What You Need to Know About Building a New Home in Texas
Texas builders are not really regulated by the state. They are self-regulated. That’s right, your builder is not licensed. That means that he is not required to have any special education or experience, insurance, licensing or bonding prior to building your new home. Thirty-one states require licensing and 17 states have bonding requirements for builders. In Michigan, for example, the applicant for a builder’s license must submit 2 letters of recommendation, a complete financial statement, and a current bank statement. The applicant’s credit report is obtained from the credit bureaus and a criminal background check is completed by the Michigan State Police. All of this occurs prior to the applicant sitting for the licensing examination. Once licensed, municipalities report incorrect or incomplete work to the state. If the issues are not promptly and satisfactorily addressed by the builder the State can rescind his license and prosecute. But, that’s Michigan.
In Texas if you have the $125 registration fee, are an avid shopper (buy things cheap) and have a penchant for attracting semi-skilled laborers (regularly cruise the day-labor centers), you’re good to go. It is true that the Texas Residential Construction Commission will do a criminal (not civil) background check on the applicants prior to cashing their checks, but they will not necessarily prohibit all criminals from registering. That seems odd in a state where one must be licensed, bonded and squeaky-clean to teach an aerobics class, cut hair, or decorate interiors. Those folks in Austin sure do have a (sick) sense of humor!
Your builder’s sales agents are also not required to be licensed. Unlike real estate agents who are licensed and regulated by the Texas Real Estate Commission, builders' sales representatives have no education or experience requirements and must adhere to no code of ethics. In short, much like the used car salesmen they resemble, they can tell you anything they wish, true or not, without being held accountable. The most important thing to understand here is that builders' agents not only do not represent you, they cannot. They only represent the interests of the builders, their employers.
Also understand that Bob Villa and Norm Abrams will not be building your house. Of course, all of us remember Bob and Norm from their TV show where crews of meticulous master craftsmen spent hours mulling over the proper procedure for installing a window or shingling a roof. This sort of painstaking attention to detail does not exist in the real world for the most part. Once upon a time talented and driven individuals rose up through the ranks of the building trades through skill and persistence to become builders. This is no longer the case. Most residential superintendents today are merely construction managers with a diploma from a six-week crash course in residential construction. They are referred to in the profession as "checkbook builders". Even the very few who come from a true construction background are limited as to the quality of work they can perform by their employers' myopic bottom line orientation, the overbearing workloads imposed on them, and the fickle and often mind-numbing decisions made on the part of often autocratic municipal inspectors. Those who can prevail under these harsh circumstances do not last long. They are quickly replaced by others who spend less time on quality construction and more on increasing the number of homes built.
The fact is that your home will most likely be built by the Dallas Morning News' 2007 Texan of the Year.
A prevalent urban legend (perpetuated by the builders themselves) would have you believe that the purpose of the municipal building inspector is to protect the consumer from poor construction practices. Nothing could be further from the truth. Municipal inspectors are charged only with enforcing the building code. Even this they often do in an unpredictable and slipshod manner we like to refer to as "selective code enforcement". The building code is a set of standards adopted by the community to insure that minimum safety standards are met in the construction of new buildings in order to protect life,limb and property. These guys are not there to insure quality of construction or adherence to best building practices. They are only there to insure that your home does not blow up, burst into flames or fall over on someone, and, oh yes (I almost forgot), they are there to collect taxes in the form of permit fees. Add to that the fact that many city building inspectors are not required to have engineering or construction experience. And then one must consider that, as with most public servants, city inspectors are overworked and underpaid. And did I mention that at least a few of them are unethical? You simply cannot rely solely on the municipal inspector to protect your interests.
See: WFAA, Channel 8, Byron Harris's recent report on municipal inspectors.
NOTE: I contated Randy Moore through his attorney to offer him a job. Turns out that he was so disenchanted by this experience with the good ol' boys in Wylie that he chose to get into another field of work. Too bad.
See: ABC Good Morning America's recent report on municipal inspectors.
See: Building Inspectors Investigated in Corpus Christi
See also:
http://www.qualitybuilt.com/pages/news_060627.html
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20060707_newhomedefects.htm
NAHBRC Quality Article
Smaller incorporated communities often do not even have full-time municipal inspectors. These duties fall to the already overworked firemen or police officers who, though perhaps well meaning, just simply are not up to the job for lack of education and experience. If you live outside the limits of an incorporated community there is rarely oversight of any kind in the construction of buildings. Though the State-mandated requirements are in place for your builder to construct according to the mandates of the International Residential Code and the National Electrical Code, who will insure that this is done? Note here that beginning in September of 2008 Texas has mandated 3rd-party inspections during the construction of new homes in rural or unincorporated areas of the state. And, even then, the new law will allow TREC inspectors who are not required to be code-certified to conduct these inspections.
We find on average 120 flagrant building code violations on each new home we inspect! THESE ARE FUNDAMENTAL DEFECTS. And this does not include the even more common lack of adherence to the materials manufacturers' installation instructions.
The heart of the problem lies in the speed with which homes are constructed due to stiff competition among builders and the low skill rate among subcontractors who will work for bottom of the rung prices. Many builders, especially those "checkbook" builders using almost exclusively subcontractors and suppliers to do the actual building while they prepare more work or find land, are aware that speed is necessary, but risky. A common check and balance is to undergo more in-house and municipal inspections. But according to Frank Alexander, the director of quality programs at the National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHB-RC) in Upper Marlboro, Md., in-house and municipal inspections alone aren't enough. "Trying to inspect quality into your work won't work," he says, even if a contractor schedules a conscientious series of them layered with supers, subs, and building officials. "All you're doing is throwing a bucket of water on a wildfire." That "wildfire," as Alexander puts it, is one of the industry's–and individual builders' and remodelers'–biggest challenges.
The anecdotal evidence of the "problem" with faster building are issues ranging from low-end workmanship in high-end houses to whole subdivisions filled with failing buildings. Consumer Reports said in its January 2004 issue that approximately 15 percent–or about 150,000–new homes are built each year with "serious problems" and said that the rapid pace of today's building industry is to blame. These consequences of haste are hitting home builders from all directions: The resulting building failures have triggered construction defects lawsuits costing the industry untold millions of dollars, and a more well-informed buying public (due primarily to the Internet) is increasingly dissatisfied on many fronts.
See the 2004 Consumer Reports article "Housewrecked".
See "Common Defects in New Home Construction" from Homeowners Against Defective Dwellings
"If a builder builds a house, and constructs it well, the owner will pay two shekels for each surface of the house.
If, however, he does not succeed, and the house falls in, killing the owner, the builder will be killed.
If the son of the owner dies, the son of the builder shall be killed." Code of Hammurabi, 1760 BC.
Homebuilder Warranties
You have a roll of their equivalent hanging from your bathroom wall. Read these worthless documents carefully though, so you'll better understand what is and is not covered. Most things are not. Believe it or not your 10-year structural warranty will not warrant any repairs unless the home is in eminent danger of total collapse.
Even those few items that are actually covered by your warranty will likely be repaired by the same folks who installed them wrong in the first place. Someone who cannot build something satisfactorily from scratch is not the one to call to repair something that has already been poorly constructed. Remodeling is much more difficult than new construction.
See the Dallas Morning News Article
Dream House Becomes Legal Nightmare, Jan. 21, 2007
National Association of Homebuilders
Read Aaron's article on this group that was published in the National Association of Home Inspectors' NAHI Forum, January/February 2005.
Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC)
The builders in Texas got together recently and lobbied (paid a lot of money) to form their own commission to regulate home construction. It was founded by and is staffed by builders, their attorneys and their suppliers. The stated purpose of the TRCC is to protect consumers involved in purchasing new homes. The real purpose is to protect your builder from your attorney once your house begins to show signs of defects due to poor building practices.
TRCC's Limited Statutory Warranty and Building and Performance Standards went into effect in June of 2005. Read them at:
http://www.trcc.state.tx.us/consumers/state_min_warranties.asp
so that you'll be prepared when your builder refuses to fix cracks wide enough to to stick your fingers in, or take care of that 2nd story game room floor that doubles as a trampoline. These building performance standards were, of course, written by and for the builders. Beware.
Read what the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, had to say about the TRCC in her report to the Texas House of Representatives on January 23, 2006.
In the local home building industry's journal greater Dallas edition of Building Savvy magazine, Volume 5, No. 4, published in the Fall of 2007, the editors said about recently defeated home buyer protection legislation, "At the close of the legislative session, HB 1038 by Allan Ritter passed the House and Senate. . Over 20 amendments were offered to the bill, some were withdrawn or defeated by a motion to table. Of particular note are three amendments that could have been detrimental to our industry, but were tabled by the members of the Legislature. These amendments would have made the SIRP process optional, reduced the number of builder members on the TRCC to three and increased the number of public members to four and created a mandatory home lemon-law. Undoubtedly, considerable efforts on the part of the Texas Association of Builders and its members in communicating our industry's position played a key role in the defeat of these amendments."
See: Fox 4 News: Case of the Crooked House
Who's the Best Builder?
There are many ways to determine this. You could rely on the findings in surveys such as J.D. Power . These folks supposedly poll new homeowners at just the right time with just the right questions to get to the truth. What really happens, in our opinion, is that their timing and questions are formulated to draw whatever conclusions their staff statisticians are paid to reach. As Mark Twain once said, "There are lies, damnlies, and statistics".
You could also try referrals from friends who have recently bought new houses. The problems with this tack are myriad. Your friends may not be as discerning as you (else they would have read this site as you are now doing), or they may have been in the house long enough for the passing of time to have eroded the acrimony which they developed for their builder. They may just be reality TV aficionados who can't tell the difference. Whatever, it can't hurt to ask them, maybe.
To paraphrase George Carlin, "Most builders don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."
The mere flipping of a coin is probably your best bet. All kidding aside, we find little or no difference between builders. Bear in mind that they all use essentially the same subcontractors, and are all in heated competition with one another and simply cannot afford to do more than their competitors when constructing your new home. NOTE: Having said all that, in the DFW market David Weekley may have an overall better score than the rest simply due to there policy of at least some service after the sale. And no, they didn't pay me to say that, but perhaps they should . . .
Three Types of Builders
There are essentially three types of builders. Custom builders, top shelf production builders and bottom line production builders. True custom builders are few and far between. They will build a house on your lot to your specifications for a premium fee. In return you will receive a one of a kind new home that is built to last. Custom homes usually begin at about $175 per square foot, less the lot cost, and the price rises rapidly from there.
Top Shelf vs. Bottom Line Builders
The Bottom Line Boys build starter homes for first-time home buyers that offer a minimal number of floor plans to choose from. They also offer and will allow no or minimal upgrades. The key term here is minimal and it applies to everything they offer and do. Since they build primarily, if not exclusively, starter homes, they could not care less if you are a satisfied customer. On your next move, you'll likely be moving up to a home built by the Top Shelf Guys.
The Top Shelf Guys both lead and allow you to believe you are building a custom home by offering you a larger selection of canned floor plans and an almost endless variety of very pricey upgrades that are sure to make your mortgage lender start looking at new luxury cars and exotic travel brochures. Their houses are built ever so slightly better than the ones constructed by the Bottom Line Boys (maybe).
The reason it's important to understand the term "custom builder" is so that you realize that the vast majority of builders are simply incapable of producing the sort of quality buildings that are being built by the true custom builders. More often than not those pricey upgrades that you order will be installed by the same semi-skilled laborers that slap together the remainder of your new home. The results can be, and usually are, less than splendid. It is also helpful to realize that all of the "custom" upgrades available from your builder can be had for much less money and can be installed by much more highly skilled workers that you hire yourself after you move into the house. The customary builder's upgrade price mark-up is 300%!
"They are little removed from lumber, only eastern stuff disguised with white paint, the least interesting kind of driftwood to me." Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod
"Every time you're exposed to advertising in America you're remided that this country's most profitable business is still the manufacture, packaging, distribution, and marketing of bullshit. High-quality, grade-A, prime-cut, pure American bullshit." - George Carlin
Builder Evasive Tactics
In a brisk new home market the builders are usually not too resistant to third-party inspections. If too many problems are revealed during an inspection, they will simply let you back out of the contract and then sell the house to the next person in line.
In the current market conditions with mortgage lenders dropping like flies and the subsequent all-time-high inventory of new homes, the builders are much less amenable to inspections.
Your builder will likely resist any effort on your part to hire a third-party inspector. Common ploys (and this is the short list) we see used in this respect are:
(1) "We don't allow third-party inspections of our homes". You have a legal right under the International Commerce Code to have the property inspected by your agent prior to purchasing it. Further, the International Code Council's, Legal Aspects of Code Administration, admonishes home buyers that, " . . .it is up to the purchaser to determine the soundness of the building prior to the finalization of the purchase or to hire a professional inspector". These are the very folks that write the codes that the municipal inspectors are supposed to force the builders to comply with. Scary, huh?
(2) "The City inspector passed it so it's OK". Right. This should be transparent. "Legally Drunk. Well, if it's legal, what's the problem? 'Leave me alone officer, I'm legally drunk!'" - George Carlin
(3) "We have already had the home inspected by Dewey, Cheatam & Howe Inspection Company, an independent firm that inspects all of our houses for our clients". This should be even more transparent than the last ploy, but many people fall for it. There are a number of inspection companies that will gladly work for the builders regardless of the blatantly obvious conflict of interests. Even more divisive are the "independent inspection companies" that are simply the builders' employees being paid by the builder to act as third-party inspectors. If the builder is paying them, do you honestly believe the builder's inspector has your best interests in mind? T-H-I-N-K.
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to fit facts.", Sherlock Holmes
(4) "We will allow you to have your own inspector, but we are under no obligation to fix anything mentioned in his report". If the issues observed in the report are obvious code violations, your builder is obligated by the laws of the State of Texas to bring these items into compliance.
"See, in my line of work you gotta keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kinda catapult the propaganda." - George W. Bush, Speech in Greece, N.Y.
(5) Your builder may play the scheduling game where he fails to give you any or adequate notice of readiness for inspection at any given stage of construction. You then will not have ample time in which to schedule your independent inspector. Worse yet, the builder will inform you that the home is ready to be inspected at a particular phase when it is actually not ready. Upon arrival at the site, your inspector will be unable to perform the inspection but will charge you for the trip, thus likely damaging the relationship between the two of you. After a couple of these false starts the timid home buyer may simply resign himself to forego the inspections.
(6) Intimidation. Our inspectors have been threatened with bodily harm. We have had builders call the police on us to have us removed from the premises(always unsuccessfully). The Greater Dallas Association of Homebuilders, as well as members of the Building Officials Association of Texas and the North Texas Chapter of the International Code Council have filed formal complaints against us with the Texas Real Estate Commission for full disclosure reporting. We have received numerous only moderately-veiled threatening phone calls from builders and city building officials concerning our reports. Starting to get the picture now?
"It's a more insidious threat to truth than lying is. Because the liar, after all, recognizes the difference between true and false. And, he's concerned about that difference. The bullshitter is just not interested in that. That's not his program. He's interested in selling his product . . .", Harry G. Frankfurt, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton University in his book On Bullshit
See Builder Lies .
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.", Upton Sinclair, I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked (1935)
“Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered
I’ve seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six gun,
And some with a fountain pen.”
-Woody Guthrie (1912-1967)
How to Choose an inspector for Your New Home
New home inspections from AHI's Dallas Home Inspectors, require a much more comprehensive understanding of building construction than that which is held by almost every inspector of solely existing or resale homes. A thorough knowledge of both construction techniques and the prevailing building codes are essential from AHI's Dallas TX Home Inspectors.
The State of Texas requires that inspectors of new homes be certified as Residential Combination Inspectors by the International Code Council (Texas Administrative Code 303.202(c)(2) or be a licensed Structural Engineer. To verify that your inspector is so certified visit this link for ICC certification:
http://www.iccsafe.org/e/certsearch.html
or visit these links for Engineer affiliation:
http://www.seaot.org
http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/search_pe.asp
Also inquire as to the background of your Home Inspector or engineer. A minimum of 5 years in full-time residential construction is required. And more is surely better.
Hire a REALTOR®
Remember way back at the top of the page where we mentioned that the builder's agents cannot represent. you? So, if they are representing the interests of the builder, who will be representing yours? Do you really think you are savvy enough to negotiate a good deal for yourself with all the cards stacked against you?
A licensed REALTOR® buyer's agent will cost you nothing and the benefits you will receive from their representation will likely be worth thousands of dollars. They can tell you the truth about many things like future expectations for home evaluation, how to find a service oriented lender, when it's financially reasonable to stop adding those pricey upgrades to your new home, et al. The builder's agent cannot tell you the truth about anything except when it will benefit the builder.
The Types of New Construction Inspections We Perform
AHI performs all types of inspections on new construction projects ranging from full consultation services beginning with the design of the project to simple one-time inspections of specific systems. The typical sequence of a residential phased new construction inspection from a Dallas Texas Home Inspectors, consists of three parts or phases. During each of these phases we will be inspecting for total compliance with all of the state-mandated regulations which include, but are not limited to:
International Code Council's (ICC) "International Residential Code", Locally Adopted Version (Minimum 2000 Version)
National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) "National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), 2005 Version
Texas Residential Construction Commission's (TRCC) "Warranties and Performance Standards"
Post-Tensioning Institute's, "Construction and Maintenance Procedures Manual for Post-Tensioned Slab-On-Ground Construction".
All Systems' Manufacturers' Installation Instructions
Phase 1 - Foundation or Pre-Pour Inspection
To be performed just prior to the placement of concrete.
excavation.
For Unbonded Prestressed Post-Tension Slabs-On-Grade
Building Code Compliance (IRC, NEC and TRCC)
Post-Tensioning Institute Compliance
Compliance with Engineer's Design
Compliance with Manufacturer's Installation Instructions Shoring and Re-shoring
Form Placement
Form Board Sizing
Lumber Condition
FootingDepth
Footing Width
Cushion Sand Placement
Moisture Barriers
Post-Tension Tendon Positioning
Tendon Sheathing Damage
Tendon sheathing Repairs
Tendon Exposure
TendonAnchoring
Fixed-end Anchors
Stressing End Anchors
Pocket Formers
Tendon Support
Tendon Support Spacing
Tendon Sweep
Tendon Drape Profile
Tendon Wobble
Center of Gravity of Steel
Center of Gravity of Concrete
Chair Placement
Bolsterer Placement
Intersectional Chairs
Wire Ties
Strand Damage
Wire Damage
Rebar Placement at Re-entrant Corners
Backup Bars
Bursting Steel
Hairpins
Steel Ties
Plumbing Positioning
Piping Glue Joints
Piping Anchoring
Electrical Conduit Positioning
Conduit Anchoring
Mechanical Subterranean Termite Control
Phase 2 - Pre-Drywall Inspection
To be performed following issuance of framing, plumbing and electrical rough-in green tags and just prior to the placement of insulation and drywall.
Building Code Compliance (IRC, NEC, and TRCC)
Compliance with Manufacturer's Installation Instructions
Foundation
Slab Repairs
Post-Tension Tendon Repairs
Tendon Stressing End Finishing
Wall Framing
Wind Bracing
Shear Hardware Installation
Foundation Bolt Installation
Sheathing
Ceiling Framing
Attic Service Floor Installation
Joist Hanger Installation
Roof Framing
Truss Installation
Roof Member Bracing
Rafter-to-Plate Connector Installation
Roof Decking
H-Clip Placement
Roofing Underlayment
Knee Wall or Step Flashing Placement
Drip Edge Flashing Placement
Roof Jack Installation
Roofing
Sheathing
Sheathing Utility Penetrations
Windows
Window Installation as per AAMA 2400-02 and ASTM E 2112-01
Metal Flashing
Butyl Flashing
Siding
Electrical Rough-In
Cable Placement
Cable Stapling
Junction Box Placement
NM Clamp Installation
Fixture Placement
Fixture NM Clamp Placement
Cable Protector Plate Placement
Plumbing Rough-In
Vent Sizing
Vent Routing
Piping Protection
Dryer Vent Installation
Dryer Vent Ducting and Termination
Exhaust Fan Installation
Fan Vent Ducting and Termination
Air Conditioning Placement and Installation
Furnace Placement and Installation
Water Heater Placement and Installation
Fireplace Construction or Installation
Chimney Construction or Installation
Fireplace Fresh Air Venting
Fireblocking
Gas Line Installation
Phase 3 - Final Inspection
To be performed immediately prior to your final walk-through with your builder. The Final Inspection includes all of the items in our Existing Home Inspection plus:
Building Code Compliance (IRC, NEC, and TRCC)
Compliance with Manufacturer's Installation Instructions
Interior Finishes
Exterior Finishes
Cabinetry
Trim Carpentry
Foundations
Crawl Spaces
Basements
Lot Drainage
Retaining Walls
Roof Coverings
Gutters and Downspouts
Attics
Insulation
Ventilation
Roof Structure
Exterior Walls
Water Penetration
Interior Walls
Stairs and Railings
Ceilings
Floors
Doors
Windows
Decks
Driveways
Sidewalks
Patios
Balconies
Plumbing Systems
Electrical Systems
Fireplaces
Heating Equipment
Air Conditioners
Built-In Appliances
Gas Leak Tests
Termite (WDI) Reports (Only if observed)
Sprinkler Systems
Security Systems
Outdoor Cooking Equipment (Built-In)
Swimming Pools/Spas
Appliance Lifts
Elevators (Optional)
Detached Buildings (Optional)
Evaporative Coolers (Optional)
End of Builder Warranty Inspection
It is essential that you have your home inspected prior to the end of the initial one-year warranty period for several reasons. If you did not have the house inspected prior to purchasing it the reason for this inspection should by now be blatantly obvious. Even if you had the home inspected at the three stages of construction mentioned above, your builder may not have made all of the repairs required based upon those inspection reports. In addition, systems or materials may have failed during the ensuing eleven months.
As the end of your first year in your new home approaches you will receive a ton of junk mail soliciting your business for an end-of-warranty inspection. These will be from the local inspection companies that are not legally qualified ICC-certified inspectors. They run under the radar because neither the Texas Real Estate Commission nor the Texas Residential Construction Commission have the resources to police these illegal activities. Suffice it to say that, in choosing one of these firms, you will have done something tantamount to hiring an attorney who has not been to law school.
These amateurs simply purchase close-of-escrow mail lists and blanket the new subdivisions with their commercial feces. Don't get any of this on you.
The AHI Advantage
AHI offers you a range of service in new home inspections from Dallas Home Inspectors that is unparalleled. We allow you to take control of the new home construction process in ways you never imagined possible.
Homebuilding in the North Texas area and elsewhere is both highly competitive and fiercely antagonistic. AHI understands the builders’ techniques used to remain in charge of unsuspecting buyers. Their goal is to be in total control of you every step of the way, beginning in the model home tour, all the way through the construction phases, and ending with the closing. It is the responsibility of the builder's sales agent and the builder assigned to your home to manage your expectations throughout the process. Homebuilders spend millions annually developing and promoting their image as the undisputed experts in quality residential construction. Beware. Someone offering you all of the answers can be a very powerful and alluring thing.
Fortunately knowledge is more powerful than well-blown smoke. We will educate you and act as your expert advisers to allow you to gain control from the outset. You’ve already taken the first, and most important step by informing yourself of the possibilities.
Call us today at 214-616-0112 to schedule an appointment.
For more builder related sites visit our links page.
DISCLAIMER
Building officials, homebuilders, and the attorneys representing them would just love to say that we are misrepresenting ourselves by saying that we are "ICC certified", or "code certified" or all that these terms might imply. They would relish in the possibility of somehow discrediting us and would be positively orgasmic should they be able to have us found in some manner liable through such alleged misrepresentation.
Aaron D. Miller, CEI, CMI, CRI, is in fact certified by the International Code Council as an R-5 Combination Residential Inspector. So, in this respect, he is most certainly certified by ICC and therefore could be considered by a reasonably sane person as ICC-certified.
Since the ICC authors the building codes for the State of Texas, and Mr. Miller is certified by the authors of that code as a combination residential inspector one might also imply that he is "code certified". This would be inaccurate in that the "code" consists of not only the ICC-promulgated regulations but also those interpretations and amendments as set forth by the officials of each municipality.
Though Mr. Miller is an avid reader on the subject it is practically infeasible for him to keep up with every nuance of each pontification that issues forth from the lips or pens of the building officials of the 88 or so municipalities in which he serves his clients. Much of this information is not readily accessible to the public, and perhaps purposely so.
Building officials quite officiously refer to themselves as the "Authorities Having Jurisdiction", or "AHJ". Mr. Miller is not a municipal employee, a government official, or the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). Mr. Miller considers his goals to be at odds with the goals of the AHJ's. It is the AHJ's responsibility to represent the municipality. It is Mr. Miller's responsibility to represent his clients.
The terms "autocrat", "bureaucrat", "AHJ", "authority having jurisdiction", "building official", "chief building official", "politically motivated", "selective enforcer of the code", "city employee", "firmly attached to the city tit", or "government worker", have never nor shall ever be aptly applied to Mr. Miller.
 
 
For More Information Contact:
Aaron's Home Inspections
Aaron D. Miller, CEI, CMI, CRI, RCI
Residential Construction Consultant
7401 Vineyard Trail
Garland, TX 75044-2144
USA
Phone: 214-616-0112
Fax: 972-675-6371
info@aaronsinspections.com
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