“I’LL BUILD IT TO CODE. WE DON’T NEED A PERMIT”
What You Need
What is a “building permit”?
Every municipality with which I am familiar requires some sort of permitting for additions and modifications to a home. Standards and requirements may vary but the requirement does not. A permit is usually issued by the building department, requires payment of a fee and comes with the requirement for progress inspections by a representative of the buidling department. If a contractor is saying that a permit is not required, I suggest that you call the building department, describe the scope of the work and learn for yourself. Permits are always required for modifications to plumbing, heating, electrical and the structure. One may or may not be required for removal and replacement of cabinets and/or a dishwasher or disposer.
Why do you need one?
Permits are required to protect your health and safety. The best general contractors, electricians and plumbers can miss something or simply be behind on recent building code revisions. Once those pipes and wires are buried in the wall you will learn about the errors the hard way! Just a few of the problems that I have encountered in my practice are missing attic insulation, improper construction of interior walls, ungrounded electrical outlets, overloaded electrical panels and un-connected plumbing drains. There are more but the preceeding should give you pause enough.
Does the building department inspection provide a “guaranty”?
Unfortunately, not! It is a good start. The municipal inspectors are usually competent but they are human and can be defensive. I found an instance of an unsafe difference in riser heights on a stairway and approached the chief inspector who said that the contractor must have gone back after it was inspected! That made a lot of sense! If you are doing a significant project, you should hire your own inspector who will become the third or fourth set of eyes evaluating the progress. A competent and responsible contractor will welcome the addition. Just be sure your inspector has the right perspective regarding his/her role. This sounds like a broken record but when the health and safety of your family is on the table, you want to have someone on your side.
Monitoring the process
Just obtaining the permit is only a start and I have seen many remodels where the contractor has the permit posted but never calls for an inspection. The homeowner did not know how to follow-up. The best thing that you can do is to know what inspections are required and then kind of casually ask your contractor when they are expected. The contractor will then know in a relatively non-threatening way that you know what to expect. Better yet, have the municipal and your personal inspections as a part of the contract and progress payment.
Be sure the permit is “finaled”
Again, learn from the building department how they “final” or “close out” a permit. Have your final payment to the contractor be subject to your receipt of the completed permit and/or satisfactory confirmation that the final inspection approved the completed project.
The “bottom line”
By requiring a permit you will have more confidence that your project will be completed with no health or safety issues and that when you are ready to sell your home you can demonstrate to a buyer that all work was properly permitted and inspected. I always check for permits and have had several clients walk away from and otherwise desirable house when learning that modifications were made without permits. A reputable contractor will not work without a permit. You may want to reconsider a contractor who wants to do your project without a permit.
If you find this information more than just interesting and want a broker who understands the whole process on your side for the purchase of a home, you can contact me.