You know that feeling when a police car turns on its lights, and you instantly think it’s for you? Was I speeding? Is a tail light out? What did I do wrong?!​
And then… they speed past you.

Inspections give you that same feeling. If you’ve had one, you know exactly what I mean. I stressed over every single inspection.

Were there major issues? No.
Did they all pass with flying colours? Also no.
And that’s normal.

Every Inspector Is Different

Homeowners panic when they hear they didn’t pass. I’ve seen it time and time again—suddenly questioning every trade involved, wondering if something was done wrong, or assuming the workmanship wasn’t up to par.

But here’s the thing: most inspections don’t fail because of poor quality or lack of skill. That’s not what inspectors are looking for. Their job isn’t to assess how “nice” something looks or how well it was built—it’s to make sure it meets code. Period.

And I’ve known inspectors who’ve passed some pretty rough work—not because they wanted to, but because it technically met code. On the flip side, beautiful work can get flagged simply because one small detail wasn’t code-compliant.

So when inspections fail, it’s usually because:

• Something wasn’t built to code

• A requirement was missed or misinterpreted

• The wrong fastener, bracket, or material was used

• A detail (like blocking or fire caulking) was forgotten during a rush to meet the deadline

• Documentation or permits weren’t on-site or visible

• Or paperwork was missing or not sent in in time

And here’s where it gets a little complicated: every inspector is different. Some are strict, some are more relaxed, and there’s a surprising amount of grey area in how building codes are interpreted. What one inspector might pass, another might not blink twice at—and vice versa. It’s not always black and white.

A Real-Life Example: The Barn

Take our latest project, the barn: a detached accessory building, aka. a workshop with a rec. room above. When we had our insulation inspected, we walked through with the inspector and asked, What’s the bare minimum to get this done?

He said some inspectors will require all drywall to be mudded and taped, while others won’t care. Some will want painted or finished floors, others won’t bat an eye. But here are X, Y, and Z that must be done.

When it came down to it, our inspector didn’t care about the mud and tape. Didn’t care about the plywood floors. But he did flag our exposed spray-foam insulation on the 10’ ceiling. The last inspector didn’t say a word about it, but this one wanted it covered. So we grabbed some drywall and got it done.

It’s Not a Test. It’s a Checkpoint.

That’s how inspections go. They’re not pass/fail in the way we like to think. They’re checkpoints—things that just need to get wrapped up before you move forward.

Inspections are there to keep things safe, keep things moving, and yes, occasionally give you a minor heart attack.

If you get flagged for something, don’t panic. Fix it. Keep going. No project is ever built in a straight line, and no home is ever truly “finished.”