Remodeling a home requires more than knocking down walls. There are many things to consider when you want to remodel a home like how much will it cost, will you hire a contractor, or whether or not you will need a permit to add on to parts of your already existing home. Obtaining permits is just a part of the process but what parts of a home remodel do you need county permits for and which ones are you ok not having one? It can be a confusing process but an important one none the less.

Whether or not you need a permit to remodel your home will depend on two different things:
1. What kind of remodeling project you are planning on doing
2. Where you live

Many people begin to remodel their homes without inquiring as to what permits are needed before they do so. And many of them end up having to change their plans because they neglected to get the needed permit before they started the work. Do yourself a favor and research what type of permit you need before you start the process. It will not only save you time but most likely save you some money as well. It turns out that there are more things that need a permit than one would think and also a number of things that you might think need a permit but don't. It pays to do your homework. Let's take a look at the four types of permits you will need for remodeling or building a home.

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Are you remodeling your home and you have a remodeling contract to sign? Are you wondering what it is you need to be looking for and if you should add anything? There are different factors to a remodeling contract and you should know what it entails before you agree to anything. Here are some things to look for in a remodeling contract and also a list of what not to sign in a home remodeling contract.

What is a home remodeling contract?
A home remodeling contract is a written agreement that is between two individuals that is enforced by law. Home remodeling contracts usually include the contractor's name, address, number and professional license number, a detailed description of the work, starting and completion dates, labor and materials cost, pay requirements, any warrantees of work, and a right to cancel within a certain period.

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Are you building a home and you have a building contract to sign? Are you wondering what it is you need to be looking for and if you should add anything? There are many factors to a building contract and you should know what it entails before you agree to anything. Here are some things to look for in a building contract and also a list of what not to sign in a home building contract.

What is a home building contract?
A home building contract is nothing more than an agreement between two or more parties that is enforceable by law. A home building contract typically includes: start and finish dates, the right to settle disputes by arbitration, a warranty of at least one year on all work and materials, a payment schedule, detailed job and materials descriptions, and a waiver of subcontractor liens.

A new home contract is first and foremost a legally binding agreement, it is very important that you retain a lawyer to review and modify the agreement so that it is complete, accurate, fair, and enforceable, for everyone that is involved.

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Hiring a builder will often times involve large amounts of money so it's perfectly natural for you to take a considerable amount of caution in planning the work and choosing the builder. Most contractors will enter into a contract with you after you have decided to go with them on your building project but what are your legal rights for going after someone who does poor or shoddy workmanship? Let's take a better look at how hiring, money, and legalities work together.

Before you hire
Before you decide to hire a contractor you should always ask for some samples pictures of their work and even better, some reference numbers of people you can actually talk with. Everyone is entitle to do as much background checking as they want so don't be afraid to go and see previous homes they have built and to inspect carefully their work they have done. You should also make sure that the contractor/ builder you decide to go with is a professional licensed builder and don't be afraid to ask to see the license.

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If you are not doing the work yourself, make sure you get, in writing in your contract, a guarantee that the work will be redone if it does not pass inspection. Most remodeling professionals and contractors, electrician, plumbers, and so forth will already guarantee this, but double check to make sure. This way, you are not liable for the costs to redo to the work and make sure it is up to code.

Why do I need a remodel inspection?
All new homes and most home remodels require an inspection to make sure it is up to code. This is important because it guarantees the overall health and safety of your occupants and those surrounding you.
The codes you will follow make sure your remodeling changes will help to ensure you and your structure are safe from things like electrocution and fire hazards, diseases, or pest infestation. In addition, they help to ensure your remodel will withstand the elements, particularly if you have added a room or wing.

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If you have hired a subcontractor to help with your projects, you will need to create a building contract. A building contract between you and the subcontractor will clear up expectations and establish a clear understanding about how your relationship will work.

You can get a building contract from your current builder or you can write one up yourself. Here are the steps you need to take when making a building contract with a subcontractor:

Writing the building contract
A contract protects you and the subcontractor from any problems or issues that may arise. The building contract doesn't need to be complex, and you and the subcontractor can modify it in case there is something that comes up.

Terms of employment
You need to clearly define the subcontractor's employment with you. If you hire them to be a temporary employee, you will need to withhold taxes and pay them yourself and have them fill out the proper tax forms so you can prepare a W-2. It's easier to hire them as an independent contractor since you simply complete a 1099-Misc form and report the contractor's income to the IRS. You can download business software that can keep track of all the paperwork for you.

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The key to passing inspections for your home requires some work and thoroughness.
If you are trying to pass an inspection for a new home build or trying to sell your house and need the inspection done there are a few key things you need to do to pass the inspection.

Thoroughness when building the home will help you pass inspections. Pay attention to all the work done by the various contractors. Usually you will have more then one inspection when building a home to make sure everything is up to code. There will be inspections for wiring, plumbing and general work. If there are problems these should be addressed before the final inspection. If you are visiting the job site daily and have good communication with the head contractor you should easily be able to keep an eye on any possible problems.

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One of the major installations in your new home is your HVAC system. For the novice home builder one of the first questions to ask is: What is an HVAC?

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The HVAC system controls the ambient environment (temperature, humidity, air flow, and air filtering) and must be planned for and installed up to code. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems work to control the climate, and keep occupants comfortable by regulating the temperature and air flow. HVAC systems are also important to the home occupants' health, because a well regulated and maintained system will keep a home free from mold and other harmful organisms. In addition in today's technology heavy homes the HVAC is often integrated with computer center components such as computing hardware, cabling, data storage, fire protection, physical security systems and power. The selection of an HVAC contractor is an important step in planning the building of your new home.

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When you are building you need to make sure that you take into consideration the different codes that are set either by your city, county, or the building committee for your neighborhood. Here are some things that you might not know that you will need to know about making sure you have proper setbacks, and you meet code.

The first thing is to make sure that you understand is what setbacks are. Setbacks are the minimum requirements of where you house has to sit. For example if you see something that your house has to sit at least 25 feet from the road this means that the front of your house whether it be the garage or your actual house the closest it can be to the street is 25 feet.

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There are a lot of different things that you have to make sure that you do when you are building a home. One thing that you have to do before you even dig a hole for your house is to make sure that you get all the permits you need to build a home. Depending on where you live will depend on what type of permits you will need. You will want to make sure that you take into consideration when you are scheduling your sub-contractors that building permits do take some time to get processed. Here are some things that will help determine how long it takes to get permits to build a home.

The first thing you will want to take into consideration is the money that you have to pay to get your permits. Depending on where you live will depend on how much money it is going to cost for your permits. It also will depend on how big of house you have. Some of your building permits you have to pay for by how much square feet your house is. Because of this you will want to make sure that you find out from the city ahead of time how much you are going to owe. If you do not have the money the city that you are living in will not let you pick up your permits to build until you pay them. So if you do not have the money in your bank account you will want to make sure that you have already gotten your construction loan so that you can make a draw and pay for your permits that way.

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For those of you who are building your own home or who are in the middle of remodeling your old home you have probably already had to deal with building permits and you have probably already had a few bad experiences. The thing about building permits is that they are something that is needed if you plan on making major changes to your home because of safety concerns, the permits ensure that certain codes are being followed when remodeling your home so that you are not exposing yourself or the community to unnecessary problems. But something else that you should know about building permits is that if you know some tips and tricks you can make getting those permits a lot easier than it has been.

Here are some tips that you can follow to make the nightmare of permits seem like a breeze.

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When you take on any sort of house renovating project, adding on an addition, or building any kind of structure on your property, you need to have the correct permits from the city to do so. These permits are basically registration to the city of whatever it is that you are doing along with a fee. Knowing exactly what your project is and what you will be doing will help you find the correct permits and even cut out a few permits if you can play your cards right.

What every beginner needs to know before starting any major project with their home, especially if they are in within city limits, is that there are laws and bylaws that have to be followed. In order to ensure that people know what these laws are, there are permits that need to be researched and purchased in order to legally go forward with a project. Having permits enables a city to ensure itself that all of the citizens within it act with a knowledge of what the law is and that the city is aware of all construction going on within it. If you rearrange the details of your project in a certain way, you can avoid certain permits and only have to purchase the ones that are absolutely necessary. For example, David Johnson played his cards right when they decided to add an addition onto their house. David's mother was getting older and he wanted to add an apartment onto their existing home so that his mother could maintain her independence, but be close enough to home so that they could help her at any moment of an emergency. The house already had an older part of the house on it that was old and dilapidated. Because there was an older apartment already on the house, David saw an opportunity to claim the new build as a "remodeling" project. Instead of going through the trouble and paperwork of registering for a new structure, he claimed the project as a renovating and remodeling of an existing structure. What actually happened was he tore everything out: the walls, the roof, the floor, the wiring, and the plumbing, absolutely everything. All that was left was the foundation, which was still good, and the basic wall supports and cross beams from the ceiling. This, however, was enough to legally call it a remodeling project. When he was completed, David had built a brand-new apartment that looked nothing like the old apartment before. He did this and saved himself money in permits that went straight into the project itself.

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If you have a home that was built poorly, you had a dishonest contractor, or something similar, what are your legal rights for going after them?

The truth is that it depends on what your contract says, and if there are any loopholes in it or not. So, to start out with, avoid this problem by having a real estate attorney carefully review all contracts to make sure that what you intend for them to say is what they actually say, legally.

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