Do I Really Need A Building Permit?
Granted, obtaining a building permit takes time, money, and frequently patience and persistence. Nonetheless, before you decide one way or the other regarding whether to obtain a permit, it makes sense to know the reasoning behind the permitting process and what's at risk.
The building permitting process ensures that structures adhere to approved minimum standards or codes of construction. This process protects residents, guests, and future property owners from unsafe building practices. Your deck-building project may not seem complex enough to you to require a permit, especially if you live in an area that requires getting "bonded", submitting numerous plans, and paying a fee. Nevertheless, do not try to circumvent the permitting process. Save yourself from potential future trouble by obtaining a building permit before you begin work.
In some areas, the penalties for building without a permit can be quite steep27. You may be required to tear apart the entire structure and pay a fine. At a minimum, if you’re caught without a permit, you’ll be required to stop work until a permit is obtained. If it’s a busy time of year, this may take weeks or months.
Also, don’t assume that just because your project won’t be visible from the road that you’re in the clear. All it takes is one unhappy neighbor placing an anonymous phone call to bring trouble your way. Likewise, the salesperson at the lumberyard28 or the delivery guy may have a deal worked out with someone at the city or town hall.
Check Point - Obtaining a building permit can be a bit of a challenge to the do-it-yourself builder. If you'd like to learn more about the permitting process and the paperwork involved, hear tips from an expert on how to get along with your Building Inspector, and read about Building Codes and the types of building site considerations that will help to prevent a lot of extra work, consider purchasing a password. For a very small fee, you can get a password today and have immediate access to a truck load of comprehensive, money-saving information.
Even if you construct the deck or gazebo without incident, you still may get caught. If your house happens to be visited by an evaluator for tax assessment purposes, he/she may be able to see from their notes that a structure has been added or enlarged. If this happens, word may still get back to the building officials.
Furthermore, when it comes time to sell your house, it's not uncommon for future buyers to ask for building permits on all major additions and renovations. Not being able to provide the necessary paperwork will at the very least put you in the uncomfortable position of having to apply for a permit after-the-fact and most likely paying penalties. Worse yet, it could scare the buyers away.
Finally, some homeowner’s insurance policies have exclusions on major work done without a permit. If someone has an accident, your claim may be denied. The bottom line is that probably none of this will ever happen but it’s just not worth the risk. Plan ahead and make inquires with your local Building Inspector well before you intend on starting work.
The content under the "How-To" menu is a small sampling of all the material covered on BestDeckSite. For immediate access to in-depth information on obtaining a permit, the permitting process, a Building Code checklist, as well as, comprehensive coverage of all aspects of gazebo29 and deck building30, get a password and log-in now.
http://www.bestdecksite.com/introPlanPg2.htm
TASKS
- What is the gist of the above texts? Do you think the authors tried to be sarcastic or humoristic? Give arguments to support your answer.
- What problems might arise from unlicensed self-building and/or illegal buildings in the Canary Isles? Can you provide an example from your area? Have any building setbacks arisen during stormy weather? (E.g. when building on the bed of a ravine, or along its banks).
- Whom is this text intended to? The self-builder or the contractor?
- Is it advisable to obtain a building permit after starting works? Justify your answer
- According to the author, should we try skipping the application for a building permit on the grounds that “it may never happen at all”? Why?
THIS UNIT’S QUOTE: “When inspiration does not come to me, I go half way to meet it.” – Sigmund Freud
THEORY: Vocabulary: Shape, dimensions, material, colour, weight, … Parts and components. Practicing technical descriptions. Grammar review: Location and position. Word formation with suffixes. Word formation with prefixes. Noun compounds. Developing skills. Erecting a building. Commissioning a building. The construction process. Passive. Writing a construction progress report. Schedules and time estimates. Sequencing. Describing changes. Procedures. Describing a construction site performance record. Time, quality, and cost issues. Explaining a diagram. Visual-verbal relationships. Interpreting charts, graphs, diagrams and tables.
RECOMMENDED SITES:
- Colorado State University Writing Guides: Writing Abstracts (http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/abstract/index.cfm)
- Construction Permit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_permit)
- English Online - Writing Skills – instructions (http://www.englishonline.co.uk/englishnon/literacy/literacy11-14/instruct.html)
- Managing Construction Projects (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/winch/contents.htm)
- Metric Conversion Tables (http://www.simetric.co.uk/)
- Motorcycle Electrical Parts (ElectroSport Industries): Fault Finding http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_fault_finding.html
- ¿Necesito un Permiso de Construcción? (http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=128645)
- Online Technical Writing: Instructions (http://www.io.com/~hcexres/textbook/instrux.html)
- Permits Protect (http://www.permitsprotect.info/)
- Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide (http://www.awc.org/Publications/dca/dca6/dca6.pdf)
- The University of Mississippi Writing Center (http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grabstract.html)
TASKS
- Work on your assigned glossary Construction Engineering / Quantity Surveyor. By the end of this week you should already have 90-150 terms.
- Provide the URL links to, at least, two free on-line Homebuilding magazines.
- Watch the following You Tube video-clip, «Notebook PC Explodes» (http://mx.youtube.com/watch?v=qmPm-YV9vdA&feature=related) and then answer the questions:
- What is the purpose of this video? What is their main piece of advice?
- How many kinds of fires are named? (Say both the number and the name).
- What should the right procedure be in such a situation?
- As you may have seen so far, American English (AmEng) spelling is somewhat different from British English (BrEng) standard spelling. Make a list with main differences between both writing systems.
- Fill in the gaps of the following text with the words provided. Use the floor plan as a guide.
The COTTAGE on COTTAGE
The _, which was _ several years ago, still embodies the charm of its era without sacrificing _. High, curved _, original _ and hardwood _ combined with _ and comfortable _ make this _ a lovely place to relax during one’s visit to the area.
The unit features two _ (one with a _, the other with two twins), a well equipped modern eat-in _ with _ countertops, a spacious bathroom with _ and shower, and a grand _ complete with a bay window, decorative fireplace, and sitting areas.
A rear covered _ allows for cooking on the gas grill while the delightful _ and garden welcome visitors to an _ _ community.
www.cottageoncottage.com/accomod.htm
all-but-lost, bedrooms, ceilings, comfort, cottage, façade, floors, furnishings, kitchen, marble, old-fashioned, parlour, porch, queen bed, renovated, tub, townhouse, well-chosen, woodwork
27. Steep: high || Having a sharp inclination, especially when speaking about slopes. ↩
28. Lumberyard: An establishment that sells timber and other building materials from a yard. ↩
29. Gazebo: a pavilion structure, often octagonal, commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas ( ↩
30. Deck (building): A flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building ( ↩