04-24-2015, 04:20 AM
The building inspectors came tuesday. All three of them, electric, plumbing and building. Not for the community center…..for my cabin!! Apparently they received a complaint!! That i am living in an ‘unpermitted structure’.
So picture this. There i am getting ready for the opening of the university art show (i won an award), just finished putting on all my ‘going out special’ make-up on, but i’m still in my bath robe. Three white vans pull up opposite my gate and sit there. My dogs go crazy barking and jumping and i shout at them trying to calm them down but no way, so i go out side in my robe and shout ‘hello, can i help you?’ it transpires that they are all there to inspect my property. i do actually have current building permits for my property and the property has been built to code, I refused to give them permission, and told them all to ‘bugger off’, but caught between proving that i had nothing to hide, and facing down all three men (remember i am in full make-up and a bathrobe, and must look like a total nutter, and its 10am), i agreed to allow the building inspector to see that the cabin was indeed sound and followed all the building requirements. He asked a couple of questions, and seemed satisfied, and i then expected them all to leave, but they didn't. they just sat outside my house (with my dogs still going crazy).
So i went back out side and shouted at them all some more, asked to have the name of their manager and eventually allowed the ‘plumbing inspector' access to the toilet. I also have a permitted cess-pit, so simply showed him the finished bathroom. I flushed it to show that it was connected to a solar powered water pump. He looked all around and when i questioned what he was looking FOR he said that there didn't appear to be a ‘vent pipe’. I showed him the vent pipe, and he then said he couldn't tell if it was the correct diameter! I told him to leave! I continued to refuse entry to the electrician, on the grounds that I HAVE NO ELECTRIC!! He tried to tell me that even my soar panels count and that i need a permit and inspection for the wiring from them. once again i asked all to leave. They continued to sit outside my home for at least another ten minutes – all the time listening to my dogs barking furiously, and me trying (unsuccessfully) to quieten them.
So – my questions are:
1) how does that happen? You cannot get an inspector round to inspect things for months because they are so backed up. NEVER do you get all three together. There is no way this is an ordinary response to a complaint. So how does one arrange that sort of intimidation?
2) they could see from the road that my ‘structure’ was neither derelict or unsound. Why did they continue to harass me, when it must have been immediately obvious that this was yet another frivolous complaint??
3) what if it hadn’t been built ‘to code’? what if i was living in a tent or a tin shack? What if i had kids? Since when did have we building covenants and restrictions in the acres? What are these people’s powers and what are the possible consequences for failing or refusing?
4) isn’t this the very definition of harassment and selective enforcement? How do i deal with that? how do i protect my family and home from further harassment?
Despite the fact that i called warren lee (the director of the public works) immediately and requested a return call from him at his earliest convenience, he did not return my call. i spent yesterday on the phone to various people and eventually spoke to mr lee around 3:30. i have asked for the following.
1) a copy of the complaint, 2) an explanation on how this was organized 3) the consequences if i had been living in a tin shack.
i have made another phone appointment with him for 11:30. i spoke to our current attourney, and was advised that they unable to help me out-side of their current purview. however they gave the name of another.
it is possible that there are enough people to initiate a class action suit.......so if anyone has any experience of being harassed as a result of their association with the Hawaiian Acres, please message me. your replies will be strictly confidential. additionally if any one has any experiences at all with the county inspectors, please message me.
if anyone has any advice at all on the best way of dealing with this, either personally or as a community, please share.
#10048;
So picture this. There i am getting ready for the opening of the university art show (i won an award), just finished putting on all my ‘going out special’ make-up on, but i’m still in my bath robe. Three white vans pull up opposite my gate and sit there. My dogs go crazy barking and jumping and i shout at them trying to calm them down but no way, so i go out side in my robe and shout ‘hello, can i help you?’ it transpires that they are all there to inspect my property. i do actually have current building permits for my property and the property has been built to code, I refused to give them permission, and told them all to ‘bugger off’, but caught between proving that i had nothing to hide, and facing down all three men (remember i am in full make-up and a bathrobe, and must look like a total nutter, and its 10am), i agreed to allow the building inspector to see that the cabin was indeed sound and followed all the building requirements. He asked a couple of questions, and seemed satisfied, and i then expected them all to leave, but they didn't. they just sat outside my house (with my dogs still going crazy).
So i went back out side and shouted at them all some more, asked to have the name of their manager and eventually allowed the ‘plumbing inspector' access to the toilet. I also have a permitted cess-pit, so simply showed him the finished bathroom. I flushed it to show that it was connected to a solar powered water pump. He looked all around and when i questioned what he was looking FOR he said that there didn't appear to be a ‘vent pipe’. I showed him the vent pipe, and he then said he couldn't tell if it was the correct diameter! I told him to leave! I continued to refuse entry to the electrician, on the grounds that I HAVE NO ELECTRIC!! He tried to tell me that even my soar panels count and that i need a permit and inspection for the wiring from them. once again i asked all to leave. They continued to sit outside my home for at least another ten minutes – all the time listening to my dogs barking furiously, and me trying (unsuccessfully) to quieten them.
So – my questions are:
1) how does that happen? You cannot get an inspector round to inspect things for months because they are so backed up. NEVER do you get all three together. There is no way this is an ordinary response to a complaint. So how does one arrange that sort of intimidation?
2) they could see from the road that my ‘structure’ was neither derelict or unsound. Why did they continue to harass me, when it must have been immediately obvious that this was yet another frivolous complaint??
3) what if it hadn’t been built ‘to code’? what if i was living in a tent or a tin shack? What if i had kids? Since when did have we building covenants and restrictions in the acres? What are these people’s powers and what are the possible consequences for failing or refusing?
4) isn’t this the very definition of harassment and selective enforcement? How do i deal with that? how do i protect my family and home from further harassment?
Despite the fact that i called warren lee (the director of the public works) immediately and requested a return call from him at his earliest convenience, he did not return my call. i spent yesterday on the phone to various people and eventually spoke to mr lee around 3:30. i have asked for the following.
1) a copy of the complaint, 2) an explanation on how this was organized 3) the consequences if i had been living in a tin shack.
i have made another phone appointment with him for 11:30. i spoke to our current attourney, and was advised that they unable to help me out-side of their current purview. however they gave the name of another.
it is possible that there are enough people to initiate a class action suit.......so if anyone has any experience of being harassed as a result of their association with the Hawaiian Acres, please message me. your replies will be strictly confidential. additionally if any one has any experiences at all with the county inspectors, please message me.
if anyone has any advice at all on the best way of dealing with this, either personally or as a community, please share.
#10048;
#10048;