Should I get permit to finish basement

[Rick Blaine]

Yep, you are correct - my mistake. Still, any permit in that case would only be for electrical and any electrical inspection won't reveal the end state of the basement. Bedrooms have a pretty strict legal definition and it's unlikely a retrofit basement will meet those requirements, so you won't see much change in the assessed value of the house.

It's one of those things like a built in pool, that if it's done properly, could make the house sell faster, or if done poorly, sell slower, but not drive a big price change.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[JP]

insurance-insurance-insurance no permit on insurance....... some thing goes wrong with what you do no insurance if your house burns down because of what you did with no permit no insurance. so the final word is,stop paying insurance or get a permit. its that simple DIY-ing is fun, do it right & be safe

[gfretwell]

I just bought a new insurance policy from a new company and when I asked about the inspection, they said all they do is drive by and see if there is really a house there. They never look at what is inside.

[Rick Blaine]

It's not about issuing a policy - almost any insurance company will do that even without a driveby. They *like* collecting money.

The problem is when there's a fire or other major damage and you try to collect from them. The first thing the adjuster will do is pull all the permits and compare that to the evidence collected at the scene. Any discrepancy and the insurance company is legally entitled to refuse the claim and potentially put you into a fraud situation.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[aemeijers]

Chuckle. Depends on the area. Not every permitting authority is a major urban area with electronic or microfiche copies going back 75 years. Around here, I think they keep permit paperwork for five years, or until the file cabinet gets full, whichever comes first. Hell, they barely keep property transfer records. And when they converted those to a GIS record system, they apparently burned the old plat books.

But having said that- if you don't know what you are doing, you should definitely have a pro and/or an inspector involved.

aem sends...

[terry]

To which I will add, from an eastern Canadian province;

The second owner of a home not far from here in a small municipality a few miles outside the provincial capital city, a municipality with few rules for after initial construction work, had a nasty fire a few years ago.

The owners son showed me the damage which had started in vicinity of the electrical circuit breaker panel.

Seemingly the insurance company was most unhappy with the way a previous owner had 'finished' the basement area. The fire situation being aggravated by lack of fire blocking in the added finish walls and some over the added basement ceiling work that almost guaranteed that the fire would have had a horizontal 'chimney' to accelerate it and increase the damage it did.

The local fire department had some difficulty putting it out, smoke damage was extensive to whole house. Also judging by the time it took the owner to have the damage repaired and move back, in the insurance company did not cover all (or any?) of the cost.

Maybe an idea to watch 'Holmes on Homes' on Canadian TV channels. That is of course about 'horror story' construction but gives some idea of what NOT TO do!

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, If you finish it w/o permit and if/when fire breaks out, your insurance co. won't cover the resulting damage. I am in Calgary and I got home owners DIY permit which includes electrical, structural, plumbing inspection by city ispectors. I guess it is upto you. I'd rather b on the safe side.

[Dick Adams]

I have done almost all my own electrical work for years. The only thing I will not do is direct wiring the the box.

But 25+ years ago my nitwit brother-in-law finished his attic and his basement and did all the work himself. He was a cabinet maker so some of his work was excellent.

He asked for my advice on the electrical work. I told him to use thick guage copper wiring and metal outlet boxes, and to have an electrician inspect it before he put up the sheetrock. He used thin guage aluminum wiring and plastic boxes. Fortunately he did get a permit and an electrician to sigm off on it.

He had a rough time with the insurance company when his house burned down because the aluminum melted. But the permit, the electrician signing off on it, and the approval by a county inspector saved his ass.

Never cut corners on electricity!

Dick

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, That is why when I had this house built, I had basement finished by the builder. Last house I finished it myself with permit. It cost 15.00 then.

[Steve Barker]

This paragraph is such bullshit. I've never heard tell or seen any such thing done after a fire or any other type claim.

steve

[KLS]

Perhaps you personally haven't heard tell or seen such a thing done, but it does happen.

[aemeijers]

Careful with your cutting and pasting, please- you wrapped my name around the part I

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Maybe, but I've only ever heard of this from a couple of newsgroup postings, such as your. I'm not convinced from hearsay only.