Additions
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Why Building Permits Matter
If you’re making significant changes to your home, you need to have permits, as well as all the proper building inspections during the process and at the project’s completion. In addition to the traditional building permit, which gives you and/or the contractor the permission to build or add onto the home, each specialty trade, such as HVAC, electrical, or plumbing, has its own permit. Before building a home addition, brush up on the required permits.
If the system seems like a confusing web of applications and inspections, you’re right. That’s why we don’t recommend doing it yourself. Keep in mind that “the one who pulls the permit is responsible for the work.”
That means if you pull the permit yourself, or if your contractor pulls it in your name, then YOU are responsible for the work, even if you didn’t do it. This leaves lots of room for error on the contractor’s part, and some contractors may not accept responsibility for mistakes.
For that reason, you should hire an experienced, locally licensed contractor and Permit experts (preferably with on staff Architects) who does quality work and knows the system. The two keywords here are “experienced” and “local.”
Just as a certified public accountant or a lawyer has to pass an exam and prove their qualifications, a properly licensed Architect has to have certain qualifications to pull a permit. These include having a master technicians on the team and meeting selected screening qualifications.
Local means hiring a contractor who works frequently in your municipality. Permit and building requirements vary from town to town.
Example: Permitting for a Kitchen Remodel
You don’t have to add on to your home or construct an entirely new building on your property to require permits,. In some cases, even an extensive remodelling project will require permitting.
This is especially true of kitchens and bathrooms, where the renovation may place significant demands on your gas, electrical, water, and/or plumbing systems.
Below are some examples of the kinds of permits that might be required for an extensive kitchen remodel:
- Structural: This is necessary if you’re making major modifications that include blowing out walls or building new ones. You don’t need a permit if you are just changing the cabinets inthe kitchen.
- Electrical: Even if you’re just moving one plug or installing any new fixtures, you need an electrical permit. If you’re doing an electrical upgrade, make sure you bring everything up to current building code standards.
- Plumbing: If you are adding a redesigned laundry room that includes a new location for the sink, you will need a plumbing permit. No permit is needed if the location doesn’t change.
- Gas permit: If your new stovetop has a gas grill, you will need a gas permit to run a new gas line. If it’s electric, it will fall under the electrical permit.
- Local permits: You will need any other permits required by your township or municipality.
Understanding Home Addition Permits
Dealing with paperwork isn’t the most exciting way to spend a weekend. But the permitting process isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s also great protection. Permits will help ensure your cozy new bedroom or inspiring detached artist’s studio is safe, solid, and inviting for years to come!
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