Let's review

So far we've learned several valuable lessons. Don't sign a contract that you haven't read completely, don't do business with Canton Title, and don't expect crackheads to clean up after themselves, pay their bills, or do anything that resembles a good job when it comes to construction. Now that that is all behind us, we are stuck in a holding pattern waiting to get building plans to get permits from Baltimore City. Permits are a minor inconvenience, if you are fond of being ass raped, but are essential to having your project run smoothly if you intend to do more than a little construction. Most licensed contractors pull their own, but any work you do yourself may be spot inspected. An inspector has the authority to stop you from proceeding with construction and will frequently boast that they can fine you $10,000.00 and put you in jail. I have never heard of that happening and my understanding is that these sentences can be imposed by a judge if you are willfully neglectful, or brazenly ignore their recommendations. Nonetheless, having a good relationship with your inspector will help you avoid fines and may help to minimize frequency of inspections and seemingly arbitrary complaints which cost you time and money. Really the system is thinly veiled extortion scheme whereby the city is nice enough to let you pay them to make them go away. Isn't repressive government great...but I digress.
The best way to work with the city is to keep them in the loop as much as you have to. I suppose this is a vague statement so I will clarify. If there is any chance that the city will find out what you are doing, tell them first. Case in point, there is a house in my neighborhood that has been gutted and has succeeded in receiving variances(I will address this in the near future) to dig out the basement, and raise each successive floor to increase the basement height ot make it livable(I believe the threshold is 7'8" to be considered occupyable space, but I can't remember). Everything moved along well until the brick was removed from the front of the house and the inspector was able to visualize what the happy little elves had been up to inside. Needless to say, it was only a couple days before a bright orange card on the front of the house indicated that the workday was done. The process of getting the city to lift a "stop work" order is about as predictable as playing what's in my ass with Barney Frank. Sometimes everything flows well other times, not so much.
We are bound to experience this soon so I will be sure to report everything we face.

crackhead carpentry-- half a dozen 2x4's to replace the support of a brick wall 

Welcome to the Jungle... the beauty of a crackhouse