08-17-2024, 09:31 PM
I think the big negitive of building an unpermited house would be the re-sale value down the road when I'm dead...
and like others have said, it will shrink the available buyers because most lenders will not lend on an unpermited house....
I am looking at this as a trade study, it basically comes down to the extra time and money to go the permited route vs the resale value and harder to sell on the back end. Then throw in the risk of "getting caught" by the building dept.
The former I can pretty much estimate, it is what happens if they catch you that I can't calculate. Reading through some of the enforcement documents, that is a big variable. Seems like it could run the scale from,, they just assess current value and start taxing you.... to they want you to open all the walls and prove the plumbing and electrical are all up to code. Plus as I understand it, you now have to get a license contractors to sign off an "as-built" permit on all of it..
So that means if you get caught, you are paying all the contractor fees you would have paid going permited from the start, but now their are some fines and the it will probably be a PITA to find contractors to sign off..
I would guess the risk of getting caught will increase in the next 10 years as they start using more high tech ways to scan the county. Someone posted they already are use a high resolution airiel photo service that spealizes in providing code enforcemnt to govenement agencies. So it will just be a matter of time before they start finding unpermitted houses. You can look right now on Google Maps and find new structures on a property that were not there in a previuos satillte photos. So really the risk of getting caught are close to 100%,, the unknown is the time factor.
The real thing I was trying to avoid is being forced to use a licensed electrican, plumber, solar installer,
They all add a lot of cost and time to a project. ( if you can even get one to show up....)
If the goal of that rule to make sure things are built to code, why are you forced to use one if the county has inspectors to see if the project was built to code. There are many of us that are fully capable of building things to code. Most of the time we build better than code. Remember, code is jsut the minimum. Most contractors are just going to build to the min code becasue timeis money for them... Not so for the owner builder.
So if the project is build to code and the inpsector is happy, why does it have to be done by a licensed guy?
It is ironinc, they will let a owner-build build the entire structure, but not touch andthing plumbing or electrical...
So I'm thinking the best path forward is to go with permits, but try to find and electician and plumbing contractor that will work with me.
ie.. I do most of the rough in work and they come out to do the final hook ups. If done right, it would be one day's work for them and they get paid a fee so there is an incentive for them to do it and it is easy money. The trick is to find someone like that...
i was lucky with a job of changing my circuit breaker box on my hosue on Oahu, I found out there was a guy at my job that was a licensed electrician. I did all the work and he signed the permit. Orginally he was going to come out and do some stuff but got tied up with work. So in the end I did everthing.When the final inspector came out, he said, " your electrician does some really nice work".. I said, yes he does....LOL
and like others have said, it will shrink the available buyers because most lenders will not lend on an unpermited house....
I am looking at this as a trade study, it basically comes down to the extra time and money to go the permited route vs the resale value and harder to sell on the back end. Then throw in the risk of "getting caught" by the building dept.
The former I can pretty much estimate, it is what happens if they catch you that I can't calculate. Reading through some of the enforcement documents, that is a big variable. Seems like it could run the scale from,, they just assess current value and start taxing you.... to they want you to open all the walls and prove the plumbing and electrical are all up to code. Plus as I understand it, you now have to get a license contractors to sign off an "as-built" permit on all of it..
So that means if you get caught, you are paying all the contractor fees you would have paid going permited from the start, but now their are some fines and the it will probably be a PITA to find contractors to sign off..
I would guess the risk of getting caught will increase in the next 10 years as they start using more high tech ways to scan the county. Someone posted they already are use a high resolution airiel photo service that spealizes in providing code enforcemnt to govenement agencies. So it will just be a matter of time before they start finding unpermitted houses. You can look right now on Google Maps and find new structures on a property that were not there in a previuos satillte photos. So really the risk of getting caught are close to 100%,, the unknown is the time factor.
The real thing I was trying to avoid is being forced to use a licensed electrican, plumber, solar installer,
They all add a lot of cost and time to a project. ( if you can even get one to show up....)
If the goal of that rule to make sure things are built to code, why are you forced to use one if the county has inspectors to see if the project was built to code. There are many of us that are fully capable of building things to code. Most of the time we build better than code. Remember, code is jsut the minimum. Most contractors are just going to build to the min code becasue timeis money for them... Not so for the owner builder.
So if the project is build to code and the inpsector is happy, why does it have to be done by a licensed guy?
It is ironinc, they will let a owner-build build the entire structure, but not touch andthing plumbing or electrical...
So I'm thinking the best path forward is to go with permits, but try to find and electician and plumbing contractor that will work with me.
ie.. I do most of the rough in work and they come out to do the final hook ups. If done right, it would be one day's work for them and they get paid a fee so there is an incentive for them to do it and it is easy money. The trick is to find someone like that...
i was lucky with a job of changing my circuit breaker box on my hosue on Oahu, I found out there was a guy at my job that was a licensed electrician. I did all the work and he signed the permit. Orginally he was going to come out and do some stuff but got tied up with work. So in the end I did everthing.When the final inspector came out, he said, " your electrician does some really nice work".. I said, yes he does....LOL