11-08-2007, 11:40 AM
We're no professionals in this, but... my $.02 worth.
First, when we went to the Hilo Building dept for permits for our house, greenhouse and garage, we experienced friendly, helpful folks. The process was a bit convoluted, but was reasonable timely (a month or so). This was in Fall, 2004. Our experience with the inspectors was also good -- courteous, helpful and reasonable timely.
Our pervious experience with building depts in Hawaii was in maui, but our general contractor dealt with that in most satisfying way. No hassles, no diatribes, no nothing.
All that said, it can't come even CLOSE to the experience we had in Sunnyvale, CA (South Bay Area). Sunnyvale got an award by the Clinton administration for "best city manangement", in part for the re-org of their building department. They brought all the regulatory parties together in one building. You walked in (no appointment necessary), sat down at the counter with your plans, and they brought everyone to you. I had to make one trip home to get a forgotten piece of paper, but all told, it was about 1/2 day's time to get our building permits for an enormous remodel of our home by a General Contractor. The only negative experience there was as we approached final, the inspector got a bit picky and such, but that was it.
No, California does not have a corner on the perfection market, but I have just heard that a local friend is now 7 months and counting to get a permit for one of the trojan package homes. That is way outside our experience just a short couple of years ago, so it makes me wonder.
A lot always has to do with inappropriate displays of attitude. The front area staff at any public service department often get little recognition for when they do things right, just diatribes when things don't go the way the "customers" want them to. Having spent enough time doing that in the early years of my career, I know that a little good will goes a long way. I think its especially true when moving into a new culture (Hawaii vs mainland, especially fast-paced CA).
Anyway, all else being equal, if there's poor service, and self-exam points the problem away from my own behavior, I ought to have a reasonable way to ask for some insight into what the hold-up is. In any bureaucracy there needs to be a way for folks to swim upstream when there's a problem encountered, but its not always obvious, and usually is not found when accompanied by poor manners on either side.
Jane
"come on people, now,
smile on your brother,
got to love one another right now...
(I probably got the words wrong, by jesse had the sentinment right!)
First, when we went to the Hilo Building dept for permits for our house, greenhouse and garage, we experienced friendly, helpful folks. The process was a bit convoluted, but was reasonable timely (a month or so). This was in Fall, 2004. Our experience with the inspectors was also good -- courteous, helpful and reasonable timely.
Our pervious experience with building depts in Hawaii was in maui, but our general contractor dealt with that in most satisfying way. No hassles, no diatribes, no nothing.
All that said, it can't come even CLOSE to the experience we had in Sunnyvale, CA (South Bay Area). Sunnyvale got an award by the Clinton administration for "best city manangement", in part for the re-org of their building department. They brought all the regulatory parties together in one building. You walked in (no appointment necessary), sat down at the counter with your plans, and they brought everyone to you. I had to make one trip home to get a forgotten piece of paper, but all told, it was about 1/2 day's time to get our building permits for an enormous remodel of our home by a General Contractor. The only negative experience there was as we approached final, the inspector got a bit picky and such, but that was it.
No, California does not have a corner on the perfection market, but I have just heard that a local friend is now 7 months and counting to get a permit for one of the trojan package homes. That is way outside our experience just a short couple of years ago, so it makes me wonder.
A lot always has to do with inappropriate displays of attitude. The front area staff at any public service department often get little recognition for when they do things right, just diatribes when things don't go the way the "customers" want them to. Having spent enough time doing that in the early years of my career, I know that a little good will goes a long way. I think its especially true when moving into a new culture (Hawaii vs mainland, especially fast-paced CA).
Anyway, all else being equal, if there's poor service, and self-exam points the problem away from my own behavior, I ought to have a reasonable way to ask for some insight into what the hold-up is. In any bureaucracy there needs to be a way for folks to swim upstream when there's a problem encountered, but its not always obvious, and usually is not found when accompanied by poor manners on either side.
Jane
"come on people, now,
smile on your brother,
got to love one another right now...
(I probably got the words wrong, by jesse had the sentinment right!)