BBI Permits/Inspection - Risks (house, contractor, inspectors)

[dastars]

Hello, all! The wife and I bought a house in Stanton Heights and it needs a lot of "love." We did the FHA program allowing us to upgrade the furnace (existing was 65 years old), and had the work completed earlier this week.

The contractor mentioned permits. My thought was "duh, do it by the book and get a permit" but he cautioned us to consider it carefully. He suggested that the inspector would come in, see the condition of the home, and put us on the hook for thousands of dollars of mandatory updates - something we can't really swing right at this moment.

It doesn't strike me as out of the question that being a good citizen and following the rules can cause a problem, but I wanted to check with the gurus here. We plan on doing a lot of work on this house, and don't want to end up on the bad side of the Powers That Be; but also don't want to do anything we don't have to, especially if it's costly.

Thanks so much!

[selltheburgh]

If you plan to sell the house anytime in the future and are making substantial repairs, then get a permit.

If you are going to live there and are hiring professionals for the "dangerous" items aka electric, gas, structural, then I'd advise you to avoid dealing with the city.

I'm currently renovating a place in Stanton Heights. We got a permit just for formality sake because we are going to sell the property in the not too distant future. The inspector said he'd meet at the property twice now and hasn't been there yet.

[dastars]

Thanks, selltheburgh. I don't think it's going to be a "forever" home (though having just moved all my crap up every stair in the world, I don't want to ever do it again). So it sounds like permitting is a good idea.

How does the inspection process work? If they find stuff (and they will), what is the remediation process/policy?

[selltheburgh]

Generally it depends. Like if you replace something, it needs to be done to code. If you have something that was installed in 1950 and it isn't up to modern day code, they likely won't make you change it. But if you alter one thing about it, you have to do the whole shebang to modern day standards. It also depends on who the inspector is.

What kind of work are you doing?

[dastars]

Well, the house is quite old, and we have big plans. At the moment, it's the furnace. Next will be a fence, then A/C. Going to do wiring too - lot of 2 prong outlets and possibly some knob and tube. Later on, windows, floors, etc. It looks like we're fine on interior work, and fence as long as it's under 6 feet.

[ferraris]

You definitely don't need a permit for the fence (it's on their website as one of the few things you don't need a permit for). However you still might catch their attention with it. I put up a fence and called the PA Dig line (which you should definitely do) and in addition to the utility companies marking their lines, the city building inspector showed up. I guess he was satisfied that I was not doing any work that required a permit because I never officially heard anything from them, but they did stop by and take a look. Just something to be aware of.

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by dastars

Well, the house is quite old, and we have big plans. At the moment, it's the furnace. Next will be a fence, then A/C. Going to do wiring too - lot of 2 prong outlets and possibly some knob and tube. Later on, windows, floors, etc. It looks like we're fine on interior work, and fence as long as it's under 6 feet.

Fence is fine under 6' as long as it isn't on a street (front of your house or corner lot isn't kosher - side or alley are fine).

Electric and Furnace / AC - leave that to the professionals and let them get permits if they see it necessary.

refinishing floors - no need.

windows - you are supposed to, but nobody does.

you can get a "general building permit" and tell them it is for windows, refinishing floors, a fence and hvac and light electric. they likely won't inspect you and you'll be in the clear. then the hvac and electrician can get their inspector out to check their work. they deal with them pretty much daily.

[dastars]

Thanks, all!

[gg]

No permit is best. Just keep a low profile. The inspectors are of course idiots. They are government employees and can't be fired, so they just drive around and eat food in their trucks while listening to music while parked in an area with a nice view. They can't be bothered.

[Pghuser]

As long as you are cool with your neighbors you should be in the clear!