rrebell You should see some of the work appoved by inspectors. Back in the day I got an inspection done in Maryland for an apt building and it it passed, no problem except no one ever bothered to enter the building.
You should see some of the work appoved by inspectors. Back in the day I got an inspection done in Maryland for an apt building and it it passed, no problem except no one ever bothered to enter the building.
Maybe not so much now, but back in the day it happened all the time. We have an interesting situation in our little town. Our county only has three incorporated small towns. The county handles all the building inspections, but technically the three towns have jurisdiction inside their town limits.
So the towns each have a building department, and town residents/contractors have to apply for their building permits there for work in the town. And there is a guy in charge of that department. But the county inspector comes to do the actual inspection.
Our town is very historic (incorporated 1785) with lots of old buildings, most very well maintained and many in very original condition. And tourism/town image is a very big deal.
So the town fathers are very interested in historic preservation and go to great lengths to support private individuals in caring for their properties in that regard.
So the town buiding code official has the last say about what is allowed and what needs a permit, and when exceptions can be made to modern codes for historic reasons. The State also has a historic presevation code that gives local government this option/power.
I do lots of work in the town, and if it is of a repair nature, no one even asks if you you have a permit unless you have to close a street or something.
8 years ago we did a complete restoration of one of the larger homes in town, 17 months, complete restoration, inside and out, and while we did have permits for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and one area of structural changes, we had no resistance from the inspector.
We rebuilt a large porch, replaced missing architectural elements, replaced all the windows with historically correct looking updated ones, replaced all the plumbing and electric, and much more with only minimal inspections of the mechanical systems and that one area of framing, which was to make a 1960's addition better match the 1904 original structure.
None of this work to repair the porch and replace missing features that had been changed over the years required a permit - it was considered a repair. When I asked the town building commisioner if he wanted drawings for the rebuilding of the porch turret roof his answer was "no, just have the inspector glance at it the next time he is there". The inspector is a semi retired historic Architect....
The final inspction was a simple walk thru.
It is understood that while safety and good workmanship is necessary, nit picking an old house about modern codes is just not going to happen in this town.
In fact when we had an issue with the sewer line, the Public Works Dept was right there and very helpful.
Common sense still exists in some places.
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRALSo let me ask you this, where you are, can homeowners do their own work?
Hi Sheldon,
Homeowners can do their own work but they still have to get all the permits and inspections. The DIYers will probably be inspected very thoroughly, but the seasoned, reliable contractors often just get a signature without the work being looked at.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Brings back memories, my mentor used to say as long as you reuse one nail, it is a repair, LOL.
Hi folks,
I am slowly making progress in the garage layout room. I managed to sell my Radial Arm Saw (gave it away would be more accurate - they don't sell for much these days). Getting it out of the garage opened up a whole lot of space!
The floor definitely has to be properly refinished! I was trying to roll the layout table around and it would hardly budge. I used 4" heavy duty casters but I should have used much larger casters! I may swap them for 8" units at some point. I won't have the floor done until next summer even though the garage is heated because the floor slab extends beyond the garage doors by about 10".
We are still sorting through all the junk on the shelves. We have seven medium sized totes and boxes full of stuff to go to recycling and there is still more to sort through.
I will have to build a stand for my spray booth. I had been using the RAS table. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but I do want it on casters.
Some of you will have read this in the Diner, but I thought I would post it here as well because it relates directly to my layout.
I saw some aged concrete sidewalks on eBay and they initially looked like something worth investing in. However, upon closer examination, I realized that the cracks in the slabs were not realistic.
There were two problems. The first was that most of the cracks started in the middle of the slabs, not at the edge or at an expansion joint. Concrete slabs can certainly have cracks that do not go all the way across the slab, but those cracks will not be wide enough to see in HO. A slab has to completely break into two pieces before the crack can be widened by frost or the ground settling underneath.
The second problem was that most of the cracks crossed directly over the expansion joints from one slab to the next. That's definitely not realistic. The whole idea behind molding perpendicular joints into the concrete is to stop cracks at the joints. Slabs that are next to each other may both have cracks but they won't (usually) line up at the expansion joints.
Call me fussy, but those crack patterns would drive me nuts over time.
I took the liberty of contacting the seller to mention how I thought the cracks should be placed, and he got right back to me! I was fully expecting to get a blast telling me to mind my own business but he was actually very gratefull for my suggestion. Within a few hours he had modified his design so I put my money where my mouth was and bought 2800' on the spot.
The cracks and joints need to be muted a bit, and they need some weathering, but they are going to save me a ton of works.
I just scored a set of five PRR TOFC flatcars with trailers on them. The price was right and they are new in their boxes so I'm happy. I now have about 25 TOFC cars with trailers.
Then I stopped to think about how I would actually use all of these flatcars on the layout and I realized that all I could do with the current plan would be to run them around in circles. That will get boring really fast! The net result was that I went back to my layout plan and eliminated several industries so I could design a decent transfer yard.
In no time at all I had what I think is a decent working yard. It will hold 17 flat cars on four tracks with a fifth track available for switching, and it has a run around as well.
I'll have to study it a bit more to make sure that it works, but the important thing is that I now have desinations for all my favourite types of trains.
I have decided to admit to myself that my creative juices just aren't flowing as far as making any real progress on the layout is concerned. I'm not going to stress about it. I'm simply going to take a break for a month or two, or maybe longer.
You may recall all of the hurdles I went through to try to hire a custom layout builder from the US only to be told by the government that it would cost thousands of dollars to get the proper approvals. Well, I thought I had found a custom layout builder in London, Ontario. Unfortunately his website is "under construction" and he is not responding to my emails. Oh well, I will keep looking.
Indeed, it seems that there are no other outfits that advertize their services in Ontario - or even in Canada overall. I would ask the Georges Trains staff - if someone knows a pro or semi-pro in Southern Ontario, it would be them. I also wonder what would happen if you placed an ad on Marketplace or Kijiji.
Simon
snjroyI would ask the Georges Trains staff - if someone knows a pro or semi-pro in Southern Ontario, it would be them.
Hi Simon,
That's a good idea! In fact, I could put the word out to several hobby shops.
Thanks,
I am back working on the layout, or at least, preparing to work on it. We have hired our nephew, Joe, to do a bunch of work around the house much of which will be to organize the garage/layout room. I'm also going to try to recruit him to build the yard area benchwork.
I have ordered all the benchwork materials needed for the yard, and I will order the remaining storage cabinets and shelving units as soon as we can work out a schedule for getting them assembled. All the cabinets and shelf units will be on wheels so they can easily be moved out of the way when it comes time to refinish the floor. I have also purchased some steel storage racks so we will have a place to store all the benchwork lumber when it arrives.
The work will start in a couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.
Great news! Hope it goes well.
York1 John
York1Great news! Hope it goes well.
Thanks John!
I have been using the split heater/air conditioner to take the chill off of the garage over the last few days and it works really well.
Good to hear Dave!
Mike
Finally, some real progress on the layout! The garage had tons of junk in it that was no longer useful so we hired our nephew Joe to come stay with us for a couple of days to help us out. Yesterday we cut up about 20 cardboard boxes and bundled them up to go to the curb. We took six boxes of hazardous waste to the dump. We got rid of a ton of outdated mechanic's tools like a timing light, compression tester, vacuum gauge, piston ring compressor etc. This stuff was ancient and the rubber components had dried out long ago.
We also installed a lumber storage rack to hold the dimensional lumber that I have ordered to build the large train yard. Now the wood won't be sitting on the train table.
The best part was that we built two storage cabinets and one large metal shelf unit, all on casters, so now I can get all my unbuilt rolling stock kits, the RTR boxes, locomotives and various other train related bits off of my workbench and into proper storage.
Joe is also helping us with several jobs around the house which Dianne and I can no longer do. We won't have Joe for long though. He has enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy and will likely start his basic training this summer. He scored in the 99th percentile on his recruiting tests!
I'll post some pictures of the garage when all the current jobs are done.
More progress today!
We completely emptied about 10 ft. of wooden shelving that ran from floor to ceiling and got all of the stuff (crap, junk, garbage.....you name it!) sorted out from the buried tools and other still useful bits. I think we filled two large garbage bags.
Once we had all the stuff sorted, I started to move things into my new tool cabinet. I was able to get almost all of my power tools into the larger drawers in the cabinet, and I got all of the small packages of various sized wood and machine screws, nuts, bolts and washers, picture hangers etc. into one drawer where I can finally actually see what sizes I have. I was amazed at how small a space the screws etc. took when they were properly organized!
We also got rid of my ancient and very crude workbench. That was very theraputic. It had rarely served as a workbench over the past 35 years, but it worked amazingly well at accumulating piles of junk!
The next task will be to sort through my parts bins. I have four medium sized 40 drawer parts cabinets which are full of everything you can imagine! I got a start tonight by throwing out two drawers full of totally useless MGB carburetor parts. I haven't owned an MGB since 1985! I'm sure I could write for hours about all the stupid bits I have saved but I will spare you the gory details.
That's good to hear Dave.
I hear ya about old car parts. I kept parts of my old 1972 BMW many years after I sold it. I just loved that car. It's just so hard to let go on these things!
Tools are my downfall, they used to be so expencive, now they are cheap. Just bought some new Philips bits for my drills, less than $5 for a full set of lengths of 5, best I have ever owned as they are the new grip type, so good widh I had bought double set.
What model was your '72 BMW? I had a '72 2002tii. It had mechanical fuel injection and it went like stink! My wife used to complain about splayed toes from trying to keep herself in her seat. Loved that car!
I just ordered three more storage units from Uline. I was planning on ordering five cabinets/shelf units but I was pleasantly surprised to see how much the cabinets, shelf unit and tool cabinet that I already purchased could hold!
All of the cabinets, shelf units and the layout will be on casters so, when the time comes to refinish the floor, I will be able to roll everything out of the garage leaving the floor completely empty.
Speaking of the layout, I have approached our nephew to ask if he would be interested in helping me build the benchwork for the large yard. He has no experience but we worked really well together cleaning up the garage so I'm sure I can teach him.
Once all the cabinets and shelves are set up I'm going to hire an electrician to redo the wiring and lighting in the garage. Over the years it has become a real mess (thanks to me). There are cables running everywhere! It has been pronounced safe by an electrician but it looks like crap and there is more lighting needed. I want to have bright lights for working, dimmable lights that focus on the layout for running, and lighting under the layout that projects into the aisles so I can see where I am walking.
hon30critter Hi Simon, What model was your '72 BMW? I had a '72 2002tii. It had mechanical fuel injection and it went like stink! My wife used to complain about splayed toes from trying to keep herself in her seat. Loved that car! Cheers!! Dave
I'm sitting on the deck enjoying a beautiful evening after spending another day sorting the garage. I must have accomplished something because my clothes are absolutely filthy!
We were supposed to get two more cabinets plus a shelf unit and two dollies delivered today but there is no sign of them yet. The cabinets and shelves will allow me to get everything off of the layout by the end of next week.
The next step will be to repair the walls and ceiling. They are a real mess as a result of having numerous screws and nails inserted over the years. Once that's done we can paint. I'd like to get the floor refinished sometime this summer if funds permit.
My neighbor put in some storage units in his garage, and they look great. You'll have to let us see a photo of your garage when you're done!
York1You'll have to let us see a photo of your garage when you're done!
Hi John,
I absolutely will! I took some pictures today of the walls showing how badly marked up they are.
I hope to have everything done except the floor by early June. Then will come the electrical work. Then, I will actually go back to work on the layout!
We just got back from a recycling run. We took about 40lbs of scrap metal, mostly nuts, bolts and screws with some larger chunks thrown in, to The Lions Club who were having a scrap metal collection day. For the first time in 40 years my parts bins are sorted into a reasonably logical order and all the bins with miscellanious junk are gone!
l also took a bunch of new incandescent light bulbs along with some electric and plumbing items to the Re-Store.
I am amazed by how much junk we got rid of! It was very cathartic.
I have been playing with the garage lighting plan. I want to have two separate sets of lights, one for general work lighting, and the second will be gimbled spotlights that will be focused directly on the layout. The lighting will consist of 16 - 4000k LED broad beam lights and 7 narrow focus 4000k spots. I want both systems to have the same colour values so that I can see what things will look like on the layout when working on it.
There will be a lot of wiring involved obviously. Currently all of the wiring is exposed and it looks like heck. Adding a bunch more wiring will make it look even worse. To eliminate the problem, I have decided to have a false ceiling installed so that all the wiring can be hidden.
I have an excellent contractor available who did a masterful job of renovating our kitchen and dining areas a few years ago including putting in a false ceiling with pot lights. The false ceiling only takes a total of 2" away from the height, and the modern LED pot lights are only 1 1/4" deep. I have checked that there will still be enough clearance for the garage doors.
The improvement in appearance will be well worth the expense.
Exciting stuff Dave! It's always difficult to get started on projects like these, but it will all be worth it soon!
I got the wood for the yard benchwork today and I am really happy with the quality. I got about 16 pieces of 1x4 and 1x6 select pine and so far I have only seen two small knots. The grain is straight too.
I buy my wood from a dedicated lumber store in Barrie, Ontario. It is five times better that anything from the big box stores and half the price (note that I didn't say 'cheap'!). They also carry clear pine in 12', 14' and 16' lengths. Try to find those in the big orange box!
Hopefully the benchwork for the yard will be built next week. Our nephew is coming to help.
I have been scratching my head trying to figure out a way to get power to the freestanding layout. I didn't want a cord running across the floor, and I didn't want one hanging from the ceiling. It finally dawned on me that I could put an outlet in the concrete floor.
I'm not worried about disturbing the floor by putting 6' long trench in it. The floor has several old cracks in it and it has never shifted or heaved in 46 years.
hon30critter I have been scratching my head trying to figure out a way to get power to the freestanding layout. I didn't want a cord running across the floor, and I didn't want one hanging from the ceiling. It finally dawned on me that I could put an outlet in the concrete floor. I'm not worried about disturbing the floor by putting 6' long trench in it. The floor has several old cracks in it and it has never shifted or heaved in 46 years.
Even if the layout is going to be free standing, there are better options. You could always build the layout on a wood platform raised off the floor by a few inches to accomodate an electrical outlet. You could also run the power line down a corner post that would not interfere with the layout. As an alternative to a freestanding layout, it could be attached on one end to the garage wall.
Rich
Alton Junction