The width of the sagging span is about 20"; if I put my feet 20" apart on either side of the sag, things feel pretty sturdy (like I would expect). As soon as I slide my feet any closer together, things start to feel “squishy.” It’s definitely not “normal,” even in an older house. (Again, the house is 1965.)
I spoke to someone at the city permit office about the uncompleted inspection and she was unconcerned about it being uncompleted and the permit being open. But there are, of course, insurance issues regarding uncompleted permits, etc., so it’s definitely something we’re going to have completed, once we can verify that the things required by the inspector have been completed.
Don’t waste your time with the inspections department. They have no motivation (and not much authority) to help you or admit that they screwed up.
Personally, I would consider getting a small USB inspection camera ($25 on Amazon) and drilling a hole underneath to see exactly what is going on in your floor. Could be the joist got notched, could be it was removed, could be there never was one there.
If you believe that the mechanical contractor damaged/removed the joist in installing the duct, send a complaint letter to your appropriate state or municipal licensing board. Be sure to mention dates, contractor contact info, and the permit issues. They should take it from there, notifying the contractor that there is a complaint. That is usually all it takes. The contractor will probably initially claim no responsibility, but then they usually reach an agreement to resolve the situation if you refuse to withdraw the complaint.
The threat of action against a licensee is pretty powerful. If you have a valid complaint, the licensing board should handle it all and you don’t need to retain a lawyer.
And it should make no difference that you bought the house after the work was completed. I’m an electrical contractor and any excuse based on “I did the pre-sale renovation but the susbsequent buyer has no status to complain about my work not meeting Codes” would be laughed at.
ZonexandScout - thanks for the advice. The USB camera is a great idea - we’ve got a guy coming on Monday who’s doing an unrelated flooring project downstairs, so I’m going to ask him his opinion. I’ll get the opinion of the original contractor (if they show up; taken with more than a few grains of salt) and then probably get the camera and do some investigative work of my own before deciding on a plan of action.
Seriously…if I used the wrong gauge of wire in a renovation, the licensing board would be all over my butt, regardless of who paid me to do it. They have field inspectors who get paid to check what I did, make me fix it, and then send warning letters not to do it again. My response would be, “Yes, sir! Right away, sir!”
I have handled several restorations for structural failures where part of the damage was covered by insurance.
In one the previous owner took out a wall and replaced a beam with extreme incompetence., And the roof sagged after heavy snowfall. An engineer had signed a letter on the work and the city inspector signed off. The insurance company has sued the city, and previous homeowner. The engineer is under disciplinary action from the professional association, will likely lose their professional status.
This is with the legal clout of a big bank/insurance group, but it shows that contractors and homeowners can be held liable for shoddy work.
Yes. I looked at the permits (at the city, not the county) and spoke to someone at the city who confirmed that the Final permit was not closed because it was not inspected. (It was inspected and the inspector had 4 minor fixes before it could be approved, but the previous owners / contractors never completed those fixed and so the work was never inspected and approved.)
Good luck with that. Aside from sovereign immunity, every municipal building department I’ve ever dealt with specifically disclaims any responsibility for the plans they review. In some states they even go so far as to say, basically, “since we take no responsibility, we do only the most cursory check of the plans and require the architect (or engineer, etc.) to affirm that the drawings meet code.”