Failed Inspection = Poor Quality?

When you are building a house, you hear a lot about inspections.  The builder would love to, but cannot continue building your house because he is waiting on an inspection.  If you don't see any progress at your house, it is because of inspections. We failed the inspection, so we cannot proceed.  Which got me wondering:  Does a failed inspection indicated poor workmanship?

Well, it turns out there are many reasons a project might fail inspection and not all of them are an indication of poor quality work.  For example, our foundation recently failed a plumbing inspection THREE times.  Yikes!  It turns out that those failures were a result of confusion.  The inspectors thought an additional permit was needed, when in fact it was not.  So, on three different occasions an inspector came out to out property, decided that we did not have the proper permit, and failed us.  

City inspectors are not looking for quality, but are looking to ensure that the builder is following the city's rules.  Making sure that your house is not built upon or obstructing a city's easement.  The inspector is really only looking out for the city's interest.  That's why when you are purchasing a house, the buyer typically brings in an independent inspector.  This inspector is looking out for the buyer's interest and will assess the quality of the work.

Most large cities allow the public to access the building permits.  Log on to your city's system, type in your address, and voila!  You can see the permit applications, when inspections are schedule, and the inspector's name and phone number who is overseeing each inspection.  In my experience, the inspectors are friendly and willing to tell you exactly what is going on with the inspection.