A regular SDA reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, has drawn my attention to a new Owner Builder Exam in British Columbia.
“There’s some really troubling building legislation that was brought into effect this past summer in BC, whereby a person wanting to build on their own property must pass an exam before proceeding. It’s such an incredible overreach on the part of the government overlords that more people should know about it. My son began building when the permit only required a fee and filling out a form, but since the exam is now required, until he has a good chunk of time to study building codes and WCB law, he can’t possibly pull off the 70 percent required to pass. Furthermore, his friend who helped with the framing, has been a contractor for 40 years, is not allowed to build another home until he is HPO certified. The process for him requires an investment of $20,000 to become certified (the owner builder application is $400). Since he will be retiring soon, he does not feel an HPO certification is a good investment for him. Out of the 48 established contractors in our town, only 16 have been able to certify under the new legislation. The others are now only permitted to do renovations and if they are caught doing new builds, the penalty is $30,000. It’s so crazy!”
It’s just another socialist money grab.
Our regional government takes a different approach and offers very successful low cost courses for owner-builders to help them build better houses for our harsh climate.
actually, some of the DIY shit I’v seen here in ontariowe, I can almost agree with some thing like this. And is mostly certain demographics that are the problem
The video guy is bang-on. I’m an owner builder and got my permit with just the pimp fee before the exam BS came in. The few subs that I have hired all are complimentary of the quality of materials and workmanship observed compared to the quick and dirty contractors. Governments have done an excellent job at making housing as unaffordable as possible – all for the “public good”. Making the world safe for morons only makes more morons. The Happy-faced socialists of BC are no exception. Caveat Emptor.
Obviously a law to protect you from yourself. Government knows best and wants your money.
But what a boon to the underground economy.
And state corruption.
The normal conditions will apply, Government Inspectors totally ignorant of the regulations and drunk upon their tiny authority will “educate” the plebes.
Government has a direct analogue, sand in your gearbox.
A little causes some damage, more grinds you to a standstill.
A hail the Kleptocracy.
It is unlikely any government bureaucrat came up with this idea on their own.
I would bet a nickel that the government was lobbied by larger players in the industry in order to eliminate the competition from the mom and pops. I’ve seen that many times.
There goes all the Mexican “owner-builders” … however … knowing government, they will soon be offering a WAIVER to all non-English speaking applicants.
And BTW … in my experience … ALL of the newest regulations (and exams) are for PC building practices: i.e. Energy Conservation and Barrier-Free construction. Virtually nothing to do with crappy framing and finishing which would be the ONLY thing that some SLOPPY Owner-builders exhibit. Noooooo … the government wants to ensure that your new toilets don’t flush anymore than 1.1 gal. of water. And that ALL your doorways can accommodate a wheelchair. I have to fill-out REAMS of “Green” documentation for all my projects now. I have to achieve “Silver” or “Gold” green status. And you earn points in these “Green” programs for having “certified lumber” (a total $$ scam), or in a multi-unit project … writing lease agreements that prohibit smoking, or for building within 1 mile of a “major” transit hub. It is all green-feel-good-leftist-eco nonsense. And in Jan. 2017, the State of CA will make all projects save 30% MORE energy that the current code (Title 24) allows. That means fewer and smaller windows in my projects. There is very little leeway in the new codes. And don’t get me started on light bulb restrictions. Bottom line is that ALL of this fkcuing NONSENSE is driving the cost of residential construction up by at least $ 50K per unit. And don’t get me wrong. There are many new technologies and materials that save energy and are simply fantastic. However … THE FREE MARKETPLACE will make those choices … not some circle-jerk group of government bureaucrats
Back in the day, my spouse was able to take an evening electrical course geared to homeowners. Then, to ensure everything was done properly, we paid for an inspector to check things out before closing the work in. Inspector was very complementary, but did mention it was not uncommon for some amateur electricians to join wires by just tying them together, and that he had seen other potential disasters. Spouse since then has done a lot of electrical work around the house, but is meticulous about proper practice and safety.
Fast forward, and was involved in the building of a clinic within a “vanilla bay” at a shopping centre. All really good except for the electrical sub-contractor, who was a nightmare. Can’t count the number of times they had to be called back because something wasn’t working right – and their subsequent work often caused other parts of the system to go down. Also exhibited absolutely no common sense: when the diagram showed a wall switch which controlled the whole place to be installed at the far end of a dead-end corridor, they did so without any qualms. Obviously common sense wasn’t a requirement for their workers. The scary thing: all their work was supposedly inspected by city inspectors, for which inspections a hefty fee was paid.
Yup, you nailed it.
Government exists to represent big business and repressively govern the people.
Our wee cabin in the middle of Calgary was built to 1912 building standards. The foundation framing was recycled into subfloor by the original builder.. The concrete has lots of larger stones. The post and wire electric is mostly gone. The front deck covers three generations of stairs. The dirt basement floor is now concrete with radiant heat tubing. The red brick chimney from Redcliff is gone. The second bathroom in basement was city inspected. Everything else we did. Reclad outer walls with rigid insulation and cedar shingles.
Government over reach is absurd in urban centres. It’s no wonder the underground economy thrives.
Kenji…having spent some time on the American LEFT Coast…I am surprised that you are still living there. The Political Stench from those whackos there would have driven me off a long long time ago.
I made the mistake one time (Dec 2001), when driving over the SF Oakland bay bridge on my way to Vellajo, it was raining and I flicked a cigarette butt out the window….Holy Christ, the Sky instantly darkened and pretty much EVERY human being within 150 yards of me was literally screaming bloody blue murder…honking their horns – giving me the finger – it was quite a performance….and I say that, because that evening while sitting in a restaurant in the area, i noticed the bartender (I was a the bar), taking all the MT Wine Bottles and putting them in a huge garbage bin…I asked him what they did with all the bottles – he said: “we throw them out and they go to the dump”.. I was floored iand blurted out something like “You Californians are such f’n hypocrits”..and of course I had to explain to the barkeep why i thought that was…!! but he was cool when i explained my bridge experience…
Having grown up in Vancouver BC back in the 60’s…I now reside in Calgary…and have no desire to ever return to the Vancouver area….I’d end up in jail after dropping some snowflake or moonbeam..
I’ve plumbed and wired entire buildings, offices, etc. Take an exam? Not a chance.
Pay $400 to take an exam so you can put up a shed? Socialism!
Incidentally for the genius who thinks its a good idea, passing an exam does not improve people’s work habits. They know how to do it right. They just can’t be bothered.
Next up for BC, an exam and licensing for house painters.
Net result? Lots of scofflaws, under the table work, crappy workmanship, and the end result will be people dying in fires because illegal work getting done all over the place.
geez steakman, I’v been called many things before, butt kenji ain’t one of them:-)))
Imagine needing to know WCB rules when your only hiring subtrades. the contractor is required to have coverage. As a home owner you cant get coverage. Absolute garbage. Once the home builders went bankrupt and became the new home warranty it was all down hill. Like home owner builders caused the whole leaky condo mess.
Honestly, I have door knocked with Reform MP’s and Socred MLA’s. this is enough to make this tax payer vote NDP. Just to wake up these fat idiots.
It would be good to see evidence that government inspectors had passed similar courses given the ramifications to homeowners when they miss stuff.
Our county just began requiring permits (outside electric/septic) in time for our addition last year. While the fees aren’t ruinous, $1,000 in an agrarian state is a lot of money. It’s obviously an incentive for backyard contracting. And, I suspect many of our surrounding farmers or ranchers would be every bit as competent as some of the sub’s that turned up here.
Sounds like a ok idea done very badly. The idea would be to teach the builder what they need to know and where to find it.
The HP process is triggered by the Building Permit which falls under local government. Their building inspectors do the inspections at various stages and see to it that any work requiring correction is done before approval. This makes the whole idea of “owner Builder” which falls under the provincial Home Owner protection racket superfluous. It’s done to discourage DIYers from taking a smidgen of work away from big Contractors and it sounds good to Nanny statists.
teach the builder what they need to know and where to find it.
That’s what the government’s homeowner builder courses in our jurisdiction do, but they’re not mandatory and they’re not very expensive.
We’re from the government and here to help. /sarc
Having grown up in Vancouver BC back in the 60’s…I now reside in Calgary…and have no desire to ever return to the Vancouver area….I’d end up in jail after dropping some snowflake or moonbeam..
While I was a grad student at UBC in 1979/1980, I came across all manner of shoddy construction when I was looking for a place to live.
Rental accommodations were scarce at best and many homeowners fancied themselves as landlords by renovating their basements and renting out that space. That was something which happened a lot as students needed to live somewhere and land available for new construction was rather limited.
Much of that work was clearly done under the table or in an otherwise unofficial fashion. I doubt that many of the places I saw were ever subject to government inspection as there were a lot of poor designs which evidently didn’t comply with existing building codes.
I’m pretty sure that much of the revenue those “accommodations” generated was never declared on someone’s income tax return. That was something that a lot of people knew about but never admitted to.
Phantom, you’re skipping over a lot of society. I don’t care if the person in the shop who cuts my hair is licensed by the city or province. It’s a bloody haircut. If I don’t like, it, I won’t come back.
Actual threats to the neighbourhood (bad wiring, tapping into sewer or waterlines such that leaks occur) are one thing, but limiting who is allowed to do aesthetic but not risky makeovers? Cities thrive on license fees. For the most ridiculous things. To make the most ridiculous monopolies.
Almost any government’s primary goal is to grow it’s bureaucracy and create fiefdoms. New managers always want new staff and nobody can be fired from public sector unions. More policy, more bylaws, more regulations, more contract consultants,… are all part of justifying a growing bureaucracy. In our small town, more is spent on the municipal bureaucracy and staff than the physical cost of maintaining services.
Somewhat agree, it is in the best interests of those who want to further their personal fiefdoms to increase government’s reach.
The interests of the bureaucrat and the government as a whole are not necessarily the same. What you’ve listed is absolutely correct for a manager, but that doesn’t mean that it’s correct for the government as a wholel
why will people not just stop abiding by this bureaucratic bull shit? everyone should just say to hell with them, and build. it really is time for a serious revolution in this country but I doubt there are enough intelligent and courageous people to carry out even a tiny one.
BC has a lot of this bullshit. It starts with the premier Christy Crook.
Wonder what the ‘finders fee’ was on the sale of the interior railroad? Or the apartment she lives in?
The carbon tax is working well though…..emissions are rapidly increasing.
They need some tough talking logger from the interior to fix the place.
NME000 Since you are now posting there has to be a conspiracy theory here somewhere involving the Jews. Too bad you aren’t Kenji. It would be an improvement and raise the quality of input considerably.
BCer
This legislation may be due to the building practices of a certain ethnic group in B.C. who are politically very powerful and have complete disdain for our laws and regulations.
I could tell ya stories.
Unfortunately, as with all government interference, the good guys get caught up in laws made to inhibit the bad guys.
No doubt in my mind that this dumb and heavy handed ‘solution’ is a reaction to the proliferation of shady immigrant builders doing crap work. All over the L Mainland you see shoddy but expensive houses going up; mostly E Indian crews on site. Wouldn’t touch one of those w a ten foot pole. The real issue is we’ve let hordes of people through the gates; mostly from terribly corrupt places like India and China, who most assuredly do NOT ‘share our values’, esp regarding shoddy workmanship, graft, etc
And of course, Don, you are referring to East Indians.
And there are actually people who think going to Canada is a good idea. They have no idea what a country without a Bill of Rights is like. But then, there are many things they have no ideas about
The next obvious step: if you want to rearrange the furniture on your home, you have to be a Certified Interior Designer.