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The Risks of Building a Home Addition without
Pulling Permits First
Forgetting to Pull Permits on a New Home
Addition is Fraught with Danger, Liabilities, and Added Costs
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Regardless if you are an experienced
do-it-yourselfer, the days of just picking up your hammer and starting a home
addition or home remodeling project are long over. It is critical that you first
make your municipality aware of your home building intentions.
Municipalities are increasingly
cracking down on the weekend DIY construction homeowner to protect themselves
against possible future lawsuits, and to maximize their property tax revenue.
If you don’t contact them, be assured someone else in your neighborhood will, so
before you have legal problems and fines to contend with, it is best to contact
them first.
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Also note that besides legal issues
and fines associated with not pulling permits, municipalities also can require
the destruction of the home addition.
There are federal, state and local
building codes that municipalities require in home construction. These codes are
in place to protect the occupants of the home, and others living near or around
the home from fire, collapsed framing construction, electrical shock and many
other dangers that can occur when a home or home addition is not constructed
properly.
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These codes also serve to protect the
investment in your home. Most of today’s homebuyers request a home inspection as
part of the purchase and sales agreement. If a home inspection determines your
home addition does not meet home construction codes then chances are the buyers
will renege on their offer, and rightfully so. To ultimately sell your home you
will probably need to bring your home addition or home remodeling project up to
legal building codes. As a result, you will wind up ultimately spending more
money in the end on the home addition or home remodeling project by not pulling
the permits during the pre-construction phase of it.
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The other advantage in pulling the
appropriate permits on a new home addition or home remodeling project is that
you enable your project to be regularly checked during the construction by the
local building inspector. As a result, you can feel more comfortable knowing
that the home addition or home remodeling project not only meets the national
and local building codes, but is also safe and your financial investment is
protected.
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The costs of building permits are quite minor, relative to the total cost of a
home addition or home remodeling project, and consequently there should be no
excuse not to pull them.
| Yes the permit process may force you to use licensed
contractors that you had previously no intention in hiring, but again this
cost delta is peanuts compared to a cease and desist, or deconstruct order
from the town or city. Not pulling permits on a home addition project is
fraught with danger and liabilities, and the liabilities can last the life
of the home addition. Consequently, if you are planning to build a home
addition, always go to your local municipal building inspector first and
determine what permits you will need. |
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In some cases you may be able to pull the permits yourself, and in other
cases a licensed contractor will need to pull them for you.
For more help on building a second floor
addition or room addition, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Home
Addition Bid Sheets.
The
Home
Addition Bid Sheets will help ensure that your home
building project goes smoothly and is
completed on time and budget.
How to Finance your Home Remodeling Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Related Information on Building a Home Addition
Additional Home Building and
Construction Resources
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