The first shovel went in the ground almost 12 months ago and inspection day for my final CO (certificate of occupancy) finally arrived. Bursting with excitement I selected a bottle of Vintage Champagne from my wine cellar.

I was confident the inspection was a rubber-stamp to my temporary CO (recently expired) since I completed a short punch-list. The building inspector arrived at 8 am and without a good morning response, he asks “what’s the new hole in the garage ceiling?” Totally surprised because it was a small hole from installing garage doors, I apologized but quickly replaced the cutout and we moved on.  Next was a review of makeup-air (is this word in the dictionary). He criticized the installation but after offering to call my HVAC guy, he reluctantly approved. At this point I struggled to remain calm but needless to say, I was angry. And the inspection quickly went south when he saw a new deck and patio. The inspector demands “where are the ADA railings on stairs” and I say “huh”? A  beautiful PVC deck must now have a white aluminum banister below the existing hand railing because…someone, please explain why?

This short exchange concluded without approvals. Totally pissed-off but undaunted, I immediately made arrangements to remedy issues and reschedule the inspection.  My  champagne celebration will go on ice for another day.

A few days later, another inspection and unceremoniously I receive the FINAL CO! That evening we enjoy a tasty bottle of vintage Champagne.  BTW my short career of General Contractor is over – you will no longer hear my woes of home renovation.

H BLIN Champagne 2006 Millesime (vintage in French)
50% Pinot Meunier 50% Chardonnay
Wine Enthusiast 94 rating “Crisp, tight acidity and still-young, fresh fruitiness give this wine its initial brightness. Rich and full in the mouth, it also has a range of complex fruit flavors followed by hints of toastiness that will only continue to develop. It should be aged further, so drink from 2016.”

Other champagne posts are  Visit Reims and Holiday Bubbles

Cheers, Bob the Wineguy
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