Building permits: Why
they are important
Too often, we come across situations
where homeowners do not realize the importance of applying for building permits
when completing a renovation. Either they haven’t been educated by their
contractor or they just don’t know the rules regarding building codes and
regulations. As contractors, it’s unreasonable for us to assume that all of our
clients and potential clients know the building code or even the process
associated with it. That’s where we come in. It’s our job to educate and
protect our clients, not only with the trustworthiness we provide as a
contracting firm, but also with making sure the building and renovation process
is legal. We put great effort into making sure we use quality materials, planning
and laying out a project, communicating with our clients throughout a
renovation, and also into making sure all of our work meets or exceeds state
and federal building codes.
There are a couple of reasons
contractors try to convince their clients that no permits are required for
work. First, pulling a permit costs money. Let’s face it, nothing is free.
There is a cost associated with everything, even piece of mind! Permits not
only ensure things remain legal, but they provide a certain piece of mind for both
contractors and homeowners. Work is inspected over several visits to ensure
that it is being done properly and if something needs correction, it is
addressed immediately so that a project can proceed forward. The cost of the
permit covers the various expenses incurred by local building departments;
paperwork filing, visits of the building officials, and questions handled by
the building officials. In addition, permits are recorded on the property card
for the location of the work which leaves a very beneficial paper trail when
either selling a property or purchasing a new one. Pulling a permit properly requires your
contractor to disclose all of the work being completed, provide their license
information as well as their liability and workman’s compensation insurance
information, provide any drawings or engineer’s reports for additions or
structural work, and provide the amount of the renovation which the total permit
cost is ultimately based off of. All of this information is crucial in protecting
both the client and the contractor, but it ultimately adds another cost to the
renovation.
The second reason that permits may
not be pulled is that permits tend to add time to a renovation. It’s no
surprise that people generally don’t like having a portion of their house torn
apart. We often get asked how long a typical remodel takes and we are honest
with our clients regarding our timeline. Our typical bathroom remodels take
about 3 – 4 weeks while our kitchens usually take 4 or 5. As we go through and
explain the various phases of a project such as demolition, rough framing,
rough electrical and plumbing, insulation, sheetrock, cabinet and counter installation,
finish trim installation, and paint, we make sure to always mention that we
factor in time to schedule the inspections. In some towns, there might be a 3-4
week lead time on inspection scheduling which, if not planned for, can lead to
some serious lag time in a project. In most towns however, the lead time is
typically a couple of days. A good contractor will do their best to plan ahead
with their schedule and factor time in for those inspections. We typically plan
our jobs out as far as we can and discuss with all parties involved in our
project what the timeline is and when the dates of inspection will be. Inevitably,
there can be delays and those are handled which typically results in a change
in the inspection schedule, but our jobs are all run efficiently even with the
permit schedule factored in. Unfortunately, we see too many instances where
contractors don’t want the hassle of the added time on a project and they avoid
the permitting process. By doing this, it allows them to cruise along without
having the work inspected, but leaves the homeowner vulnerable.
In addition to not delaying the
project, the third reason permits aren’t pulled is because the contractor doing
the work is not licensed or insured. We frequently see situations where the
price of the job is incredibly low compared to other bids for a project. If
your contractor is not licensed or insured, their overhead is going to be very
low which will allow them to place low bids on projects. Think about your car
or home, imagine all of the money you would save if you didn’t have to have
insurance on them! Well, that temptation spills into the world of home
renovation and remodeling and in order to low bid projects, contractors may not
carry the appropriate license or insurances required to be a legal outfit. If they do carry some form, it may not be
correct based on the scope of work they typically cover. Bottom line is, if
they don’t carry a license or insurance, then they can’t pull permits! The
building departments would not allow these contractors to do the work in an
effort to protect the residents of the town. If they can’t or don’t pull
permits, then they don’t have to add in extra costs for the permit, worry about
scheduling inspections, or even worry about following the building codes. In addition, dishonest contractors may not be
hiring licensed plumbers, electricians, or other contractors to do work on a
project, or they may even be doing the plumbing or electrical themselves. If
this is the case, they cannot pull a permit for the job because the permit
would not be approved since a licensed professional is required to do the work.
We are also seeing mortgage
companies getting stricter on writing loans for mortgages where it is
determined that work was done without a permit. Loans can be granted for
buildings with illegal work that was done, but the appraisers are required by
law to note any illegal work and adjust the property value accordingly. In
addition to this, with the surge of remodeling and renovation television
programs, homeowners are becoming more educated as to what is required for
renovations. When looking to purchase a home, more and more people are looking
at the property cards and searching for records of building permits. If they
are not finding anything on record, especially for projects recently done, they
may move on to the next house. The permits are there to protect not only the
person living in the house currently, but the people in the process of either
selling or purchasing a home. The permits truly are an invaluable aspect of
home ownership.
The dangers of not
having permits
If the
work on your home is not being inspected, who is to say that it is done
correctly and meets the current code regulations? Nobody. If the contractor
doing the work doesn’t care enough to do things legally regarding permits, who
is to say that they care enough to do the work the right way? On almost every
job we do, we inevitably find something done the wrong way by the previous
contractor. We have seen some scary things over the years. Live wires hidden in
the walls, spliced wires buried in ceilings, arcing electrical wires actively
charring wood almost to the point of a fire, plumbing drain lines run without
traps or vents, inadequately sized drain lines, cracked pipes patched with
epoxy, windows and exterior doors installed incorrectly, structural “modifications”
to ceilings that where the weight above has caused the structure to sag,
additions built with inadequate and undersized lumber, the list goes on and on.
We worked on a project where we opened a ceiling above a kitchen to run new
drain lines for some bathrooms above and found that the majority of the ceiling
joists which were 2x10s were notched to allow for plumbing drain lines to be
run. The notches were made in such a way that the 2x10s were no longer the
equivalent to 2x10s. They had been cut so much and in the wrong way that they
were reduced to the structural integrity of a 2x4. The ceiling had sagged so
much due to the weakened wood that we needed to reframe the entire ceiling with
custom cut joists to eliminate the sag in the floor. With the weight of two bathrooms above it, the
ceiling was straining to support the weight. The plumbing drains were run so
poorly that an incredible amount of work had to be done to the drain lines. We
made sure that everything was safe and the work was inspected and signed off
on. I looked at the previous records for the property and there were absolutely
no records for the two bathrooms above which had been previously remodeled.
In a similar situation, we were hired
to gut and remodel two bathrooms in a house and upon removing the sheetrock
ceiling, we found that the previous contractor had cut all of the old roof rafters
above the bathrooms to make space for a higher bathroom ceiling height. The
main ridge beam of the house was floating in place and barely being held up by
any supporting structure. It was amazing that the roof did not fail with the
weigh loads of some of the past winters. Since the attic portion above these
bathrooms was completely sealed off from any other attic space, this damage
could not be seen or detected not only by us, but by the home inspector that
the homeowners hired when purchasing the home. Looking back at the records, we
found no permits pulled for the work being done and we had to correct the issue
in the attic space before covering it up. This added significant cost to the
project total, but it had to be done. We had to re-support the main carrying
ridge beam and re-frame the rafters down to the exterior walls. Had the previous
homeowner’s contractor pulled permits, none of that destruction to the roof
structure would have occurred and the new homeowners would not have been left
holding the bill.
Projects that typically require building
permits are projects that alter the use of a room or space, demolishing load
bearing walls, applying a new roof or altering the roof line of a structure,
installing new electrical wiring or circuits, installing fences, demolition of structures,
construction or alterations of decks, sewer line work, plumbing work that adds
supply lines or drain lines, construction of additions, general remodeling
where plumbing, electrical, and insulation work is involved, building a garage
or carport, replacing windows with both new construction or replacement
windows, replacing doors, HVAC work, replacing water heaters, and installing
siding on the exterior of a home. Permits aren’t typically required for painting
projects, floor refinishing or installation, replacing countertops, or installing
landscaping. However, the best and most thorough way to see if your next
remodeling project requires a permit is to call the local building department
for verification.
What can you do to
protect yourself?
Trust
your contractor. Have open discussions with them about the remodeling
process. One of the main things we try
to provide is trustworthiness. It is unbelievable how often we hear that our
clients had a hard time trusting their previous contractor. We made the vow to
ourselves and our clients a long time ago that we were going to be a company
built off integrity, trustworthiness, and quality craftsmanship. Our mission
states that we strive to provide superior work while developing and maintaining
strong and positive relationships with our clients. Let’s be honest here. You
can’t have a strong or positive relationship with anyone if you don’t trust
them and as a contracting firm, we can’t provide superior work unless we truly
care about our clients and have integrity in the work we do. Those things are
absolutely crucial in a positive remodeling experience. Use your initial
experiences with your contractor as a gauge. Do you get a good feeling from
that person? Were they on time? Did they call you back? Have they explained the
process thoroughly along with the materials they will be using? If you find someone you can trust, they will
be open with you regarding the remodeling process, including permitting.
Another
thing you can do is call your local building department to get a clear
understanding of what a permit is required for. You can visit your local
building departments website to get a list of what projects require a permit. Print
that list and ask your contractor if they are going to be pulling a permit. If
they say no, question them and ask why. If they persist, then call your
building department and tell them what you are being told in an effort to get
clarification.
You can
also research your contractor online. Websites like Angie’s List or Houzz
provide a great database of different contractors. Look for a contractor with several
reviews with high ratings. A successful, legal outfit is going to follow the
right channels to make sure a project is above board and legal. If you can’t
find much online about your contractor, call the local building department to
see if they have much experience with that contractor.