Park county govt forcing people out of their homes.

BearMtnHIB wrote: Yes - there's a good sounding reason for every single one of those newer codes, regulations and requirements, but I'm here to tell you that it's driving up the price of building a home, improving a home - even stops homeowners in their tracks from dong it themselves.

The overall affect is way more negative than positive.

The bad guys always find a way around - they won't pull a license. Again - we are falsely thinking that the contractors license protects the homeowner. Some bad contractors will get the license and continue to rip off homeowners. If they lose it - they will start a new business or get the license under a different name.

This license affects almost any construction trade - including my neighbor who builds rock walls.

What I'm saying is that many many good homes were built before all of these codes and regulations. A few bad ones were built too.

Now - many many good homes are built, and a few bad ones too. Now it all just costs alot more.

Sometimes I wonder how anything got built without all this regulation - how did those settlers do it with the government telling them what to do and can't do.

Buyer beware - it is your responsibility to know what you are buying, not the governments responsibility. Pay for a good inspection if you are clueless. If you don't want the inspections - don't get them. It should be our choice.

When I bought my place - I refused to pay for the inspections. I inspected everything and I knew exactly what I was buying. I knew where the problems were and had them fixed.

I could not agree more. My dad was an architect. We built out own home long before permits were required. I say we because I and my brother helped with the building. Through that we learned. Settlers knew much more about how to do things because they also learned what worked and what did not work. As always, most building their own home with the idea of living in ti for the rest of their lives are interested in quality. Few people today have opportunities to learn about building a home, hence there is ignorance and thus find a false security in countless regulations that they believe work for them. It is another of those situations where you thing you can make another person responsible for your own failures. As BearMtnHIB stated, "It is your responsibility to know what you are buying, not the governments responsibility. Pay for a good inspection if you are clueless. If you don't want the inspections - don't get them. It should be our choice." As a geologists, I do not need some county official telling me about erosion, run off etc. In fact I find their evaluations a joke. Done in the office without ever looking at the lay of the land. they go by some guidelines that are not universably applicable. This is simply one example of many similar failures imposed by the permitting regulations.

Since we just finished building last year, I still recall too vividly, inspector attitude when they learned I was doing certain parts of the building. Some earned my wrath because they assumed right away that I was clueless, but left with much clearer idea of who was clueless. Let's just say I'm one for a whole lot less government involvement.

I agree regarding building permits - they provide $$/control to the government, they do not generally increase either safety or the quality of construction.

Building codes I think can be a good thing - they provide guidance to the contractor/homeowner regarding how it should be built. Used as a guideline by knowledgeable individuals, they can be very helpful. Improperly applied by bureacratic idiots, they can be nothing but a very expensive pain in the a**.

i understand why many don't bother with the permit process. it is like stepping into a quagmire with no return. the code has to be usable and there needs to be decent communication with the building inspector for those who can't afford to hire a builder and are going to do it themselves, permit or not.

Settlers didn't have indoor plumbing, electricity, concrete foundations, septic systems, insulation, etc. Not a valid comparison.

For shady builders, the laws should be tightened to prevent them from starting business again under a new name, once their current business has been "busted," license-wise.

I don't believe in trusting a business just because they say they are good. And I've been screwed using someone who was highly recommended by several people. I don't go around in a state of paranoia but I try to research as much as possible.