DIY kit question

[santaman2000]

I doubt you could get own built houses past whatever building control is in place in the UK. I think there's a more difficult planning, approval and control in system in place over here. However I guess it varies across the states over your side of the pond. Some will be as strict as over I reckon.

Still those old DIY shows from USA were interesting. There's a part of me that wishes I had the temperament and skills to do what those shows did.

Yeah it can be difficult. That said, everything he did met the basic building codes at every stage of the build. Bit generally in Mississippi no permits are required outside city limits (and he was on about 30 or 40 acres out in the country (I wish I could remember better but they long ago sold that house and 2 more since)

A couple of years ago my air conditioner finally died (after almost 30 years of service) and I had it replaced. If I had bought a new unit and done the work myself it would have been considered a repair and that would have been the end of it. However because I had it done professionally they had to pull a building permit (unfortunately I live inside Crestview city limits in Florida) and the final work was inspected by a city inspector. I suppose that makes sense in a way: being sure that licensed professionals aren’t doing shoddy work but charging full price.

 

[Paul_B]

Here electricians have to have part p certification I think it's called. Basically a certification that they know what they're doing and are at a certain standard of safety in their work. Once registered with a government approved competent person scheme the electrician can self certify their own work without needing building control too come in and inspect.

Any new electrical work on your house will need part p certification if you ever want to sell your house. Anything that's just repairing existing doesn't but new does. Part p is a part of the building regulations. I used to advise contractors and architects on building materials used in passive fire protection which is a different part of the building regulations. They're all together a hefty library to follow if you're in the sector.

It sounds like city limits USA then building control is similar to UK but outside it's possibly a bit more free. It makes sense, more dense the population less ability to isolate issues with one property. Out in the sticks a house can burn down on its own, a tragedy for one household. But in a city you've got a tower block to worry about.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes it’s sorta similar in most respects. Professionals in most building trades require some sort of license in most states here as well. That said there’s still the possibility of an official inspector coming to sign off the work as I mentioned about my AC. They don’t ALWAYS come out though: if it’s a contractor they’ve dealt with often and they trust hooks/her work they might sign off from the office. It’s kinda like the QC at a manufacturing plant only inspects enough of the finished products (say every 10th or 12th)

Regarding the difference between inside city limits vs outside I see your logic but to be honest it has more to do with the fact that the city just doesn’t have any jurisdiction outside their limits: their ordinances don’t apply. Whether or not the counties have any applicable codes is spottier from county to county (generally Southern states have more relaxed attitudes—-likely at least partly due to that sparse density you mentioned among other reasons) To be completely honest when I was growing up in rural Mississippi the County Board of Supervisors (the county’s governing board) was limited to nothing more than setting the property tax rate (which could not exceed state guidelines) and maintaining county property and services (schools, roads, bridges, sheriff’s department, jail, etc.) It would have almost been blasphemy for them to pass any ordinances back then. The counties in Mississippi were (and still are) divided into subdivisions called “beats” and each beat elected its own:
-Supervisor (who served on the County Board of Supervisors
-Justice of the Peace (roughly equivalent to your magistrates)
-Constable (who had full police powers but who’s primary function was serving legal papers and providing security for the Justice Court)

Florida isn’t a great deal different except that Justice court has been eliminated and their function is now in County Court, and they’ve eliminated constables and those duties turned over to the Sheriff. That and a bit different terminology: instead of “beats” Florida counties have “districts” and instead of “supervisors” we have “commissioners” and they usually feel free to enact local ordinances.