Buildings

 

Am I Capable of Building a Residential Construction Project Myself?

This is a difficult question that only you will truly know the answer to.  Many projects that homeowners most appreciate can be performed sufficiently by a homeowner, require minimum skill, and don’t require permits or certificates from the city.  

Minimal Skill projects that do not require city permits or certificates include:

• Painting, flooring, and minor drywall patching
• Changing plumbing fixtures, appliances
• Most changes you would consider ‘decorative’ in nature.  

Intermediate skills, that only owner occupants of 1, 2, 3 family structures may perform without permits or certificates include:

• Gutters, downspouts
• Replacing roofing  (Ensuring no greater than two layers exist upon completion)

Any of these projects listed below must obtain either a Zoning Certificate of Compliance (COC) or, when located in an Historic District,  a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), prior to work starting:

Small accessory structures under 100 sq. ft.	COC/COA
Fences	COC/COA
Patios installed on grade	COC
Window Replacements & Exterior Door Replacements (no changes in size)	COA
Siding Installations	COA

If your project is not within the categories noted above, you SHOULD EXPECT the project requires one or more permits from the city.

Permit projects must provide at application the following documents and technical requirements.

• Dimensioned, accurate, and code compliant drawings and potentially accurate surveys of your property and accurate dimensioning of all structures on the property.  Do you have the skills to produce those drawings?
• Providing specifications for plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical systems that are adequately sized and designed for your 1, 2, 3 family.  Do you know the appropriate codes to design and provide the correct equipment?

Before you proceed, ask yourself:

• Do I have the skills to create the necessary drawings and documents?
• Do I know the necessary code compliant specifications and sizing for electrical, plumbing or HVAC systems?
• Do I know where my property lines are and how to accurately locate my home and structures on the property?  

     If not, you should seek professional designers, surveyors, and licensed trade contractors to assist you in your project.

Permit projects may be built by homeowners living in the proposed 1, 2, or 3 family project structure, if they are going to remain in the home after completion of the project for a year or more and sign and notarize a document with the department stating they are performing all the work themselves.    

     However, when you build it yourself, ask yourself if you are willing to assume the following responsibilities:

• Are you ready and willing to assume liability for faulty or work not meeting current building codes?
• Are you thinking you will not disclose your real intentions and use contractors anyway
• Are you willing to accept financial responsibility if during a potential homeowner’s insurance claim, an investigation by your insurance provider discovers faulty or non-code-compliant work contributed to the claim and denies or reduces insurance coverage proportionately? 

     If not, you should seek registered contractors with the city to perform your work.

Finally, what if you just thought you don’t need to be concerned with permitting?  Ask yourself if you are willing to assume the following potential consequences:

• Working Without a Permit:  Are you willing to pay the penalty of double permit fees and potentially having to spend money redoing the work because your project proceeds without required permits, was discovered, and may also not be code compliant?
• Understating your Scope of Work:  Are you willing to potentially remove or replace completed work because you failed to fully describe all the work intended, and the inspector onsite confirmed your construction was not code-compliant or your work must be removed because preliminary required inspections did not occur?
• Using an Undisclosed Contractor: Are you willing to falsify an affidavit stating you are doing your own work and when your contractor fails to complete the project in a code compliant and workmanlike manner, you cannot rely upon any assistance from the city in remedying the situation with the contractor, including potentially in court, and you are held 100% responsible for getting the work done correctly and may incur additional costs to fix the poorly completed project?
• Losing a Property Tax Abatement Eligibility:  Are you willing to forego a potential property tax abatement if the work completed required building permits and you have no records certifying building code compliance?

     If not, you should utilize registered contractors, require them to pull your permits and adequately disclose the entirety of your project up front.