Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have central A/C and a front patio that do not have a permit(a/c) & C of O(patio). We are planning to have the existing front patio demolished and removed and a new one put in its place. Since there is no CO that means they don't know about it. This means we can put in the new one and not worry about the old one, right? We will get everything for the new patio as if there wasn't one to begin with.
Any idea, ballpark, how much my taxes will go up if I file for the A/C and the patio? We also might do a deck in the backyard. I'm trying to decide if it is worth getting a permit or just hoping we don't get caught. Would I have to pay back taxes for the existing front patio if I get caught without a C of O?
Would the increase be closer to $100 or $1,000 a year?
This is crap that our taxes have to go up for things like this.
Just remembered something. I was told a few years ago that central a/c won't increase my taxes if I prove that I have asthma and need it for medical reasons. Has anyone ever heard of this? Do they make exceptions for things like this?
You may need a variance for both of those things (CAC depends where it is outside your house).
Was this stuff there when you bought the house and is it on the survey? If not, expect to have problems down the line when you sell even if you bought the house this way yourself.
Town of Oyster Bay. The patio was there when we bought the house and looks like it has been there for 30 years. I was going to try and get a CO for it, but they wanted me to get architectural drawings and a current survey of my land. It didn't make sense for me to spend ~$1,000 on an old falling apart patio. The a/c we put in without a permit figuring we would get one now that we are getting a new patio. I was pretty diligent to make sure everything was done to code. We don't need a variance based on the placement of the unit. Its on my property with plenty of room before my neighbors property line.
I just called the Tobay planning department and they told me that a new patio has to have a 3 foot below grade foundation. That sounds like it would cost a small fortune just to do that. We want to have our existing patio demolished because there are big cracks in it. Do most people pour foundations like this? I know that is the way to do it, but it just seems like it will add on a lot of money.
They also asked if he patio will be attached to the house. What type of patio is not attached to the house?
I just called the Tobay planning department and they told me that a new patio has to have a 3 foot below grade foundation. That sounds like it would cost a small fortune just to do that. We want to have our existing patio demolished because there are big cracks in it. Do most people pour foundations like this? I know that is the way to do it, but it just seems like it will add on a lot of money.
They also asked if he patio will be attached to the house. What type of patio is not attached to the house?
Some first floor patios and paver patios are not connected to the house. I'm guessing the 3ft foundation is probaly for the posts. Probably a standard so they are below frost level. I imagine they have specs for proper spacing, etc too. Also probably to discourage use of those concrete formed post blocks they sell in the big box stores.
For the original question I could be wrong but taxes go up for 2 factors. Square footage and appraised value. #1 will not apply to the patio or A/C unit. #2 MAY apply but I don't think it would be that much. An extension or garage would increase the taxes much much more.
Just remembered something. I was told a few years ago that central a/c won't increase my taxes if I prove that I have asthma and need it for medical reasons. Has anyone ever heard of this? Do they make exceptions for things like this?
Actually, I believe the TOS told me something about this when they came to inspect my front porch for a variance. I didn't go ahead with it but I do remember the assessor saying something about being able ot get CAC cost waived or something if you can prove it's for allergies/ashtma related reasons.
ETA: Also, when we purchased our home, we didn't have a c of o for our screened in porch or front porch...we did an escrow agreement wherein the seller's were liable for everything to get both varianced..which we finally got last May. When the tax assessor came to my house with all of his past records on our home, it was weird b/c he already had on file the screened in porch and front porch from the 1990's...so all in all, since they had all the info on record, the sellers and ourselves, after we purchased the home, were already being taxed on all of this stuff prior to even telling them about those rooms. At the TOS back then, there was no communication between the planning and zoning department and the assessor's office. This was nice in a way for us b/c our taxes didn't go up b/c everything was already on file.
And, yes, if I were you, I would definitely get a c of o for the patio b/c one day down the road, when you go to sell, you will have a hard time selling without it. And, if you by chance are able to find a buyer who would accept to go to contract with no c of o, the buyer's attorney can generate an escrow agreement which means even though you closed on the home and sold to someone, you are liable to fix the patio up to current code at that time...not today's code when you installed it...and this can become very costly if the footing is not done correctly with the concrete, etc. they could actually make you have to rip it up and do it all over which would means you would be responsbile for all costs even though you sold the home. So, it's best to get it now b/c in the end in years to come, it can cost you a lot more and it's a pain in the neck to have to deal with this when you sell.
I just called the Tobay planning department and they told me that a new patio has to have a 3 foot below grade foundation. That sounds like it would cost a small fortune just to do that. We want to have our existing patio demolished because there are big cracks in it. Do most people pour foundations like this? I know that is the way to do it, but it just seems like it will add on a lot of money.
They also asked if he patio will be attached to the house. What type of patio is not attached to the house?
Couple of things
1) are you sure the front patio isn't on the town plans?
2) how high off the ground is the patio? in TOH again not TOB, you don't have to have a permit for a patio if it is below a certian height.
a 3 foot below grade foundation isn't going to be that difficult for a normal masionary contractor. Anything that has any height is going to need footings below the frost line.
my other comment however popular or not, but how big a job is this? how large is the patio? do you really need ot go the permit route?
a quick 1 day job "repairing" an existing probably won't raise to many questions in the neighborhood
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
