From commercial pilot to general contractor: (8) More hoops and hurdles

EDITOR’S NOTE: John Bleasby is a retired commercial pilot transitioning to life as a general contractor. As he builds his family’s new home north of Toronto he is blogging his experiences.

Two weeks ago, I briefly outlined the procedures required for obtaining a building and septic permit in my area. That was just the start. There is, and continues to be, much more to acting as my own GC than mere building permit applications; there are the inspection themselves, each step along the way. So far, there have been about 5 inspections. There will be at least that many again before I’m done.

Cautionary signage and steel perimeter security fencing are an important part of defining your safe work site.

Much to my surprise these inspections have (so far) been pleasant experiences. All I have to do is phone an automated line a couple of days ahead to book an appointment, leaving my name, building permit number, the type of inspection needed, the date and time requested, and whether I prefer an afternoon or morning appointment. I can even request a 30 minute advance call ahead of the visit. Alternately, I can do all this over the internet on the Township website. I will only be contacted if there is a scheduling conflict. So far, it has been a flawless process.

However, before the first shovel hit the ground, there were other processes to go through that had nothing to do with the Township. I needed liability insurance as the owner/general contractor, for example, coverage that was over above what each trade might carry on their own.

Looking through the Ministry workplace safety and contracting guidelines, I learned there was even more. To mention just a few…. I had to register my project; I had to take a first aid course. (I brought along my chief carpenter with me and we had a blast!); I had to collect insurance and WSIB information from all the trades involved; I had to maintain a properly identified first aid station and install a 6 foot high steel perimeter fencing around the job site, not the cheap plastic stuff that the wind can blow over. I’ve added numerous large orange pylons to aid drivers with vehicles, and of course all kinds of cautionary signage typical of a professional work site. (An interesting side note about construction signage: you can pay $20 per sign at a safety supply store, or download and print your own signage from the internet and have the local print shop laminate them for weather-proofing.)

The numerous workplace safety guidelines for contractors are all available from your respective provincial ministry, and include amongst other subjects such obvious things as hard hats, high-viz clothing, harness and tie-off’s at height…it’s all straight forward if you read the information. At the same time, I also found that the trades I hired were themselves aware of the workplace safety rules impacting them and, since it’s in everyone’s mutual interest to work safely, have the correct gear for the job at hand.

Have I mentioned the utility inspections? So far, my electrical and gas utilities have visited the site to inspect, approve, and mark off required trenches in advance of connecting my new house to their services.  Every utility visitor has been helpful and friendly, as has been the office staff on the phones.

I list these permit, insurance, safety and inspection issues because they can be overwhelming for a first time contractor. However, 14 weeks into my project, everything has gone well. Perhaps it’s because I chose to play by the rules, right from the outset.