Mr. Zagami’s story does not pass the sniff test.
1) He built the house on a utility easement; it just does not get any dumber than that. Would anyone here build their home on a utility easement? Just curious, lets see a show of hands.
2) Just because you got your plans past permitting does not mean you don’t have to use common sense or that you can violate building codes. I have done many a job where something on the plans was not right and still made it past plan review, and guess what… I still had to do it right to get it past the inspector; plan review is not the final check, its just one of the checks. If you got a permit to build your house in a flood plain, and your house flooded, you could not blame permitting.
3) Mr. Zagami was warned repeatedly not to build on the easement by the POCO.
“Debbie Drew, the spokeswoman, said Zagami built his home on National Grid’s easement and ignored its repeated warning to stop.”
Yet he did it anyway an that is somehow the poco’s fault?
4) $360K for a 1,700 SF house? That is $211 a square foot; unless the land cost him $190k (which it probably does not since it is on a UTILITY EASMENT), I don’t buy it.
If you can’t build a house yourself for under $100 a square foot, you are doing it wrong.(Granted I am being a snob but that does not look like an expensive house to me)
5) What bank in their right mind would make a home construction loan for a house built on a utility easement? ]
6) … and now this is all somehow everyone other than Mr. Zagami’s fault, who is the complete victim of a “bad home inspector who no longer works for the city”?
Sorry I have worked construction long enough to be jaded and I just don’t buy it. This guy is either a complete idiot, or smart enough to think he could pull a fast one, but got caught and is trying to come up with the “right” story.
[This message has been edited by ITO (edited 01-03-2007).]