Dealing with the permit monster
When you are involved in home building or remodeling, you will have to get some kind of permit from the public agency which oversees building and land development in your area. For a lot of people, this "permit monster" is one of the most difficult and frustrating parts of home building and remodeling. Sometimes getting these permits can really take a long time, and you may feel like there is nothing that you can do about it! However, there are a couple of things that do to help deal with the permit monster. Here are a couple of helpful hints:
Find out what codes apply to you: The first thing that you should be familiar with are the types of permits and codes which apply to you and your area. A while ago, most states had accepted the building codes for the International Conference of Building Official's "Uniform Building Code," but this is not the case for all states today! Instead, the International Residential Building Code is generally seen as the standard building code in your area. Check with your Building Department to find out which type of code is applicable in your specific area.
Allow yourself for lots of time: Remember that permits are not always easy to attain quickly! Instead, the permit application can take a very long time (sometimes months and months!). If you allow yourself a long time for obtaining this permit, you should not get as stressed out when dealing with the permit process.
Get all of the information that you need: Remember, a permit is always required when you are about to build anything. Make sure that you gather all of the necessary information to help you apply for your permit. Generally, you will need to include multiple copies of the site plan, as well as multiple copies of the legal description of the legal building site. Multiple copies of working drawings and specifications will also be required. Your property tax account number, information about heating systems, and fire marshal application receipts are also required. Check with your city to make sure that you have all of the things required for the permit application.
Communicate well with plan examiners and field inspectors: Another thing that you will want to do when dealing with the permit monster is communicate really well! When you are communicating with your plan examiners and field inspectors, it is easy for you to know what is expected and required of you. This way, you will not go through doing extra work without needing to, and you also will not have to waste a lot of extra time. By communicating often with your plan examiners and field inspectors
Be prepared for conflict: Although this is not a nice way to look at home building or remodeling, you should know that it is more than likely that you will be involved in some type of conflict. This conflict may arise when you are dealing with your trade contractor, architect, or field inspector. Sometimes these conflicts arise because work needs to be inspected again, redone, or redesigned. This is a normal part of home building, and you will deal better with the permit monster when you realize that conflict will likely happen. The best way to deal with conflict is to look at the source of the problem and brainstorm possible solutions. It is always less confrontational and difficult to select the solution that is most reasonable (and it also needs to be when both groups are willing to work out the conflict!).
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