Building Inspectors

In general, it's a pretty thankless job from the standpoint that no one, including the municipality you may work for, really likes you. You're always the bad guy because you have to make sure all exsisting buildings are up to code and that all new buildings are built to new code requirments that older ones are grandfathered by law. That means you cost just about everyone money.
Your day is filled with gobs of paperwork and usually several field calls. All new applications for permits require a pre-work examine followed by a sign off that work was completed to spec. Any fires or disasters in your area require you to examine structures aqnd report your findings to the city. Many times your job requires driving up and down the streets looking for structures in ill-repair and issueing citations to the owners. You go to court a couple of times per week (usually to argue with apartment building owners) and then go home and drink wishing you had another job... hope it helps.

Don Allen said:

and then go home and drink wishing you had another job...

Click to expand...

This part seems to apply to most jobs.

My dad has been one for a few years and is currently on Grand Isle, LA. He hates dealing with the small towns around here, and the ego people bring to the table. "Do you know who I am?" is a common question when he tells someone something they don't want to hear. In our fair city, he was by-the-book until it started costing the big money boys too much money, so they did the only logical thing: they erased all the building codes in town. True story. For example, he wanted to fine the movie theater after it had sat empty for over a year because the new owner remodeled but didn't call for an inspection before opening it to all the local business owners and their families. In dad's opinion, the place was unsafe at the time and not fit for operation. That kind of stuff was common.

The dealings I've had with inspectors make me want to tear my hair out. I can sympathize with the fact that they usually tell you things you don't want to hear, but sometimes...

Case in point - we finished and partitioned off our basement a few years ago. The inspector routinely failed us the first time for everything. Then, on the final inspection, he failed us again. Why? Because the ends of the railing didn't turn in to meet the wall. OK - I can see the hazard it might pose (has anyone ever been done in by a stairrail??) but at that point he'd gone up and down the same stairs about two dozen times and never once mentioned it. When I complained about it, he told me to consider myself lucky, because he was considering also failing us because the doorknob on my office door was too low. WTF?? Too low for what??? He was pretty arrogant and kind of a jerk as well (the others I've dealt with were ok, even if they seemed a little nitpicky, but this guy was off the charts drunk with power).

It was such a circus that our contractor swore he'd never take another job in this town again - and I've heard that same muttering from more than one contractor.