Building permit after the fact?
Bill Johnson
I finished a bedroom in our lower level that was framed by the builders. I
added wiring, sheetrocked, etc.
I never obtained a building permit. What would likely happen if I turned
myself in? Now don't go nuts with constitutional stuff and a debate about
building permits in general. I just want to know what is likely to happen.
BTW, I live in MN.
wayne
other than issue a permit and collect their $$$$
The addition the guy added on did not even meet code!
Wayne
"Bill Johnson" <bi...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:QUbg9.459442$UU1.74923@sccrnsc03...
RamblinOn
Bill Johnson wrote:
If you're Norwegian, it's ok. If you're Swedish, they'll shoot you.
Tim Fischer
It's probably best to call anonymously (from a pay phone if you're really
paranoid <grin>) and see how the planning department responds.
-Tim
"Bill Johnson" <bi...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:QUbg9.459442$UU1.74923@sccrnsc03...
Bob
outside.
There is a code requiring egress for "bedrooms".
Bob
"wayne" <dontb...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:O_bg9.288165$_91.3...@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
Doug Lumpkin
garage. It is two rooms-within a room deal to control the sound coming in
and going out. Exciting ASCII drawing below to clear up confusion. It is
just a free standing frame with drywall on it a foot inside the existing
walls and a center divider, not attached in any way to the current garage,
except to sit on the concrete slab on the floor. Would this sort of thing
require a permit in Oregon? Also any other tips, I assume this will be
relatively simple, but what do I know?
Existing Garage is =
New section is --
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Thanks!
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Doug Lumpkin
-G.
That's going to depend on the inspector that shows up.
The whole purpose of inspection is to see that the building is up to code.
By the book, he should make you tear off any drywall, so he can see any
wiring or piping, ect...
What you have going for you, is they probably inspected the framing if it
was done with the rest of the framing.
If I were you, I'd call the building dept. and play dumb.
Your biggest concern with your basement bedroom, will probably be egress.
If you have a basement bedroom, I'm pretty sure you need to have a fire
exit.
Good luck
-G.
--
Memorable/humorous post message text
-G.
> building a recording studio
http://www.davidlandon.com/whiprecords/history.html
There's a lot to know about building a studio.
The above link talks about a floating floor.
I didn't read the web page, but a quick google seach for "building a
recording studio" turned up 400 hits.
One thing for sure, is you don't want square walls. You don't want flat
square walls facing each other. This would create a slapback effect, and
certain frequencies will bounce around and cause bad recordings.
Of course, if you'll be doing any rap, it won't matter. :)
KenJr
anim...@yahoo.com says...
> Bill Johnson opened all of our eyes with this:
>
> > Ok, maybe I've gone mad but...
> >
> > I finished a bedroom in our lower level that was framed by the
> > builders. I added wiring, sheetrocked, etc.
> >
> > I never obtained a building permit. What would likely happen if I
> > turned myself in? Now don't go nuts with constitutional stuff and a
> > debate about building permits in general. I just want to know what is
> > likely to happen. BTW, I live in MN.
> >
>
> That's going to depend on the inspector that shows up.
> The whole purpose of inspection is to see that the building is up to code.
>
Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told to
call when he finished building a porch so that it could be inspected. The
inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was there the next day.
-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
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Vox Humana
This probably happens thousands of times each day. Since the room is
completed I don't see any advantage in getting a permit. Unless the room
has a means of egress, then you probably couldn't list it as a bedroom when
you sell the house. Why are you concerned about getting a permit now as
opposed to when you were doing the work ? Just curious.
-G.
> Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
> increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told
> to call when he finished building a porch so that it could be
> inspected. The inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was
> there the next day.
How many times do I have to tell you not to sniff glue?
Gfretwell
the price and they may want you to open something up for a look. If you meet
the code it is only going to be the permit fees and perhaps a bump in your
property taxes. Why are you suddenly getting this conscience attack?
Brian Elfert
>Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
>increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told to
>call when he finished building a porch so that it could be inspected. The
>inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was there the next day.
I had the opposite experience on my property taxes. The value of the property was $95,000. I
demolished the existing house and garage almost two years ago. Got a building permit and
built a new house that was finished last November.
Got a notice of my propery value as of Jan 1, 2002. The value actually dropped to $91,000.
Gee, I guess that $200,000 I invested in the new house has no value.
I don't know if the county assessor can go back and correct the value if he made a mistake.
I guess I'll see when the property tax bill payable in 2003 arrives early next year. I'm
betting the value on my property will be much higher on Jan 1, 2003.
Brian Elfert
Doug Lumpkin
news:Xns92883761C706C...@207.217.77.24...
I guess what's hard to show in ASCII is a 5% splay for the walls :-)
Anyhow. I'm not to worried about how to design it as I am about how to
build it. The acoustics I understand, the construction I'm a few steps
behind...
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Doug Lumpkin
Vox Humana
"Brian Elfert" <bel...@visi.com> wrote in message
news:6smg9.10295$jX3.3...@ruti.visi.com...
I my area the real-estate tax records are on line. You can see the value of
the land and any buildings. The dates that they were build and any permits
that were issued are also available. Maybe your tax bill was for the land
only? Buildings under construction aren't taxed as far as I know. Maybe
you can look up the tax record online and tell what is going on.
Goedjn
Heh. Build the entire thing on wheels...
KenJr
anim...@yahoo.com says...
Do you have a point? Or perhaps your just trolling.
-G.
> In article <Xns928863F3A7AC...@207.217.77.25>,
> anim...@yahoo.com says...
>> KenJr opened all of our eyes with this:
>>
>>
>> > Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
>> > increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told
>> > to call when he finished building a porch so that it could be
>> > inspected. The inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was
>> > there the next day.
>>
>> How many times do I have to tell you not to sniff glue?
>>
>
> Do you have a point? Or perhaps your just trolling.
I figured you were high on glue to write something that stupid.
You're making a broad sweeping generalization about inspections, based on
one experience that your Dad had.
How much experience do you have with inspections?
Doug Lumpkin
news:3D820A4C...@postoffice.uri.edu...
>
> Heh. Build the entire thing on wheels...
Would that be a rock and ROLL studio. Wow, that's not punny.
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Doug Lumpkin
Edwin Pawlowski
>
> You're making a broad sweeping generalization about inspections, based on
> one experience that your Dad had.
> How much experience do you have with inspections?
In our town they re-evaluate every ten years. They will inspect and asses
any improvements or changes, but never ask about permits. My house had two
permits. One when it was built. The other was when it was re-roofed. They
took the $25 for a permit, but no one ever showed up to look. All I have is
a receipt the roofing contractor gave me. He got it to cover his ass as he
would be working outside for 2+ days.
Ed
e...@snet.net
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
Gfretwell
>>> > increasing taxes than they do with code requirements
>You're making a broad sweeping generalization about inspections, based on
>one experience that your Dad had.
>How much experience do you have with inspections?
I am an inspector and I can assure you it IS only money in a lot of cases.
Certainly inspectors are interested in safety but a lot of municipalities
expect an inspector to do 30 or more a day so the polititans certainly aren't.
I am fortunate that I don't live with a time constraint or I would be looking
for another employer.
BTW what is your answer for permits that don't need an inspection to be closed?
It is used as a way to get around property tax increase "caps". If you improve
the property you take the "cap" off.
KenJr
> KenJr opened all of our eyes with this:
>
> > In article <Xns928863F3A7AC...@207.217.77.25>,
> > anim...@yahoo.com says...
> >> KenJr opened all of our eyes with this:
> >>
> >>
> >> > Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
> >> > increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told
> >> > to call when he finished building a porch so that it could be
> >> > inspected. The inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was
> >> > there the next day.
> >>
> >> How many times do I have to tell you not to sniff glue?
> >>
> >
> > Do you have a point? Or perhaps your just trolling.
>
> I figured you were high on glue to write something that stupid.
>
> You're making a broad sweeping generalization about inspections, based on
> one experience that your Dad had.
> How much experience do you have with inspections?
>
Let me put it this way then. In Cambria county in the state Pennsylvania,
building permits are used more for tax purposes than they are to insure
building codes.
My experience is with more than my dad. I've run into the same situation
a couple of times myself. When I rewired my house I ended up hiring my
own inspector just for my own peice of mind. I also know a number of
people who have had simular experiences.
Of all the people I know who have done work to their houses in this area
not a single one of them has seen an inspector. Without exception,
everyone of them has had the county assesor come shortly after completion
of the work.
Perhaps in other areas of the country things are different.
William Brown
necessarily happen in another.
The purpose of the permit, at least their justification for it, is so
they can ascertain that the improvement meets code. I think most people
agree that meeting or exceeding code is a good thing.
The problem when a permit is not obtained until after the work is that
it may be difficult to confirm that code was met. If the only concealed
work is electrical, I would guess that the inspector, if he wanted,
could, through talking to you and observing the part of the work that is
exposed, sign off without opening up any walls. He would want to know,
for example, what wire you used; if you have some left and can show him,
that may satisfy him.
I say may satisfy him because the personality factor comes into play.
If he's a twit, you are dead. If you're a twit, you are dead.
I would go ahead and get the permit. It is becoming more and more
common that an inspection is required when the property is sold,
especially in urban areas. If such an inspection is required, and they
find unpermitted work, they tend to get their dander up, and of course
at that time you are under time constraints to complete the sale.
My town, in Ohio, is very urban and crowded, with old homestock. If one
house goes ablaze, the neighbors usually get burned too. Because of
this, our building department is very aggressive. The only time I have
had permitted work not inspected, I asked the tradesman, and he told me
some recognized tradesmen are allowed by the city to inspect their own
work. I later talked with a city inspector and he confirmed that. Our
inspectors are aggressive in that they always show up, but I don't have
a problem when they find some error in my own work, as they invariably
tell me how to correct it.
--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.
Matt
type whos always working on something it pays to establish a friendly
relationship w/your towns bdg inspectors office.
when i sold first house the sale was almost held up because at the
time i (honestly!) didnt know i had to call the bld inspectors office
to say the deck was finished : can you please come and inspect it. id
done some work that wasnt up to code that the buyer's home inspector
picked up, they started snooping at the bld inspectors office, i get a
call from the bdld inspectoirs office threatening to make me dig up
the sonet tubes to assure proper depth, etc etc.. luckily they were
cool about it and signed off after i fixed the problem areas. didnt
make me dig up anything etc.. this was while trying to establish a
sale price w/an interested buyer - NOT a good time to deal w/it.
otoh if youre sure everything is safe and up to code (I'd check for my
own safety and peace of mind)............. i always wondered why my
property taxes keep going up each year :)
On Fri, 13 Sep 2002 16:39:54 -0400, William Brown <wbr...@apk.net>
wrote:
Steve Manes
>There's a lot to know about building a studio.
>The above link talks about a floating floor.
>I didn't read the web page, but a quick google seach for "building a
>recording studio" turned up 400 hits.
>One thing for sure, is you don't want square walls. You don't want flat
>square walls facing each other. This would create a slapback effect, and
>certain frequencies will bounce around and cause bad recordings.
I've built a couple of professional recording studios. You don't want
parallel surfaces because of standing waves but you also don't want a
polygon with corners < 90 degrees either because that will create, in
effect, a horn which will create all sorts of room sound anomalies.
Don't forget that the wall and floor are also parallel surfaces.
There's really not much architectural acoustics possible with
something as small as half a garage space though so I wouldn't get
too wrapped up in acoustical design.
F. Alton Everest wrote probably the most readable books on small
recording studio construction.
------------------------------------------=o&>o----
Steve Manes, Brooklyn, USA
www.magpie.com
Eclectic Toy Collector of Minnesota
"Bob" <offer...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:Fxcg9.459727$UU1.74835@sccrnsc03...
> I wouldn't call it a bedroom unless you have a door or window egress to
> outside.
> There is a code requiring egress for "bedrooms".
Right. This is why many houses are sold as having x-bedrooms and a den (or
more recently a "home office"). By calling it something else and saying no
one sleeps in there the codes are not as strict.
Eclectic Toy Collector of Minnesota
"Doug Lumpkin" <ne...@dsurround.net> wrote in message
news:ERdg9.251086$kp.8...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
> Same vein, different question. I'm building a recording studio in my
> garage. It is two rooms-within a room deal to control the sound coming in
> and going out. Exciting ASCII drawing below to clear up confusion. It is
> just a free standing frame with drywall on it a foot inside the existing
> walls and a center divider, not attached in any way to the current garage,
> except to sit on the concrete slab on the floor. Would this sort of thing
> require a permit in Oregon? Also any other tips, I assume this will be
> relatively simple, but what do I know?
>
I don't know anything about Oregon but for any of the codes I'm familiar
with it would be exempt because it is not attached to the building
structure. That fact alone qualifies it as a "temporary construction" and
therefor of no interest to the building inspectors anywhere I have lived.
Eclectic Toy Collector of Minnesota
"KenJr" <kennyj...@floodcity.net> wrote in message
>
> Contrary to popular belief building permits have more to do with
> increasing taxes than they do with code requirements. My dad was told to
> call when he finished building a porch so that it could be inspected. The
> inspector never showed up, but the county assesor was there the next day.
Right on the money. The City of St. Paul, MN is so blatant about it that
the requirement for whether or not you need a permit is (and I quote),
"...if said improvement will increase the value of the property by $300 or
more...".
Naturally there is no recipricol inspection for things that *reduce* the
property value. Our taxes are still accessed on the property having a
garage. Said garage collapsed under its own weight and was hauled off as
fire wood five years before I moved in here, but we're still forced to pay
the taxes for having it.
Eric Lee Green
> Naturally there is no recipricol inspection for things that *reduce* the
> property value. Our taxes are still accessed on the property having a
> garage. Said garage collapsed under its own weight and was hauled off as
> fire wood five years before I moved in here, but we're still forced to pay
> the taxes for having it.
Huh. Our local laws allow challenging the tax assessor's assessment if
his assessment does not properly reflect material facts about the
property (such as, say, a garage or swimming pool that no longer
exists!). You have no such provisions in your local laws?
--
Eric Lee Green EMAIL: mailto:er...@badtux.org WEB: http://badtux.org
There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.
- Mark Twain
Steve Manes
>Huh. Our local laws allow challenging the tax assessor's assessment if
>his assessment does not properly reflect material facts about the
>property (such as, say, a garage or swimming pool that no longer
>exists!). You have no such provisions in your local laws?
In NYC too. That process was at the heart of a recent scandal
involving a sizable number of crooked Finance Dept assessors and
millions of dollars of bribes. The city mails out its assessments at
the beginning of the year. You have three months to challenge them.
An assessor reinspects the property and adjusts the assessment, if
applicable.
In this case, the assessors just took an envelope for favorable
reassessments.
Alan McKay
> Naturally there is no recipricol inspection for things that *reduce* the
> property value. Our taxes are still accessed on the property having a
> garage. Said garage collapsed under its own weight and was hauled off as
There sure is here in Ottawa, Canada.
cheers,
-alan
Bill Johnson
electrical code book and studied it before I did the electrical so it wasn't
as if I was trying to do shoddy work and get it by.
I guess it's more of a future piece of mind thing. When I sell the thing
down the road years from now, I don't want to get bit.
I know many, many people on my street that have done work without permits.
As a matter of fact, I'd say permits are the exception.
"Vox Humana" <vhu...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:nulg9.120048$N9.19...@twister.neo.rr.com...
Christopher
area do just that, They are interested in making sure things are safe for
the next person. My inspector made me vent a section of new plumbing for a
washer, it is the only vent in the entire house. These guys carry around a
copy of the building codes and reference which ones you do not pass. These
guys are like wardens, but I have to say, I would buy a house they
inspected.news:Xns9288356034B8D...@207.217.77.22...
> Bill Johnson opened all of our eyes with this:
>
> > Ok, maybe I've gone mad but...
> >
> > I finished a bedroom in our lower level that was framed by the
> > builders. I added wiring, sheetrocked, etc.
> >
> > I never obtained a building permit. What would likely happen if I
> > turned myself in? Now don't go nuts with constitutional stuff and a
> > debate about building permits in general. I just want to know what is
> > likely to happen. BTW, I live in MN.
> >
>
> The whole purpose of inspection is to see that the building is up to code.
> wiring or piping, ect...
> What you have going for you, is they probably inspected the framing if it
> was done with the rest of the framing.
> If I were you, I'd call the building dept. and play dumb.
> Your biggest concern with your basement bedroom, will probably be egress.
> If you have a basement bedroom, I'm pretty sure you need to have a fire
> exit.
> Good luck
> -G.
Unknown
>
>I finished a bedroom in our lower level that was framed by the builders. I
>added wiring, sheetrocked, etc.
>
>I never obtained a building permit. What would likely happen if I turned
>myself in? Now don't go nuts with constitutional stuff and a debate about
>building permits in general. I just want to know what is likely to happen.
>BTW, I live in MN.
Locally, you would have to pay double the permit fee, remove enough
drywall for inspection of electrical and possibly framing, provide
plans and diagrams, and endure the inpsections.
Jeff
Keith Carlson
before you decide on the square walls vs angled walls.
I'd always heard the same; that you don't want parellel walls.
One book I read, though, and an interesting section about standing waves and
what to do about them. With parallel walls, you get standing waves that are
also parallel to the walls, and with some effort, you can calculate *where*
they are in the studio and deal with them (avoid placing mikes there, add
absorber panels, etc.).
If you build angled walls, you still have areas of (forgetting what the term
is)... not standing waves... they're no all across the room. But you still
have places where the sound is greatly reinforced at the resonant frequency.
But now, with the angled walls, it's much more difficult to figure out
*where* they are, so you can't work around them.
"-G." <anim...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns92883761C706C...@207.217.77.24...
> Doug Lumpkin opened all of our eyes with this:
>
> > building a recording studio
>
> http://www.davidlandon.com/whiprecords/history.html
>
> There's a lot to know about building a studio.
> The above link talks about a floating floor.
> I didn't read the web page, but a quick google seach for "building a
> recording studio" turned up 400 hits.
> One thing for sure, is you don't want square walls. You don't want flat
> square walls facing each other. This would create a slapback effect, and
> certain frequencies will bounce around and cause bad recordings.
> Of course, if you'll be doing any rap, it won't matter. :)
>
eugene...@gmail.com
Frank
> I had purchased my home with a partially finished basement. Basement has a concrete block perimeter. I have already installed my sheathing panels and framed “a room” and main area already. I have not installed any sheetrock and everything is still opened up. Wasn’t aware of required permit. Will I get in trouble?
>
Even if needed, doubt if they would catch you since it is inside.
Inspectors here generally just look outside.
Ed Pawlowski
>
tax man does not need to know. You are not structurally changing
anything. If people got permits for every little thing they did, Home
Depot and Lowes would be out of business tomorrow.
Only time I ever got a permit was for a shed that would be visible. The
permit was $10 so not worth skipping.
trader_4
> I had purchased my home with a partially finished basement. Basement has a concrete block perimeter. I have already installed my sheathing panels and framed “a room” and main area already. I have not installed any sheetrock and everything is still opened up. Wasn’t aware of required permit. Will I get in trouble?
doesn't make sense. But if you have just done framing and it's all still
open and visible, you can go pull permits now. They inspect after you've
done work, not before. The problem is if you've gone too far so they can't
see what they need to see.
gfre...@aol.com
amendment applies to inspectors as much as cops. In fact getting a
permit waives your 4th amendment right. No permit? They can only look
at what they can see from the public road or a neighbor's property if
they are granted access.
In fact the permit only allows them to look at what is on the permit
but that is a gray area that has not really been tested in court and
they do stretch what inspecting that work involves.
hub...@ccanoemail.ca
inspections required - for my recent basement reno
the inspector needed to inspect the vapour barrier, prior to drywall.
Also the electrical inspector was supposed to inspect proir to closing
up the walls and again at the end of the job < he allowed the first
inspection to pass unseen - when the electrical contractor was
identified as approved.
Doing any reno without a permit can be risky and expensive
if you are caught - even if you are doing things to code.
Be especially wary if your neighborhood has other building
projects happening - the inspector is looking for other demolition
and construction evidence when goiing to & from the permitted
job sites.
John T.
Ed Pawlowski
are too dumb to know what they are looking at.
The good ones just want to be sure things are done safely. I know of a
couple of cases where the inspector was looking at the permitted item
but took the time to help the homeowner with other issues in the house
and how to fix them.
When my stepfather was in business he did some major jobs that needed
permits. Permits and inspection was my mother's job. 'This was in a
large city with plenty of bureaucracy. He always followed the code so
there were never issues. My mother would never consider giving the
inspector money as a tip either. She did, however, put an envelope down
while talking to the inspector and it would always disappear magically.
trader_4
without a permit and he did it when a house was being built so inspectors
were going to be around. He got caught and had to tear it out, because
the inspector couldn't inspect the footings, where it's attached to the
house, etc. There may be more to it than that, ie maybe he dissed the
inspector and/or it wasn't done right also.
On the other hand, a friend of mine built a whole new building on his
property with no permit for a recording studio. It was about the size
of a one car garage. And the property was on a corner at a busy
intersection with the municipal building and the inspectors just a
mile away on the road that faces his house! The work was readily
visible. How he got away with that, IDK, I would not have done it.
gfre...@aol.com
for 25. The idea of "tips" pretty much went away after Andrew and that
was really just an East Coast problem then. Maybe it was because those
folks over there came down I-95 from Tony Soprano land.
I have never heard of tips and bribes in my time in the business.
Florida will put you in prison for it ... on the first offense. (both
the tipper and the tipee)
There are even rules about when you can take a "free" cup of coffee.
A lot changed after Andrew when they found out incompetent or crooked
inspectors were as responsible for the devastation in Homestead as the
hurricane. Most of the damaged homes were nowhere close to even the
northern building codes and far below the Dade code. Unincorporated
Dade county got swallowed up by the City Of Miami because of the total
level of corruption. Florida also started state licensing and
certification of inspectors. Most of the "good old boys" couldn't make
the cut.
hub...@ccanoemail.ca
>>
>>When my stepfather was in business he did some major jobs that needed
>>permits. Permits and inspection was my mother's job. 'This was in a
>>large city with plenty of bureaucracy. He always followed the code so
>>there were never issues. My mother would never consider giving the
>>inspector money as a tip either. She did, however, put an envelope down
>>while talking to the inspector and it would always disappear magically.
>
>I was an active inspector for 8 years and have been in the community
>for 25. The idea of "tips" pretty much went away after Andrew and that
>was really just an East Coast problem then. Maybe it was because those
>folks over there came down I-95 from Tony Soprano land.
>I have never heard of tips and bribes in my time in the business.
>Florida will put you in prison for it ... on the first offense. (both
>the tipper and the tipee)
>There are even rules about when you can take a "free" cup of coffee.
>A lot changed after Andrew when they found out incompetent or crooked
>inspectors were as responsible for the devastation in Homestead as the
>hurricane. Most of the damaged homes were nowhere close to even the
>northern building codes and far below the Dade code. Unincorporated
>Dade county got swallowed up by the City Of Miami because of the total
>level of corruption. Florida also started state licensing and
>certification of inspectors. Most of the "good old boys" couldn't make
>the cut.
>
http://tinyurl.com/yyzubx85
A certain Mr. Lao Nguyen learning that small town Canadian
fire inspectors don't necessarily work the same way as back-home ?
I'd be very interested in knowing the details of all of Mr. Nguyen's
business endeavors ! .. hope the authorities are as well .
John T.
gfre...@aol.com
I was an inspector and neither of us heard about bribery being a thing
that happens in SW Florida.
The builders didn't even joke about it although she did greet a
structural inspector holding a puppy once.
Clare Snyder
everything is done to code and mankes it a lot easier when the time
comes to sell the house.
Clare Snyder
inspectors" - both building and electrical.
Most of the latter two know their stuff, while most of the former are
either blind or stupd (or crooked or a combination)
Oren
wrote:
> Wasn’t aware of required permit. Will I get in trouble?
having a permit. 'Best to ask for forgiveness than for permission'.
I hired a son-in-pop team of contractors. I can be my own contractor.
I hired Fred & Chris. I worked as labor, humping 2x10" lumber. Inside
second floor.
Point being: When I sold the house to an RE Agent, she asked for the
permits. Said I didn't have them. I had an exact statement of work
performed. A full list of material used and the construction.
I did by law pay to have two plate glass windows replaced with
tempered glass due the height for the floor. For the children ya know.
Ed Pawlowski
boiler installed, the contractor got a permit. No inspector ever showed
up. IMO, it is a cash grab very often.
My deck was rebuilt, concrete slab poured, bathrooms renovated to the
studs, basement insulated and walls finished. All done to code, of
course. No permits, No problem selling the house.
gfre...@aol.com
was even any real regulation about who could call themselves a home
inspector. I was hanging around the HACHI web site for a while, trying
to dispell some of the "electrical code" things they were saying that
had gained a life of their own and I finally just gave up.
In the mean time I took the test and it was so superficial that the
only questions I missed were a couple about boilers and I have never
seen one. There is no limit to how often you can take that test, shoot
till you win.
I could have been a "certified home inspector" if I was willing to
send them a check.
My kids hired a home inspector and the only thing he wrote up was a
few uneven pavers, on the neighbor's property.
This stuff was just fine.
http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Fan%20Light.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Closet%20light.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Water%20Heater.jpg
He didn't notice the "den" had ZERO receptacles and was served by a
Romex poked through the wall with a handy box on one end and plugged
into a receptacle in the living room.
gfre...@aol.com
wrote:
of a permit. If the owner has been paying taxes on something, I think
I would have to argue it was legal.
It really doesn't matter to me. I plan on being buried in the yard
with my dogs. The house will be sold as a tear down I suppose. The lot
is worth more than the building.
trader_4
show up here in NJ Electrical, plumbing, and fire. I passed all.
I don't think many people put in their own. Maybe I'm getting like that
Arlen Holder fellow? But I still won't change tires at home.
Big difference in saving $4000 and saving $15. Also, in the process
of scoping it out to DIY, I realized that I could move the condenser
from where it was outside the den, right by a window, to the unseen
end of the house where it's outside the bathroom, not near a window either.
Went from it being a noisy thing, to barely noticeable. I had a couple
contractors out to give estimates and not one mentioned anything about
moving it. I only thought of it well into the process myself. In
terms of additonal work, very little.
Wade Garrett
> I had purchased my home with a partially finished basement. Basement has a concrete block perimeter. I have already installed my sheathing panels and framed “a room” and main area already. I have not installed any sheetrock and everything is still opened up. Wasn’t aware of required permit. Will I get in trouble?
>
--
Road sign you don’t want to see: “Speed Limit Enforced By Sniper”
Frank
there was a final inspection on site. During construction pictures were
sent to the county by the contractor. Then along came the tax inspector
who said since I just replaced my old deck the taxes would not go up.
Sure enough he lied and it now costs me about $10 more per year. My son
bought a house and put up a rail fence with wire inside for his dogs.
His property tax went up too.
A friend is getting a new deck where the old house plans showed a deck
that was never built. I told him his taxes will go up irregardless.
A lawyer once told me that to avoid Robin Hood you go around Sherwood
Forest.
Clare Snyder
gfre...@aol.com
my taxes will be, improvements or not. I usually have something new
every year tho. Some make the list, some don't but they always see any
change in the footprint. That is from satellite pictures.
Frank
inspector looked in my garage and saw a pull down stairs to access the
attic section and went back and said I had an unaccounted for loft and
increased my taxes. I was pissed and called the county and told them to
come out and I would pull down the stairs and let them look. They did
and removed the tax increase.
Tekkie®
>
> On Sun, 26 May 2019 15:36:15 -0400, Clare Snyder <cl...@snyder.on.ca>
> wrote:
>
> >On Sun, 26 May 2019 09:20:56 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.xxx> wrote:
> >
> >>On 5/26/2019 8:51 AM, eugene...@gmail.com wrote:
> >>
> >>Can vary by town, but I'd not get a permit for it even if reqired. The
> >>tax man does not need to know. You are not structurally changing
> >>anything. If people got permits for every little thing they did, Home
> >>Depot and Lowes would be out of business tomorrow.
> >>
> >>Only time I ever got a permit was for a shed that would be visible. The
> >>permit was $10 so not worth skipping.
> > Get permit and inspection> It's not just a cash grab. it makes sure
> >everything is done to code and mankes it a lot easier when the time
> >comes to sell the house.
>
> I am not sure I ever heard about a house sale being hung up by a lack
> of a permit. If the owner has been paying taxes on something, I think
> I would have to argue it was legal.
> It really doesn't matter to me. I plan on being buried in the yard
> with my dogs. The house will be sold as a tear down I suppose. The lot
> is worth more than the building.
Cat, if still living will go to brother.
--
Tekkie
Tekkie®
>
> I had purchased my home with a partially finished basement. Basement has a concrete block perimeter. I have already installed my sheathing panels and framed ?a room? and main area already. I have not installed any sheetrock and everything is still opened up. Wasn?t aware of required permit. Will I get in trouble?
Depends on what you are going to do with it. Depends on local code. You may
have to provide fire egress.
--
Tekkie
gfre...@aol.com
wrote:
daughter says she will never be able to sell this house if people
figure out it is a "Pet Sematary" and when they find out we are buried
there too it will just be worse.
Ed Pawlowski
Tekkie®
the yard. Sometimes they were farms. Sometimes the farms had certain
sections turned into graveyards. I suspect unmarked graves have been covered
by development.
--
Tekkie
ceci...@gmail.com
trader_4
> I brought a home real old one the plumming and elec was all done except a updated breaker panel box.i replace the water pipes and the box. Plus I recover all the floors. Replaced bath room sink . I found out the other owner did not get a permit.i didn't know about permits I only replaced Items with new one like I said from water meter to house plus the pipes in the house from under the wooden floors. One pipe was leaking so done them all.what I do to get a permits now .
Next question is, at this point, do you want to open a can of worms?
How confident are you that the vast majority of the work was done to code
and will pass? If it's some small stuff and it gets flagged, no big deal.
But I know of people who built outside decks and the town made them tear
it down, because they could not access what was there to inspect it.
Same thing could happen if you did wiring and it's now behind walls.
If you want to make it legal, then call up the building dept and ask
them how to proceed. You could start out calling in anonymously and
seeing how it goes.
Ed Pawlowski
> I brought a home real old one the plumming and elec was all done except a updated breaker panel box.i replace the water pipes and the box. Plus I recover all the floors. Replaced bath room sink . I found out the other owner did not get a permit.i didn't know about permits I only replaced Items with new one like I said from water meter to house plus the pipes in the house from under the wooden floors. One pipe was leaking so done them all.what I do to get a permits now .
>
what was there before either.
Outside visible work you should follow the rules and get the proper
permit. Interior work aside from structural changes, I'd never bother.
It adds to cost and in some cases they raise your taxes next year.
What is important is to do the work to code. You don't want problems
from a half-assed job that can cause fires or other damage. Cosmetic
work like a bathroom remodel usually does not need inspections anyway
unless you make plumbing or electrical changes. IMO, it is not the
town's business if I tile the floor and wall or add a shower enclosure.
Replacing the main electrical panel, yes, get the permit and get it
inspected.
Sam Hill
> If you want to make it legal, then call up the building dept and ask
> them how to proceed. You could start out calling in anonymously and
> seeing how it goes.
Frank
First thing I would have done was look up the county and see what
projects permits are required for. They should be on line along with
the code.
Recall I did this for a new deck a while back and our little state of DE
with only 3 counties had different requirements for each county.
Might add that getting a permit means a visit by an inspector which here
often results in a property tax increase.
gfre...@aol.com
>I brought a home real old one the plumming and elec was all done except a updated breaker panel box.i replace the water pipes and the box. Plus I recover all the floors. Replaced bath room sink . I found out the other owner did not get a permit.i didn't know about permits I only replaced Items with new one like I said from water meter to house plus the pipes in the house from under the wooden floors. One pipe was leaking so done them all.what I do to get a permits now .
that is generally after you are caught or, more likely, ratted out by
a neighbor.
OTOH since there is generally not going to be a "rough" inspection on
anything that is not enclosed, just getting the permit then calling
for the final inspection should be regular cost.
You might even get away with saying you didn't know about the rough
when you called in the final but they may want you to open something
up. Hopefully you didn't piss off the inspector and he will just
believe you. Pictures of the stuff behind the wall will help if you
are going the "no permit" route. Just take lots of them from different
angles and get everything they may want to see.
You certainly want lots of pictures of footings, foundations etc with
a yard stick in the shot. You also want pictures of wires and pipes in
walls showing the labeling on the wire/pipe, the penetrations of
framing members and strapping/securing.
Next time you want to do something those picture will come in handy
for you too. It is easy to forget what is behind that wall.
Joe 30330
> I brought a home real old one the plumming and elec was all done except a updated breaker panel box.i replace the water pipes and the box. Plus I recover all the floors. Replaced bath room sink . I found out the other owner did not get a permit.i didn't know about permits I only replaced Items with new one like I said from water meter to house plus the pipes in the house from under the wooden floors. One pipe was leaking so done them all.what I do to get a permits now .
>
Building permits are just a cash-grab for the local municipality.
Grumpy Old White Guy
> On 8/7/19 9:59 AM, ceci...@gmail.com wrote:
>> I brought a home real old one the plumming and elec was all done except a updated breaker panel box.i replace the water pipes and the box. Plus I recover all the floors. Replaced bath room sink . I found out the other owner did not get a permit.i
>> didn't know about permits I only replaced Items with new one like I said from water meter to house plus the pipes in the house from under the wooden floors. One pipe was leaking so done them all.what I do to get a permits now .
>>
>
> Do the democrat's illegal constituents get permits for anything?
--
Get off my lawn!
Larry Wilson
> They could also make you tear everything out.
> It's probably best to call anonymously (from a pay phone if you're really
> paranoid <grin>) and see how the planning department responds.
> -Tim
> "Bill Johnson" <bi...@msn.com> wrote in message
> news:QUbg9.459442$UU1.74923@sccrnsc03...
> > Ok, maybe I've gone mad but...
> >
> > I finished a bedroom in our lower level that was framed by the builders. I
> > added wiring, sheetrocked, etc.
> >
> > I never obtained a building permit. What would likely happen if I turned
> > myself in? Now don't go nuts with constitutional stuff and a debate about
> > building permits in general. I just want to know what is likely to happen.
> > BTW, I live in MN.
> >
> >I live in Sarasota County, Florida. Here, if you call the county's main number (the only way to reach the building department) you will be recorded and your number will be used to trace your identity. Big Brother knows who you are, and you cannot call anonymously even if you do not give them your name. Sarasota County Florida is like living in China.
> >
> >
micky
>On Thursday, September 12, 2002 at 10:50:29 PM UTC-4, Tim Fischer wrote:
>> They could also make you tear everything out.
>> It's probably best to call anonymously (from a pay phone if you're really
>> paranoid <grin>) and see how the planning department responds.
me, and after 2 or 3 weeks his tire was going flat. Our obnoxious at
the time HOA was towing away cars with flat tires and apparently there
was no one there, neither he nor a friend, to pump the tire up. So I
did. A few weeks later it was going flat again. Maybe I pumped it up
one more time but eventually the thought occurred to me, Maybe it was
stolen and left here. But I didn't want to call the police and have
them get the idea to come, look at it, and tow it.
So I wanted a pay phone. 4 years ago. There actually are 2 or 3 I
know of, but they seem designed to call Latin America or the Carribean,
and have special rates and billing methods.
So inspired by old movies, I went to a hotel. They didn't have a pay
phone either, but I asked at the desk and she told me to just use the
house phone. around the corner. Dial 9.
The police wouldn't tell me, but later that very day I was driving by a
state police office, and I went in there. They told me it was not
stolen.
I pumped up the tire one more time and left a note stuffed through a
crack in the door. The car was gone a few weeks later, but he didn't
call. I was curious who had parked here.
micky
Wilson <whipwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
a lobby house phone, and if that doesn't work, ask nicely at the desk.
Tell them the truth, and smile. People are understanding and the truth
is better than letting them imagine you're doing a drug deal.
Call another contractor and ask what happens, although that's not as
good as the horse's mouth.
There are also regs that might be online, but reality often doesn't
match regs, especially in situations like this. I wouldn't go by what
the regs say.
And how to posts show up on AHR when there were two prior posts in the
same thread that were not here?