Living area and permits revisited
Today, Sam Schneiderman, broker owner of Greater Boston Home Team addresses a reader's questions about building permits in his weekly Monday blog post.
Last Monday, we discussed Living Area calculations for single family properties. I focused on how appraisers calculate single-family lower level finished space for mortgage purposes. (Condo and multifamily calculations often vary from the way that single-family living area is calculated.)
Readers asked lots of good questions about how living area would be calculated in different situations. For those interested in learning more about how various areas of single family homes are calculated, I suggest an excellent article written by my client and friend, Maria Lando, a/k/a “The Math Mom”.
Now, on to the business at hand:
Last week, Lisa53 wrote:
“We hired a licensed contractor, electrician and HVAC person but did not go the permit route because we plan on staying a while (esp in this market) and weren't looking to increase our property taxes. Our contractor gave us the choice. Everything is code and we even ripped down a bunch of the work done by the previous homeowners, who did it themselves, and badly. I was a little hesitant about skipping the permits, but time will tell.”
When I previously wrote about permits, I learned that our readers have differing opinions about municipal building inspectors and the need for permits. As I see it, there are insurance issues (pointed out by last week’s readers) plus safety issues that should be considered. The fact that a homeowner will save tax dollars by having their home assessed lower if the town doesn't know about improvements also creates a problem when the time comes to sell because some buyers look at assessed values as an indicator of a home’s value. Many buyers are reluctant to buy a home with significant work that has been done without permits.
Two particularly good examples of safety issues come to mind:
1. Decks installed by do-it-yourselfers or incompetent contractors who have attached decks to buildings with nails instead of screws. It’s not uncommon to hear of decks that became detached, resulting in bodily harm. In addition, improper flashing is often found on poorly installed decks. Improper flashing leads to water damage and wood rot.
2. When basements are converted to living area, especially bedroom space, adequate windows and exits are required. Un-permitted basement “in law” apartments are not uncommon. There are cases of basement fires that resulted in deaths because occupants could not get out.
Please remember that “pulling permits” is the act of filling out a form and paying for a permit to do work on a property. That’s the first step.
To get a permit, contractors must present their credentials to the town and meet the town’s requirements. The second step involves getting the permit(s) “signed off” by the municipal inspector(s) after the completed job has been inspected by town inspector(s). Homeowners should obtain a copy of the signed off permit before paying the contractor and keep the signed off permit in their files in case they need future evidence that the work was properly permitted.
