Permit yes or no? - HomeModders.com

Chadwilliam1 · 10-21-2007, 12:56 AM

first I will give you some info on what is going on.

I bouht my first house about 6 months ago. I had aluminum wire and the previos owner did a horrible job with the little bit he replaced. He ran everything under the rafters and it was a mess because there would be one outlet on a circuit then 3 bedrooms on another circuit. So that was my first project.

Well a week after I moved in I was getting water in my basement. So I called home warrranty who sent a plumber. He took my toilet out and cut out the wall behind it and fixed the crack in my stack. So after the 2' x 5' hole was cut into the wall I decided to gut it for a few reasons.
1. I wanted to replace the bathtub and ditch the poorly installed surround shower.
2. They covered up a window in my bathroom with three shutters. The surround shower was covering where the window should be. note picture below.
3. all of my wiring goes up through the bathroom.

So now the all of wiring is done. I ran separate circuits to each bedroom. I ran Ethernet wire and I ran cable wire. I ran 2 circuits to my garage and I also ran 240v. So now I can close that room up but I am thinking about making a master bed and bath.

Here is my current layout. I have considered turning the old bathroom into a laundry room but it seems a little small for that. Tell me what you guys think.

Here is my proposal. I have actulley chandged it a little bit. Notice where I took the three closets and turned them into 2. I am thinking about making that just one big closet. The layout of the bathroom was just thrown together.
Also instead of reinstalling the window in the old bathroom. I was thinking about leaving it out and also taking one of the windows out of the new bathroom and putting siding on the back of the house. The 2 windows cause space issues.

Also notice I left the bedroom door off and there are sliding doors for the entry and the bathroom. I will not be using sliding doors. He did that because of the closet and bathroom doors it will cause problems which is partly why I want to get rid of the hall closet.

Next do I make the old bathroom a big pantry or do I make it a laundry room. The reason I do not think a laundry room will be good is because it is so small. I have been told aa luandry room will ad value but it is so small. I need some opinions.

Should I get a permit. What happens if I dont. My second bath use to be a half bath but they turned it into a full bath w/o a permit. most people have told me not to.

briansol · 10-21-2007, 03:06 PM

permits are a grey area. Technically, you need a permit to paint your front steps. it's really rediculous. If you're going to be moving walls and changing the floor plan, i would think it would be wise to get a permit. That way when re-evaluation time comes, their apprasiers will know that it had been worked on and so forth.

As for the laundry room....

Mine is tiny.. very tiny. It's at the end of my downstairs hallway, and other than the washer and dryer tucked in the corner, the hallway IS the laundry room.

that door goes outside (side of house)

ScrapinSTi · 10-22-2007, 02:46 PM

Well... The way it works is, TECHNICALLY if you are ADDING a bedroom or Bathroom, you need a permit... Because your Sewer/Septic needs to be evaluated, etc.... But if you are just changing/removing rooms... Permits arent really necessary...

briansol · 10-22-2007, 04:01 PM

it really depends on the town. here, you need a permit for pretty much everything.

sheds, windows, roofs, etc.

here's last week permits from the paper:
http://www.bristolobserver.com/10_18_07/17.pdf

briansol · 10-22-2007, 04:02 PM

or perhaps need should be "should have"

ScrapinSTi · 10-23-2007, 12:22 PM

Exactly... EXTERIOR... It is almost always worth it to have a permit... Especially if it is visible from the road... Except for roofing... If you are replacing your roof, you dont need a permit, unless you are changing the structual ability of it...

My boss built a shed in his back yard... He didnt get a permit... but #1, we live in the woods, and #2 he was replacing a prebuilt drop in shed with a more permanent one... So TECHNICALLY he wasn't ADDING on, only replacing....

fred333 · 04-30-2008, 11:51 AM

I would always get a permit no matter what.

petriej · 05-01-2008, 10:06 AM

Check with your city or county depending on were you live. I live in unincorporated so I only have to deal with the county.

When I started my project, I had to pull permits because they yanked my CO. The only way to get a Certificate of Occupancy back is to pull all of the permits and pass all of the inspections. If you know what you are doing, the permits and inspections aren't hard to pass. MOST inspectors will take phone calls and answer questions regarding whatever you may need, and when they come to give you an inspection will advise you on what to/not to do. If you call for an inspection and are as complete as you think possible, then the inspector will just say that you need to move a box, or add a couple of screws and then he signs you off. Permits are not that expensive either - at least in Colorado. Electrical permit was $40, remodel permit was $260, and furnace permit was $75.

If you have the CAD and a plan of what is going to change and how you are going to do that - this will usually suffice for the building and planning dept.

Building/planning depts. and inspectors do not treat contractors and homeowners in the same light. I've seen a contractor not get signed off on a final because he didn't have a sink stop in the kitchen.

Best advice is to troll around and visit with an inspector or the planning dept so you can get a feel for their attitude. Then go from there.

10-22-2007, 04:01 PM	#4
briansol Administrator Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central CT Age: 28 Posts: 432 Rep Power: 10	it really depends on the town. here, you need a permit for pretty much everything. sheds, windows, roofs, etc. here's last week permits from the paper: http://www.bristolobserver.com/10_18_07/17.pdf __________________ 1997 2050sqft Split Level

10-22-2007, 04:02 PM	#5
briansol Administrator Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central CT Age: 28 Posts: 432 Rep Power: 10	or perhaps need should be "should have" __________________ 1997 2050sqft Split Level

04-30-2008, 11:51 AM	#7
fred333 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 24 Rep Power: 0	I would always get a permit no matter what. __________________ Looking for some good credit card counseling.

10-21-2007, 12:56 AM	#1
Chadwilliam1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 36 Rep Power: 0	Permit yes or no? first I will give you some info on what is going on. I bouht my first house about 6 months ago. I had aluminum wire and the previos owner did a horrible job with the little bit he replaced. He ran everything under the rafters and it was a mess because there would be one outlet on a circuit then 3 bedrooms on another circuit. So that was my first project. Well a week after I moved in I was getting water in my basement. So I called home warrranty who sent a plumber. He took my toilet out and cut out the wall behind it and fixed the crack in my stack. So after the 2' x 5' hole was cut into the wall I decided to gut it for a few reasons. 1. I wanted to replace the bathtub and ditch the poorly installed surround shower. 2. They covered up a window in my bathroom with three shutters. The surround shower was covering where the window should be. note picture below. 3. all of my wiring goes up through the bathroom. So now the all of wiring is done. I ran separate circuits to each bedroom. I ran Ethernet wire and I ran cable wire. I ran 2 circuits to my garage and I also ran 240v. So now I can close that room up but I am thinking about making a master bed and bath. Here is my current layout. I have considered turning the old bathroom into a laundry room but it seems a little small for that. Tell me what you guys think. Here is my proposal. I have actulley chandged it a little bit. Notice where I took the three closets and turned them into 2. I am thinking about making that just one big closet. The layout of the bathroom was just thrown together. Also instead of reinstalling the window in the old bathroom. I was thinking about leaving it out and also taking one of the windows out of the new bathroom and putting siding on the back of the house. The 2 windows cause space issues. Also notice I left the bedroom door off and there are sliding doors for the entry and the bathroom. I will not be using sliding doors. He did that because of the closet and bathroom doors it will cause problems which is partly why I want to get rid of the hall closet. Next do I make the old bathroom a big pantry or do I make it a laundry room. The reason I do not think a laundry room will be good is because it is so small. I have been told aa luandry room will ad value but it is so small. I need some opinions. Should I get a permit. What happens if I dont. My second bath use to be a half bath but they turned it into a full bath w/o a permit. most people have told me not to.

10-21-2007, 03:06 PM	#2
briansol Administrator Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central CT Age: 28 Posts: 432 Rep Power: 10	permits are a grey area. Technically, you need a permit to paint your front steps. it's really rediculous. If you're going to be moving walls and changing the floor plan, i would think it would be wise to get a permit. That way when re-evaluation time comes, their apprasiers will know that it had been worked on and so forth. As for the laundry room.... Mine is tiny.. very tiny. It's at the end of my downstairs hallway, and other than the washer and dryer tucked in the corner, the hallway IS the laundry room. that door goes outside (side of house) __________________ 1997 2050sqft Split Level

10-22-2007, 02:46 PM	#3
ScrapinSTi Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: In Debt. Posts: 240 Rep Power: 2	Well... The way it works is, TECHNICALLY if you are ADDING a bedroom or Bathroom, you need a permit... Because your Sewer/Septic needs to be evaluated, etc.... But if you are just changing/removing rooms... Permits arent really necessary...

10-23-2007, 12:22 PM	#6
ScrapinSTi Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: In Debt. Posts: 240 Rep Power: 2	Exactly... EXTERIOR... It is almost always worth it to have a permit... Especially if it is visible from the road... Except for roofing... If you are replacing your roof, you dont need a permit, unless you are changing the structual ability of it... My boss built a shed in his back yard... He didnt get a permit... but #1, we live in the woods, and #2 he was replacing a prebuilt drop in shed with a more permanent one... So TECHNICALLY he wasn't ADDING on, only replacing....

05-01-2008, 10:06 AM	#8
petriej Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 26 Rep Power: 0	Check with your city or county depending on were you live. I live in unincorporated so I only have to deal with the county. When I started my project, I had to pull permits because they yanked my CO. The only way to get a Certificate of Occupancy back is to pull all of the permits and pass all of the inspections. If you know what you are doing, the permits and inspections aren't hard to pass. MOST inspectors will take phone calls and answer questions regarding whatever you may need, and when they come to give you an inspection will advise you on what to/not to do. If you call for an inspection and are as complete as you think possible, then the inspector will just say that you need to move a box, or add a couple of screws and then he signs you off. Permits are not that expensive either - at least in Colorado. Electrical permit was $40, remodel permit was $260, and furnace permit was $75. If you have the CAD and a plan of what is going to change and how you are going to do that - this will usually suffice for the building and planning dept. Building/planning depts. and inspectors do not treat contractors and homeowners in the same light. I've seen a contractor not get signed off on a final because he didn't have a sink stop in the kitchen. Best advice is to troll around and visit with an inspector or the planning dept so you can get a feel for their attitude. Then go from there.