I honestly think inspectors must have a quota for “creative” feedback. The “too decorative” light fixture thing is wild, but weirdly, not the most bizarre I’ve heard. I once had a client get flagged because their new bathroom tile was “too reflective”—like, what does that even mean? Sometimes it feels like you’re being punked.
But here’s the thing: the permit process is meant to catch safety issues, not stifle creativity. It’s frustrating, but you can usually work with the inspector if you’re persistent and show you care about doing things right. I’d say, don’t let it kill your design vision. You might have to tweak a few details, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for bland or boring. Honestly, some of my best projects came out better because we had to get creative to work around code. It’s annoying in the moment, but you’ll get there—just keep your eye on the big picture.
Had a similar run-in last year—got dinged for using “non-traditional” exterior paint on a flip. Inspector said it was too “bold” for the neighborhood. Honestly, I just laughed at that one. Ended up chatting with the inspector, and it turned out he was mostly worried about resale value, not code. After a couple of tweaks and a lot of patience, we got it through. Sometimes you just have to play along and pick your battles. It’s annoying, but I’ve found these hiccups usually push me to rethink the design in a good way.
Yeah, I’ve run into that kind of thing more times than I can count. Sometimes it feels like inspectors just want to flex a bit, but honestly, it’s usually about keeping the peace with the neighbors or the HOA. I’ve found it’s easier to just tweak the plans a little and move on—arguing rarely gets you anywhere. Had to repaint a whole porch once because the color was “too modern.” Still bugs me, but at least it sold fast.
“I’ve found it’s easier to just tweak the plans a little and move on—arguing rarely gets you anywhere.”
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, sometimes I think we give in too quickly. I mean, yeah, it’s usually faster to just change things and keep the peace, but there’s a line. If the inspector or HOA is being totally unreasonable—like nitpicking stuff that isn’t even in the guidelines—I’ll push back a bit. Not saying go full-on confrontation mode, but asking for clarification or even requesting a second opinion has worked for me before.
That said, repainting a porch because it was “too modern” is wild. I had to swap out perfectly good windows once because they didn’t have the right grid pattern. Still annoys me when I drive by that house... But at the end of the day, if you want to get things done without endless delays, picking your battles is key. Sometimes you gotta eat the cost and move on, other times it’s worth standing your ground. Just depends how much time (and patience) you’ve got left.
I totally get the frustration.
That’s honestly been my go-to lately. I once had a project where the city kept rejecting our lighting plan because they said it was “too industrial”—whatever that means. After a couple rounds of changes, I finally just asked for specifics and brought in a sample board. Turns out, they just didn’t like the color temperature. One small tweak and it sailed through. Sometimes it’s worth pushing back a little, but yeah, you gotta know when to just let it go or you’ll drive yourself nuts.“...asking for clarification or even requesting a second opinion has worked for me before.”
