Two out of three: Final inspections

Today is a big day for the Casa de Roo remodel. From Friday through Monday, we made a push not unlike cramming for finals—final inspections.

Preparations for this day actually began well over a year ago. Matt dropped off the permit application on June 6, 2008. It was approved on July 17 and we picked it up on July 18.

Since then, we have proudly displayed the permit in our window. Well, first our non-closing, bang-your-head-as-you-walk-by bay window (there was one facing the old deck, too) and now our beautiful, energy-efficient Anderson window.

A new roof not only provides what curb appeal you can get with a below-street-level house, it keeps out the rain and reflects away the heat of the sun.

When Dennis from the township arrived before 11 a.m., the shower door installer was already hard at work. We got approval for the building—with one verbal warning: fix the furnace flue pipe before winter. Dennis was the person who told our contractor to ground the metal roof against lightning strikes—something that hadn’t occurred to any of us, including both so-called architects.

Dennis inspected—and really liked—our new deck. It is quite an improvement over what we had before.

Next came the electrical inspection. We failed one element. Willie the electrician did not put in a GFI switch to protect the hot tub. Matt believes the ground fault interrupter, designed to protect against electrical shock by interrupting a household circuit, is actually within the hot tub control box, which the inspector did not open. If it is not, this is an error so insanely stupid even the shower door installer was shocked. In either case, we’ve asked the inspector to return on Friday.

And finally, the plumbing inspection. We passed, despite a poorly formed shower pan that doesn’t drain. We discovered this issue on Monday, so I made a Target run for a squeegee on Tuesday. I vowed we’d use the squeegee every time we showered.

The plumbing inspector complimented the home improvements, particularly our choice to modernize the house while remaining true to its ranch style.