While the legal requirements for permits depends on your jurisdiction and the nature of the renovation here are five pitfalls you may encounter if you try renovating without a permit.
Finished attic no permit.
That ll just come back to haunt you when it s time to sell your home.
Preparing a site plan for the project.
To pull a permit you ll need to a detailed plan that s been reviewed by a licensed structural engineer architect.
Don t even think about doing an attic expansion without pulling a permit.
Before you decide whether to get a permit assess the process and cost involved in doing so.
In rare cases especially in new construction homes the attic may have been built unfinished with the correct flooring in place with the idea that the homeowner could later on finish the space.
Completing a permit application.
After almost completing her attic with a contractor the contractor never returned ignored her calls repeatedly and finally when she caught him on the phone he responded that he had no more time to complete the attic and if she will give him a hard time he will complain to the town that she is finishing her attic without a permit from the town.
Permit requirements vary from city to city so consult your city s building department for full requirements.
Or in your opinion the area has a overall positive effect on the sale and marketability because even though no permit was found the market area recognizes and uses finished attics for multiple uses including bedrooms game rooms dens or home offices but no supportable adjustment was able to be extracted since most mls listings and the local realtors normally do not report non permitted areas therefore this area was considered but no separate line item adjustment made.
When a house is for sale and has a finished attic that didn t apply for a permit from the county how should you proceed with the sale.
It could fully comply with zoning and still lack a building permit for the finished attic.
In most cases though the joists cannot support live loads and may not even be covered with boards.
Unpermitted work is a blanket term that applies to any modifications made to the home that should have been permitted but were not.
Part 2 of my story please understand the difference between a unfinished attic finished attic and half story.
It does have a door from my daughter s bedroom that we use as storage.
This is a huge difference that i learned the hard way.
It sounds like you are the purchaser.
The question becomes what should you do as a buyer or seller when you find work that has been completed without permits.
My answer is always a resounding yes if it is required.