using pad under AGP do I need sand too?? also Ottawa permit

[cyw95]

we have leveled the place the pool will go. It was patio and we moved the stones, shovelled out as much of the stone dust we could, tamped it all. We are getting a pad for under the pool but do we really need to put sand too?? Wont the tarp, then the pad be enough?

And if anyone is interested in how Ottawa works for permits, every person you speak to at city hall has a different answer.
We got an email for our permit being ready for pickup Friday at 3pm. we could pick up at city hall. so hubby went to get it, we were excited as we could get the pool up for our last week of holidays coming up. NOPE!!!!!! The permit is ready, but now we need to call the inspector to come and look??????? Never was I told this is any of my 3 phone calls to city hall to get info. So now, being a weekend, we have to wait til Monday to call the guy and BOOK AN APPOINTMENT???? Holy frig people, get your Darn together!! Hopefully it goes well and we can get a appt ASAP, and get this puppy up and running before it gets too cold to enjoy it!

 

[cramar]

Re: using pad under AGP do I need sand too?? also Ottawa pe

I appreciate your frustration, when I built my pool and deck I was in the permit office a couple of times and I have a new appreciation for the level of chaos that goes on in that place, remember that whatever they sign off on implicates the local gov't in liability.
I saw a line up of people with various quality plans and none of them met the code requirements specific to their site, even seemingly great looking construction template plans take absolutely ZERO consideration into things like setbacks and easements for a site and most required changes to the plans. And every person in line want's their permit ASAP yet if the 'you know what' hits the fan the first thing they'll do is blame the permit office.

I've tried researching things in the Ontario building code and if you want a lesson in futility, try reading that monstrosity of a thing. And the guys in the permit office have to know that thing quite well.
I've come to know one of the guys in charge of the permit office and I have to say that his job is challenging and it's absolutely not one I would want.

Just saying.

 

[cyw95]

Re: using pad under AGP do I need sand too?? also Ottawa pe

funny thing, I have great respect for all front line workers in city hall. I worked at the court office years ago and dealt with my fair share of Crud. What I was saying was the people I have spoken with have told me different things for the permit. One said it would take 5 working days. One said it would take 2 weeks. One said we would get a phone call, one said an inspector would come and sign off on it. Not once in my various dealings did anyone mention us having to make appt with an inspector. The day my hubby picked up the permit he could have called that afternoon but they said call Monday. So I got up early Monday and called my appointed inspector, lo and behold, on holidays til next week???? So I called a supervisors number gathered after many phone calls to various depts and she called me back and even she said we should have been given another inspector. So she assigned one to us, he calls about 2 hours later (this is going on 4 hours of phone calls now) says he will be there at about noon, he shows up at 3pm! so I understand I would not want their job but as I said to the supervisor I am trying not to Tick people off but enough is enough of the ineptitude!!
We also had our survey with easements and right of ways property lines etc all marked to make it easier for the permit office to approve our plans so that was in our favor.