The County - Our first snag

We actually had a run-in with the county government before we had a run in with the county government. We had decided to add a little more usable space by putting a private loft above the master bedroom closet. We had planned to use an inexpensive ship ladder to get up there, much like people use to get into their attics. The county said we had to have stairs, which costs more of course. Ellen was angry and demanded to know who she should talk with. I asked Jim Ince, "so how much trouble will we be in if Ellen really pisses off the inspectors?" He said he didn't know since he always tried to avoid making them angry. Ellen did contact them, but was very polite and went away quietly. We'll have stairs of some kind.

When Jim applied for a building permit though, the county said," We hain't seen nuttin' like dis afore. You gotta getcha an arkytect to put hiss seal on dem dere shop drawins." Yes, that's abusive of our local government officials, but really, this house is designed to withstand a hurricane for pity's sake. Despite efforts by Jim and Riverbend to educate them, they refused to budge. This is just an example of government CYA in action. So now we have to pay for an architect to say in words they might understand, "yup, she ain't a gonna fall down." I can only hope that architects have a reasonable impression of their value. I hope they don't think they're doctors or lawyers or rock stars.