Pull the necessary permits when remodeling

Real Estate Remember Building Permit When Remodeling

If there's one part of the home remodeling process that homeowners especially dislike, it's getting a building permit. But permits are more than mere pieces of paper. Homeowners who skirt around them face risks.

One protection afforded by a permit is usually an inspection by the municipality, says Jim Bateman, owner of Bateman Custom Construction, a home remodeling company in Fairfax, Va. Inspections can expose shoddy workmanship, building code violations and safety hazards that otherwise might not be discovered until a problem occurs.

Bateman offers this hypothetical example: "If I did electrical work on somebody's house and I wasn't a licensed electrician, I may have done it to code, but if, for some reason, I violated the code and the house burned down, the (homeowners) insurance (company) possibly won't pay for it."

Still, a municipal inspection isn't a guarantee.

"There's no way an inspector can inspect 100 percent of what was done," Bateman says. "It's not a foolproof system, but it's better than not having an inspection."

Obtaining, or in builder-speak, "pulling," a permit generally is a dual responsibility of the contractor and homeowner, says Mike Paclik, principal at Watermark and Co., a home remodeling company in Austin, Texas.

Ultimately, though, Paclik adds, the homeowner owns the work and pays the price if required permits were overlooked. One risk is that a future buyer could object to unpermitted work.

"Whoever buys the house will want to know if a permit was pulled to build that swimming pool or structure or whatever, and if it wasn't, the liability goes back to the homeowner," Paclik says.

For that reason, homeowners are well-advised to question closely any contractor who proposes remodeling without a permit. One way to be sure is to contact the building department.

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Pull the necessary permits when remodeling