How to Be a CalGreen Special Inspector
Getting a CalGreen Special Inspector certification indicates that you have a basic understanding of the California Green Building Standards Code.
What the certification does not do is train you how to actually do the job of a CalGreen inspector.
Many people get the certification for the recognition. They have no intention of performing the duties of an inspector. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, this was the reason I initially got my certification.
A series of unintended consequences led me to becoming our consulting engineering office’s CalGreen Code expert. As a result, I ended up doing all of our Calgreen inspections.
By this time in my career I had been designing mechanical systems for residential and commercial buildings for over 30 years. I had a solid understanding of sustainable building design and construction. I had also spent many hours on hundreds of projects inspecting HVAC, plumbing, Fire Protection, and Electrical systems. I had also spent thousands of hours working with architectural and engineering teams to design, coordinate, and integrate building systems.
By the time the opportunity to be a CalGreen special inspector came along I thought I was well suited for the job. I quickly learned that this was not the case.
When I was asked to do the first inspection it dawned on me that there was no language in the code that provided any guidance on how a CalGreen inspection was to be performed. When I reached out to the local building department, they provided no guidance either. In fact, the person I talked to was somewhat perturbed that I didn’t know what my job was!
In addition to understanding how to do an onsite inspection, there are many other aspects of this work that need to be understood.
These include:
- The ethics of being an inspector
- The art of code interpretation
- Reviewing permit plans for compliance with the code
- Authoring CalGreen checklist
- Putting the checklist on a drawing sheet to match the permit set size
- Communicating any deficiencies with the permit plans to the client
- Establishing fees
- Writing proposals
- Working with general contractors and subs
- Jobsite etiquette
- Working with building inspectors
- Dealing with disputes with the building department
- Educating architects and designers on the CalGreen code
- Building relationships with owners, architects, contractors and developers.
- Dealing with competition
This program will provide my personal insight into many years of doing this job. It will cover the above subjects in detail. It will provide the knowledge and confidence to deal with all aspects of performing the duties of a CalGreen Special Inspector.
