Special Inspections and Controlled Inspections

JL Drafting is the leader in special inspections and controlled inspections. We also offer Expediting for Building Permits in the New York Metro Area.

Special Inspections or Controlled Inspections

History of Special Inspections

In 2008, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has rolled out its first major set of changes to the city's building code in 40 years. The new Construction Codes will ensure that, among other things, qualified technicians perform building inspections.

The current New York City building codes have not gone through a major revision since 1968, and have been pieced together over the years resulting in a code that is "long, cumbersome, and difficult to interpret," according to the DOB website www.nyc.gov/buildings. The revisions have taken over four years and involved "over 400 stakeholders representing architects, engineers, labor, real estate, government, accessibility advocates and others [who] volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours in a consensus-based process to develop the new codes," says Carly Sullivan, a DOB spokesperson.

According to the DOB website, "The Buildings Department intends to mandate, as of July 1, 2008, that all special inspections must be conducted by a Special Inspection Agency. These agencies must be registered with the department as qualified to conduct specified inspections and employ special inspectors."

The 1968 Building Code allowed professional engineers and licensed architects to conduct required inspections during the construction process. These inspections were called controlled inspections and ensured that work was safe and being constructed according to approved plans and specifications. Under the new New York City Construction Codes, controlled inspections have evolved into special inspections, which enhance controlled inspections by clarifying the qualifications and standards regarding proper inspections. The new codes mandate that special inspections be conducted by employees of Special Inspection Agencies, which must be registered with the department as qualified to conduct specified inspections."

Under the new regulations being implemented by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), Special Inspections must be conducted to verify that construction complies with the plans approved by the DOB. Special Inspection Agencies must be hired directly by the building owner rather than the contractor.

JL Drafting, Inc. received accreditation from the International Accreditation Service (IAS) to provide Special Inspections in September 2012 for various categories pertaining to fire protection, foundations, underpinning, excavation, concrete, structural steel, and site storm drainage. (JL Drafting, Inc. is designated as Special Inspection Agency 818.)

In general, a Special Inspection verifies that the construction materials used in a project and the configuration and installation of those materials are in accordance with the plans that were officially approved by the DOB. In addition, the Special Inspection Program implements specific verification tests when required by code. As a firm that been accredited to conduct these Special Inspections, JL Drafting, Inc. will play an integral role in current and future construction projects, which will need to meet the latest New York City Building Codes in order to attain Certificates of Occupancy.

Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC,  Bronx & Queens Special Inspections help homeowners, engineers, architects, and contractors who want to build or alter a home, commercial, industrial or office building. Special Inspections is an accredited firm that can do all the necessary inspections needed for your construction project.  Some examples are: Structural Cold Formed Steel, Cast in Place Concrete, Site Preparation, Structural Safety and Stability, Excavation – Sheeting Shoring and Bracing, Site Storm Drainage Disposal and Detention System Installation, Firestop, Draftstop and Fireblock Systems.

Why Use Special Inspections?

With the help of our Special Inspection services at Special Inspectionsyou won’t have to worry about faulty or poor construction quality.  We make sure to inspect each job at each phase of construction. With over 17 years of construction and engineering experience, we know what to look for.  

Time isn’t the only thing that can be wasted when you don’t use Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC Bronx & Queens Special Inspections services. Many people will spend hundreds of dollars while they try to get building permit approval themselves. After November 2012, a person who has a building permit needs to hire a Special Inspection Agency to close out the project.  If not you could spend thousands of dollars on fixing the wrong thing. As terrible as that sounds, many people will find out the hard way how much money they lose without Special Inspections help.

How Special Inspections Can Help?

First, you might be a architect, engineer, or contractor that can’t or is not a certified Special Inspection Agency.  There could be numerous reasons for this.  Maybe it’s cost prohibitive or the bulk of your work is outside of Queens.  We are an approved Special Inspection Agency with New York City Department of Buildings.

Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC Bronx & Queens Special Inspections assistance can vary from task to task. Sometimes, our expeditor will fill out the paperwork for you after obtaining the basic information that you have at your hands. By filling out the paperwork for you, you won’t lose time having to make corrections to the papers later on. It will be done right the first time, every time.

Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC, Bronx & Queens Special Inspections knowledge of rules and regulations also can be a huge asset. We will be able to tell you about all the little steps that have to be taken in order to make sure that your building permits, legal conversions, basement apartment legalization, ECB Violation or whatever is up to code. To help you this may include, with your approval, Special Inspections appearing with or for you for an ECB Violation Hearing, scheduling building inspections, drafting your building, facts on meeting any local zoning requirements that your area may have, how to respond to an ECB Violation, how to prepare for an ECB Violation Hearing, how to respond to an ECB Violation Hearing, etc.

Without Special Inspections, What Can Happen?

Without Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC, Bronx & Queens Special Inspections a lot of things can happen and some of them are quite surprising. One of the most common things that happens to people who decide not to hire us is they find out their architect, engineer, or contractor is not certified and they find out when it’s too late.  Again after November 2012, NYC Department of Buildings will not accept applications without a Special Inspection Agency named.

Special Inspections Prices

The fact is that the worth of having a Special Inspection professional on your team is priceless, but you should know how much you should expect to pay when hiring a Special Inspection Agency and using Inspection services. Pricing varies from Special Inspection Agency to Special Inspection Agency, but there are general pricing guidelines that you should expect. Unlike many services, which have a flat fee for everything that they do, the prices of Inspection services vary greatly depending on what needs to be done. You will get a price quote for each of the different services that you want to order from Special Inspections.

What To Look For In A Special Inspection Agency

Not all Special Inspection Agencies are the same. Finding a Special Inspection Agency that offers you excellent customer service when it comes to Special Inspections is important. In order to get the best service ask any questions and address any concerns that you may have and see if it is easy to work with Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC, Bronx & Queens Special Inspections.

A lot of experience often is another criterion that savvy shoppers look for in an Inspection Agency. After all, it’s going to be experience that will help Inspection Agencies give you the answers that you need, when you need them. We have over 17 years of experience in the industry.  Experienced Queens Inspection Agency personnel also will minimize the time in the inspection processes to get everything done ASAP. Special Inspections also might offer you some extra tips on how to finish your project with the least amount of hassle. They know local Queens laws like the backs of their hands, and know how to navigate sticky situations. Novice Special Inspection Agencies wouldn’t know a lot of these tricks, and may actually make costly mistakes.

The best way to find a good Special Inspections Agency is to use your common sense, and a little bit of instinct. After all, if a Special Inspections Agency doesn’t seem competent to you, chances are that they aren’t going to be competent.

 

Benefits of Using A Special Inspections Agency

Without Special Inspections, your project could cost a lot more money in repairs in the future.  For instance without proper Special Inspections of critical items such as framing, foundations, drywells, steel beams, it could cause cracks or unwanted settling.  This could lead to unsightly cracks in the walls or even worse uneven settlement of the structure.  Lack of experience or missing one single step can put your entire project on hold for a long time.   

There are very few things that could turn into a construction nightmare more easily than getting your building permits revoked. Imagine being forced out of your home, or being forced out of business due to an invalid building permit. Thousands of dollars could be wasted, and you might never really recover from the financial loss that can ensue if your building is condemned. Don’t let this happen to you – call for a Free Consultation Brooklyn, Staten Island, NYC, Bronx & Queens Special Inspections at 631 843-1949.