We talk a lot about the real estate bubble in B.C. these days, either lamenting the cost of housing or fretting fearfully about what will happen to the economy when the bubble bursts.
Building Inspector Memories provides a look inside the industry from the perspective of the author, Ron S. North, who worked as a building inspector, chief building inspector and manager of regulatory services in a career that spanned 1979 to 2018 on Vancouver Island. They were responsible for identifying contractors who cheat on basic safety regulations and substitute cheap materials for those specified in plans. Despite the hostility toward red tape that these unsung heroes and heroines have to endure, they provide vital quality assurance in construction. They also have some memorable adventures while providing this essential service.
We learn about an instance when a builder wearing a hard hat, tool belt and nothing else greeted the inspector at the door, and we hear stories about inspectors who received angry notes from a building owner who signed his hate mail “The Son of God.” Other irate owners and contractors did not claim divine nature, but they did threaten the building inspector with guard dogs, shotguns and hammers.