what is the general consensus on getting the proper construction permits?
 

targas' thread has me thinking. doing home improvement/repairs..do you call "the man", and get it all done legit? or weekend work..i mean.."what work?"

Depends on the level of skill required for the project and whether or not the work is visible from the street...

depends on whether you need to turn off your main gas line or pull the power at the pole.
Steve

$25K bathroom reno, all new plumbing and electric, no permit. All it is is a reason to raise your property taxes. Make sure your electrician and plumber know what they're doing and you're good.

I think unlicensed/non permit upgrades truly hit when a home goes up for sale. Until then, enjoy that illegal rec room. SmileWavy

That is pretty much the test I use.

as an architect, i can't tell people to do work without a permit, technically you would need a plumbing and electrical permit, & maybe building if you are moving any bearing walls BUT!!!!! that being said, It's just a way for the city to impose a TAX on you for improving your home.
Make sure your electrician & plumber are LICENSED and know you won't be pulling permits, sometimes they will give you a break on the price because they don't have to deal with inspectors, but you are at the peril if anything goes wrong, or if the city finds out & red tags you, then you would be hit with penalties & fines... so go for it, but i didn't tell you that, right

I would get a permit for any addition to the structure, the electrical system, or the plumbing system. I would get a permit for finishing an unfinished basement. I would get a permit for any outside project, if the local building dept. would expect one to be issued, e.g. adding a deck. I wouldn't get a permit to move an electrical circuit or plumbing within a room. I also wouldn't get one to move, modify, or remove a non-load-bearing wall.

When I had my roof done, the city charged me $60 for a roofing permit. The permit (which I had to put in my window) also meant the city would pick up whatever roofing material I dragged to the curb. 18,000 lbs. of shingles and felt, or roughly two dumptrucks full. I'd say I got my money's worth.

The city did change the law in December (I finished my roof in September) raise the price of the permits, plus now each load the front-end loader picks up costs $50.

The permit + pickup fees would have run me around $600 had I done the roof this year.

that could best be answered by the "clown non attorney" neighbor of mine.


here i think anything over 1500 or 2000 bucks demands PERMITS.


and if ya dont have permits................well lets just say they make your life HELL! because they can and they will...........and they will enjoy it.


REDTAG=HELL!


bottom line...........its worth it. but reality is it PROTECTS YOU from slimeball POS worthless lowlife SCUM contractors.


so look at it this way:

your team= you and ZEO(zoning enforcement ossifer) AGAINST


their team=cheap ass cut corners contractor.

and that = a well built/quality/SAFE finished product,whatever the hell it is.

Keep in mind a permit and inspection will protect you, the homeowner, and give you legal recourse should anything go wrong.

A couple cases in point:
1. My elderly neighbor had an illegal deck put on in back by a kid through another neighbor's reference. It "looked good" from next door, but then I got to examine it up close.
-The deck was freakin 4 inches above the interior floor level(obvious tripping hazard), so all the dirt and leaves would collect and blow inside.
-Who knows if there was a proper vapor barrier and flashing installed, and whether everything will start rotting and/or leaking?
-Who knows if the posts were set at least 4ft. below grade, or if they will start heaving and rip out her sill plate with everything attached to it?

2. I bought my house a few years ago without knowing much about construction.
The previous owner had put on an addition, and there was some paperwork back and fourth with the City griping about a few inches varience in footprint. The cracking didn't show until the next year.
-As it turns out, the structural design was completely wrong, so it will cost me big dinero to fix. Wasn't planning on that.
-If the City thinks fixing this is an "upgrade" and a reason to raise my taxes, they would be wrong. This will be fixing their mistakes. After I checked, there was no final inspection done.

Most subs like plumbers and electricians will pull thier own permits with the city. They don't want to get caught doing nonpermitted work. In my little City a permit is the better way to go. Some places charge you 2x or 3x the fee if you are caught not permited.

Around here, the outsourced garbage collectors get credit for providing tips to code enforcement is they see construction debris in your waste.

Some of this **** is just BS. I have a full permit pulled on everything done on the house I am working on. It is my own and plan to flip it and make some money. It is a complete rebuilt from the inside out. I am just about done beside the yard work, or landscapeif you want to call it that and exterior painting. final's been signed off 3-4 weeks ago. I have a lovely new inspector around the area who decided to drop by uninvited. I think because he saw us painting. He demanded a permit for the rear door and made noise about shutting the job down. I replaced a rotted french door. WTF.

I always pull permits for all my jobs. It is just not worth it. My own house, not really except for the big stuff like a Kitchen remod. I built a 500sq' Ipe deck without it. It is so over built, you could could drive a tractor on it. The money I save on permits and engineering paid for more then 3/4 of the materials. Still they might not allow me to build it. When I sell, I just have to disclose it.

Bingo!! It will come back to bite you eventually. I have customers that want me to do work without a permit. I flat out refuse. #1, I'm not risking my license. #2 It's for their own protection.
I'm not saying Ive done work on my own house without a permit. But yes its also a big money maker for the town, and allot of times its totally unnecessary

i could have saved $2000 if i had gone with these other contractors. the one i chose, was completely professional. they are pulling the permit, calling for city inspection..and buttoning it up. i figured a trench going down the side of my yard would raise a few eyebrows.

i dont know how much the PO used the city's inspectors. from here on out, i think i will.

thanks for the various inputs.

all it takes is pissing somejuan off and the next thang ya know.................you have a new friend called an "INSPECTOR". and then it gets SPENDY!


after what i have seen here(we call it "blow and go") building.................man you are STOOPID NOT to pull permits.


wanna bet the the homes(NBC NEWS) on the east coast built with HAZMAT material in the drywall from china were not permitted!!!!

Just adding as another architect that if it has a new foundation, you for sure need to get yourself a permit.

Also anything which affects the property line like a fence (post with foundation) very good idea to get a survey and permit.

i was just being a smart azz - i would never condone doing work without a permit, especially anything structural, but i have also made good money doing post red tag violation work.
I have seen nice room additions (250K+) that have been torn down because of zoning violations that could not be resolved, due to non-permitted work
It is a total nightmare getting caught with non-permitted work & you would have trouble when you went to sell the house. As i did state, you are on the hook if anything went wrong, like an electrical fire, or construction defects, but that also applies if you go "owner/builder" and pull the permits yourself, but that's a topic for another post.

thats crazy! the public agency i work for could never have their S together that much.