Permit Denied for Finishing Basement (Old Bridge, Middlesex: Home Depot, contractors, tile)
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Im a realtor. I recently sold a townhome with a finished basement which was done without permits. The homeowner had done the work himself. It was beautifully done but the buyers wanted to see a permit before they bought. The homeowner had to make a few minor changes before he got the permits.
Yes its all politics as usual find out which contractor the city deals with the most hire him for the job and you will be suprised at how fast approvals come in... pure curruption..at the hands of our tax dollars...could it be? NO WAY... they want to ensure you have a professional on the case...GOOD LUCK
Definitely obtain permits for finishing your basement. As Diane Giam stated, a CO is required my most towns when selling your house. If the basement was finished without permits, the owner will be fined at least $2k and permits will be required for the already finished basement. The township might find circuit breakers, outlets, unfinished concealed areas, vent sizes, etc, not to comply with requirements. These will have to be fixed/changed in order to obtain pass inspection (more work and expenses). The worst part is if the electrical or plumbing inspector requires the owner to tear apart walls in order to inspect plumbing and electrical wiring...ouch !!! The homeowner might have saved on add'l taxes on all the years he/she lived with the permitless basement but it might not be worth all the trouble when it comes to selling. One very very important aspect of obtaining permit is insurance coverage. God forbid should a fire start in the permitless finished basement and the home insurance policy indicates unfinished basement. Not sure how that would work but odds are not good.
Regarding firestop on conceal spaces - this refers to boarding up the space gap - top to bottom - between the studs and exterior walls every 6ft approx with sheet rock strips cut to size. This will act as a fire retardent in slowing fire along the walls. Of course, it has to be done prior to drywall. My towns required the storage space under the stairs to be drywalled in order to pass fire inspection.
I finished my basement about 10 months ago and went through the entire process of plan drawings, applying for permits, some dyi, contractor outsourcing, inspectors, etc. Had my fingers and toes crossed during each inspection.
Ahhhh......my first post after lurking for a few weeks....hello everyone.
First mistake....Permit??? What permit??? We don't need no stinkin permit.
haha! Exactly what I say!
One of the first things my husband did was finish off the basement when we moved. No permits. Didn't think I had to get any. Oh well. I'm really not worried. The house will be listed by myself or one of my sisters anyway....whenever we move. DH is very very handy and knows his stuff, so I wouldn't see any failed-attempts at his finishing the basement.
Now, our addition on the other hand....we did get permits for. Since it was an outside structure I thought that's when you needed permits so that's why I got them. However, I need to make a visit to the ol' Permit people. It's been 'inactive' for about 2 yrs. but we've been slowly putting up the insulation, etc. I need to shed some tears, and then hopefully they'll reopen the permits without a huge hit from our wallet. yikes.
Definitely obtain permits for finishing your basement. As Diane Giam stated, a CO is required my most towns when selling your house. If the basement was finished without permits, the owner will be fined at least $2k and permits will be required for the already finished basement. The township might find circuit breakers, outlets, unfinished concealed areas, vent sizes, etc, not to comply with requirements. These will have to be fixed/changed in order to obtain pass inspection (more work and expenses). The worst part is if the electrical or plumbing inspector requires the owner to tear apart walls in order to inspect plumbing and electrical wiring...ouch !!! The homeowner might have saved on add'l taxes on all the years he/she lived with the permitless basement but it might not be worth all the trouble when it comes to selling. One very very important aspect of obtaining permit is insurance coverage. God forbid should a fire start in the permitless finished basement and the home insurance policy indicates unfinished basement. Not sure how that would work but odds are not good.
Regarding firestop on conceal spaces - this refers to boarding up the space gap - top to bottom - between the studs and exterior walls every 6ft approx with sheet rock strips cut to size. This will act as a fire retardent in slowing fire along the walls. Of course, it has to be done prior to drywall. My towns required the storage space under the stairs to be drywalled in order to pass fire inspection.
I finished my basement about 10 months ago and went through the entire process of plan drawings, applying for permits, some dyi, contractor outsourcing, inspectors, etc. Had my fingers and toes crossed during each inspection.
Ahhhh......my first post after lurking for a few weeks....hello everyone.
Hello, fellow Old Bridgian! Welcome.
My friend is building a deck. In Old Bridge. Got the permit. Everything was approved. Now, can't pass the final inspection 3 times already! Each time they tell him some other problem, he fixes it, then they come back and find another problem. He says, but you approved the plans and gave me the permit. They don't care... Now, at this point what should he do? I said maybe they want a little something, but he's not like that, he wouldn't even know how to approach that...
He thinks maybe to just leave it as it is, the deck is finished and it's beautiful. So what if the case just stays open indefinitely, is that a problem?
My friend is building a deck. In Old Bridge. Got the permit. Everything was approved. Now, can't pass the final inspection 3 times already! Each time they tell him some other problem, he fixes it, then they come back and find another problem. He says, but you approved the plans and gave me the permit. They don't care... Now, at this point what should he do? I said maybe they want a little something, but he's not like that, he wouldn't even know how to approach that...
He thinks maybe to just leave it as it is, the deck is finished and it's beautiful. So what if the case just stays open indefinitely, is that a problem?
That sounds all too familiar. I had to submit various plans for my finished basement and each time spoke with the inspector to make sure the drawings were in line with requirements. Everyone of my inspections failed the first time around but I was always very polite and courteous with the inspector and asked for specifics to fix and address the issues.
The notion is that if a homeowner is going to DYI, it is his/her responsibility to be knowledgeable of the requirements and codes. The library has books specific to building codes. It is not the role of the inspector to educate the homeowner on how to build something. Sounds harsh but that is the fact. If your friend does not get final approval inspection, he/she runs the risk of the township finding out since they already have an open permit file on the project. If the township disregards it, the permit will expire after 2 years and your friend will have to reapply at a future date.
By the way, I assume your friend built his own deck...I am thinking of adding a deck but not sure about cost and deck material. Of course, it all depends on size, grade, and elevation from ground. Anyway to get in contact with your friend.
By the way, I assume your friend built his own deck...I am thinking of adding a deck but not sure about cost and deck material. Of course, it all depends on size, grade, and elevation from ground. Anyway to get in contact with your friend.
And thanks for the welcome.[/quote]
My friend wasn't doing DIY, he had people. Got various quotes, and went with someone in the middle. He used trex, and the deck goes around his above ground pool. He said it cost him around 15 grand.
Apparently, the last time the inspector told him that if he got a fence that has a lock, then it would pass inspection. Right now he has a regular chain link fence.
My friend wasn't doing DIY, he had people. Got various quotes, and went with someone in the middle. He used trex, and the deck goes around his above ground pool. He said it cost him around 15 grand.
Apparently, the last time the inspector told him that if he got a fence that has a lock, then it would pass inspection. Right now he has a regular chain link fence.[/quote]
Oh yes, townships are very strict about pools but I am surprised that the pool passed inspection the first time with a regular chain link fence and now they are requiring a lock on that same fence for construction of a new deck. Sounds like a minor hurdle to finalize deck approval. Good luck to your fence.
If you don't mind, I might ask you to reach your friend for deck contractors when I am ready for my deck..
Can anybody share an approved permit application? I'm a newbie at this and would like to try and get it right the first time. Please include building, fire code and electrical details as possible. Was going to submit my application but I don't have details on the amperage on a circuit, wattage details on can lights. Don't know how detailed it must be. Thanks in advance. I'm in Middlesex, NJ
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