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Page 24 2016 Fall Home Improvement LINCOLN DAILY NEWS SEPT. 27, 2016
John Lebegue is Lincoln’s Building and Safety
Officer. John stated that he felt his role was to
protect the homeowner’s investment in their property.
He also wants to secure the values and safety of those
homes in the surrounding neighborhood.
One of the things Lebegue wants to see first is a
building plan. For simpler projects a rough sketch is
adequate. For larger more complex buildings a more
detailed plan is sought.
There are generally a series of inspections throughout
the building process. Each step is designed so that
the homeowner is getting quality work and that
everything is being done according to the laws.
The zoning officer likes to see the foundation
and footings, and especially to see the wiring and
plumbing before the drywall goes over them.
Lebegue shared a story of a group of people who
traveled throughout a particular area buying houses
very cheaply and made quick cosmetic repairs and
flipped them to make a profit and then move on to the
next town. This was discovered when the inspectors
found out that the plumbing wouldn’t drain properly
and there was the smell of sewer gas. Upon getting
an emergency stop work order they gained access
to the property, removed the drywall and found 25
plumbing violations and 12 electrical code violations.
The contractors were fined $10,000 and the violations
had to be resolved.
More often than not the mistakes are innocent
enough; someone simply didn’t know there was a law
governing what they were wanting to accomplish.
That is why it is important to involve his office early
on. An added layer of protection in this process is
that his office may know the contractors reputation
for workmanship.
Lebegue shared another story of an elderly lady
having a roof replaced only to discover it leaked
around the chimney after the roofers had left. When
he went to look at it he discovered that the flashing
around the chimney had not been installed properly.
The roofers were not licensed, which is against
the law. Roofers must be licensed by the State of
Illinois. When the roofing company was found they
were forced to pay a licensed roofer to install a new
roof properly.
Horror stories from
the building inspector
O
ften times when beginning a home project, be it big or
small, one of the initial steps is to involve the Building
and Safety Office to secure a Building Permit. While not
every job requires a permit, many do.
By Roy Logan
John Lebegue
Continued ►