to stay in business. Large companies that do stuff like that are just showing how foolish and reckless they can be. This channel is all about showing people how to do jobs right, not how to duct tape a this to a that. So thanks for telling me something I already knew (how to do a shitty job).
@@CmonstoleCmonstole Live next to a busy street, actually. I have tinnitus so I want to live here the traffic kills the ringing in my ears. Back on topic though, I bet Karens wouldn't tolerate the traffic noise so they don't live here.
I worry about missing a code. There are so many that it can be tough knowing them all. On the plus side I don't go into debt on these kinds of projects.
An excellent contractor Stanley and his crew did this job very well. My high complications to all of you. Always keep your tools for general maintenance it will help.
I kept waiting to find out what the neighbor was complaining about and what the building inspector had to say about it. I've always tried to get along with my neighbors but sometimes you get one who just will not be satisfied. About the only thing you can do in that case is give them "a good leavin' alone".
Had a neighbor call in on me while doing a monster deck with diagonal decking with hidden deck screws... (Was the last one I ever did... Was a -100 on the fun scale... lol. On the joints you have to add a sister joist for the hidden deck screws to be able to attach to the joist.) The building inspector showed up when I was 2/3 of the way done with the decking and said... The neighbors called and and said you were building deck and I see that you have no permit, you care going to have to rip it up , get a permit and then have it inspected for each step. And I looked at him and said... Um... No I'm not taking it apart and I don't need a permit. And he said... Yes you do. And I said look at this, I took the tape measure and measured the highest point off the ground and said what do you see there.... He said 17". I said... Well apparently you haven't even read your building codes because it says, if the top of the deck is 18" or less you don't need a building permit. At that point he opens up his code book and starts flipping / reading through the pages... And you could see the look of disappointment come over his face when he found that section... Priceless... And I said, while we are at it... FYI... It isn't attached to the house, it uses a floating foundation of 8" of machine tamped gravel under the whole deck and the deck joists are sitting on 2" 12"X12"concrete pads and all the joists are ground contact pressure treated lumber even though they aren't touching the ground anywhere. He turned and walked away... With his tail between his legs...
This might end up being long so I'm sorry for that it's just something 3 lines won't explain. First the structural fill (I say that due to the appearance of it being so clean looking pretty much void of any organics etc. but it could be just fill previously excavated too but I'm not there so) your using depending on lift size (code is typically 8" to 12" due to it's liquid limits as well as how low it's on the plasticity index that compaction sled (plate tamper) won't cut it as you'll only reach 4" to 5" tops due to the loose soil and it's moisture content (somewhat wetter by 3-4% would have been perfect and the plate tamp would have been ideal). I would have recommended a Jumping Jack which would have gotten you a rate of compaction up to 98% of the standard Proctor. If it was a modified proctor then that's a whole different story. The installation and type of aggerate you used for the base is excellent and overkill. It looks like your using S1A size aggerate but again I'm not there. For full disclosure I've never worked with that type of masonry block nor do I know the codes such as how many courses you can run before you have to stop for a required amount of set time etc. (for grout application's) so I can't really comment on that but it looks great and I wish I had worked with them due to the ease at which your going. Of course my experience is applied to about 10 or so major retention walls so I definitely am not the end all be all to them lol. I've explained all that so as to get an understanding that I have allot of knowledge of the subject. I'm a full C.W.I. as well as NICET level 4 on soils, concrete, asphalt as well as 16 other certifications ( operation of nuclear density machine's, etc. etc.). Point being I probably know 10 X what the Building inspector knows and I not only didn't see any discrepancy's but you've overkilled the project. Normally I'd never let anyone do work to my house as I'd do it myself but I would have no problems with you doing anything at my house as your as picky as I am (that's a good thing lol). Typically in my work we save contractors from bad inspectors (not saying he was one). We have in house Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineers That we use for any disputes and can supersede any of their actions. There's company's in every state that do 3rd party work in case there ever is a problem. Anyway excellent job and I'm sorry for the neighbor. People always want the best of everything such as roads, structures etc. but they never want to wait for anything to get done. Excellent work!
Would have liked to see more appreciation shots of the completed job lol. You guys do amazing work and your work ethic is top tier. Maybe do drone shots of the finished projects.
I'm not into construction at all, but even I could tell that inspector knew within seconds that there was nothing off here. Asked his few questions to tick his boxes and then just shoot the breeze. Lol. Woman needs to get a life. Or a hobby. Seriously wish I had this kind of skill. Amazing looking work and must be really satisfying to stand back and know you built that.
Super quality work. I wonder if the homeowner realizes how well this job was done. There were a lot of areas where you could have cut corners and no one would have ever known. I bet your business is great and is based on great word of mouth. Super job!
One of my all time favorite quotes fits so many situations like this. "The layman's constitutional view is that what he likes is constitutional and that which he doesn't like is unconstitutional..." -Justive Hugo Black. People that dont like something will try to make it illegal or anything they can to stop it.
You guys do HONORABLE WORK. I wouldn't mind hiring you for any home projects in the future. Btw, why were the top blocks he kicked have that wedge of a gap in between them.
Just a tip - My job is primarily materials testing on job sites & a huge learning curve for slot of contractors is that to achieve target densities while packing granulars and even soils, the material needs to be brought to close to its optimum moisture level prior to packing, so for a 6” lift of Granular A material, try adding a nice coating of water to prior to packing, no need to soak it .. but the moisture activates the silt content in the material making it act as a binding agent and you’ll see dramatic improvements in your compaction & drastically decrease the chance of further settlement! Cheers boys great work!!
While the soils should be near optimum moisture content to more easily achieve compaction requirements, water doesn't "activate" silt. That is not how the moisture-density ratio works.
@@bradsmith2059 Exactly. They want to save time which saves money. They already know how to do it. Their only problem is the project owner wants confirmation of compliance with the plans and specs. That’s where materials testing guy gets paid.
@@youthmanrecords965 hmmmm what are you trying to say?? permit could of been pulled forsure but did it need to be?? Probably not. did and could the neighbor call city on them, yes! Is it normal? Kind of! Get used to it
All guy was saying is that the inspector seemed cool. If you have ever dealt with inspectors they can stop your work! So if anything it just upset the neighbor more!!! Cos there going back to work the next day 🤣
@@ethanrudat3328 permits are not needed on retaining walls under 4’-0” in height per IBC, that’s why he told the inspector “we are staying under 4’-0”. So most likely they did not, nor needed too. And that was most likely the inspector. Typically when residence call the building department to complain about construction the jurisdiction will look up the address, and if they don’t see a permit they will send the inspector in the area out to see the work being done to make sure a permit is not required. Very standard practice in remodels or work being done in developed neighborhoods.
You’ll always get neighbours like that. They either don’t like what’s going on or want something for free. Keep doing what you’re doing Blane and Sam. Nice one Stan 👍👍🏴🏴
The neighbour has had their own serious problems, which resulted in collapse. The client/house owner after (knowing) that started doing work himself without good results, then got this crew in, al of which which may have started real concerns from the neighbour. Doesn't sound good. Managing that bank is crucial to both of them.
Very often the reason they complain is because they want to do something similar to the thing you did, but they either didn't get the premit or they couldn't afford it. so now they are thinking "If i cant do it, you wont do it either"
That building inspector was a cool guy he knows ur guys ar doing a fantastic job upto and over built code if I had a crew and business I'd be chuffed and proud wich I know u are Stan go get em 👊
Your video made me go "hmm, there is a lot more to this stuff than I thought." Earned my sub EASY! Thank you for posting these awesome timelapse build vlogs.
I've inspected many vertical and linear feet of MSE walls being installed...what people do not realized is that there is good amount of engineering and contractor competence that involves vertical and horizontal loads, stability of soils behind of the constructed wall, drainage behind wall and daylighted outlets. That's even before any construction takes place. My opinion is that this is NOT a DIY project unless you are a highly knowledgeable person. These guys have a good crew, the correct equipment, they knew how to talk with the building inspector professionally and G.S.D in a timely manner. This is no weekend project for novices.
Take it from me, that's a pretty chill inspector. Kudos to him, and also to you guys for doing great work. Salt of the earth fellows. You're one of the things that make this country great. I appreciate it so much. Reminds me of my well-spent youth.
Told a neighbor to mind there own business once. That evening a wheel fell off. Funny that it had been on there 6 months with no problems. Later that evening the customer called and told me the other neighbor seen the first one out there messing with the trailer while we where around back.
My grandfather had a neighbor like that and tortured him till my grandfather passed. My grandfather had broken concrete brought in and we placed it, he painted it neon orange lol then planted every poisonous plant you can imagine, with a 10ft private fence
I think of your walls every time I see a local wall that collapsed after 6 months. Hollow block, no drainage, no gravel back fill. Nice to see you do them right and share your knowledge.
great work guys, great that u caught those loose wheelnuts... can i suggest that when u get the deep socket to correctly tighten them up, use a torque wrench and get them tightened correctly!