Monday, 28 October 2013

When Should I Get Building Permits?

By Kevin Ierardi


When doing a remodeling project or starting a new building the question of having a building permit is always on someones list. In short the answer to the question is yes. However, in this article I will cover what the permits mean to your project and what they do. I will also talk a little about when you may not need them.

Most of the time permits will be needed if your building a new structure, remodeling your current home or adding some type of addition to your current structure. By getting these permits you can be sure that your new building will be up to code for your area and at a national level. Furthermore, they will allow your local tax office to tax you accurately. If you don't pull the required permits you may find yourself facing fines and other penalties.

The time has now come to get started on your newest project. With all the things already going through your mind the one thing in the back is when will the time come that you need permits. At this point remember that the rules for said permits are different depending on your area.

Lets use the example of updating a bathroom for an example. Let's say you want to put in a new vanity and new toilet. If you're not moving any major plumbing or adding a new walk in shower with new walls you really don't even need to pull a permit.

These types of upgrades to your home are considered basic and will not require you to pull permits with your given town. Now if you want to tear out the entire bathroom down to the studs and build a new shower, relocate the toilet and make other large changes then permits will need to be pulled.

When it comes to building permits be ready for the good and the bad. When it comes to the bad you can consider the cost of the permit to the overall budget of your project. As far as the cost goes its most likely to be based on a certain price for every $1000 your job will cost to do. So if your project is $20,000 and it costs $10 for every thousand then your permit cost is $200. This is only an example to give you an idea how cost is calculated for permits.

Next you want to remember that building permits can slow the speed of your project. You see, an inspector from your town needs to come in periodically to check and sign off that things have been done to code. This is a bad thing because it can cause unwanted delays but its also good for you because you know everything is being built properly.

At the end of the day if your project is not very big then you really don't need permits. If you're starting a large project then building permits would be something to seriously consider.




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