Ready to Renovate: Check These 4 Things with Your City First
Build Day
Before you hire a crane service Olympic Peninsula and get underway for renovating your home, you should probably make sure that the intentions you have for your home follow the code per the city's regulations. Too often, renovators find themselves in trouble when the city gets wind of a project that isn't following the regulations and codes instituted for a particular building. As such, these projects are often shut down and renovators are lost with debt and an unfinished project. To make sure that doesn't happen to you, be sure that you check these items with your city before you start the renovation process.
1. Location
Depending on where you live, you may not actually be able to renovate at all. In most cases, however, even if you live in a protected area, you can usually acquire a permit from the city. This permit allows you to renovate, but only to a degree that the city allows. This is to ensure that the renovation doesn't damage or injure the protected status of the area or the home. This is often the case for homes that are considered to be landmarks or are in a landmark area. You'll have to gain approval from a few different management companies and a government body, but once your permit is given to you, you're onto the next stage. Hopefully, you don't have to worry about this at all, so long as you're not living in a landmark area or a historic district.
2. Removing Or Building Walls
Whether you want to open up a space or close a space off, you're going to need a permit. In particular, you're going to need a permit from the Department of Buildings. Depending on where you live, you may need additional permits or paperwork as well. Inspectors need to ensure that the walls you wish to remove aren't the ones originally build for support. Or that they don't house plumbing or electrical work that goes into other homes--this is especially true for those looking to renovate an apartment or some form of building with multiple living spaces within it.
3. Plumbing And Electrical Work
The same goes for anyone who wants to move the bathroom to another room or install a new bathroom. Because the plumbing system in a given location is an intricate network, inspectors need to ensure that what you're attempting to do isn't going to damage the plumbing line and network. In regards to electrical work, you typically only need a permit if you're going to change the electrical network in a big way. This might mean by including more power or if you're doing something like installing air conditioning. For those who want to make the change to solar power, you're going to need quite a bunch of paperwork and permits. Regulations for solar panels vary from state to state, so you want to be sure that you're checking with the right people and following the correct guidelines.
4. Replacing Doors And Windows
Even something as simple as changing out doors and windows actually requires a permit. In the case of windows, this is primarily due to the emergency egress requirements. If something should happen in your home, say an intruder or a fire breaks out, first responders need to have easy access into the home. If your windows weren't properly installed and the door is inaccessible, then first responders can't reach you. As you might imagine, this can make a situation turn deadly. As such, the city requires a permit to ensure that the windows and doors are put in according to their guidelines.
Double Check
If you're thinking about renovating or performing a few DIY projects, double check that such projects don't require a permit. Sometimes permits can take a while to receive, so request them quickly.
