? converting attic- building permit ?

[chuck]

Hello,

I am in the process of converting some unused attic space into an extension of my daughter's bedroom. Specifically, I have opened up the adjacent wall leading to the attic area and added a 48 inch french door for access. The attic area is only about 8 feet by 12 feet . To finish it, in addition to adding the access door, I was just going to put some sheet rock, some form of ceiling (probably sheetrock), add a couple electical recepticals, add a vent/register or two from the existing heat/AC ductwork and probably just paint the subfoor for now and use a large drop rug.

Question: I have not obtained any building permits. I am also uncertain of the electrical code as far as spacing of recepticals, insulation, etc. Will any of this present a problem in the future :

a) if the county finds out I increased the heated square footage of the house (current 2,100 before adding the new 100 sq feet)

b)when I go to sell the house and it is inspected by a building inspector.

p.s. I went WAY overboard on the structural portion of the 48 inch doorway. It is a loadbearing wall but I used a 2x12 header with 3 king studs and three trimmer (jack) studs for support.

thanks. chuck

[xrongor]

will it present a problem? maybe. could it present a problem? definitely.

to many variables to give you a straight answer, but one thing is clear. you would be better with the permit.

randy

[Joseph Meehan]

The answer to all of them depends on your local authorities and your insurance company who may not honor a claim. I would expect it most likely to come up if there is an insurance claim or when the property is sold.

[m Ransley]

There is recorded dimension of your house , will it affect taxes, Yes if the attic is listed as non living space, unconverted. Will the assesor find out ? Who knows. Will it affect insurance , value is small so maybe no on that part, but if your work causes a fire or claim possibly yes, who knows. Does inspection have benefit, yes for finding faults and helping you out by your self or a bad contractor. Is it worth the fee yes for the help and the inspection Cert. A must for hired work to point out flaws before you pay. And you reduce future liability. See how your house is listed for taxes then you decide. 99.99 % of remodeling is done without permit. People usualy are OK till something like a porch collapses or fire and attention is brought.

[Tom Baker]

In my experience, a permit can be tedius and can cost some money, and is always a good thing. Check with the permitting agency for their submittal requirements.

Minimum electrical outlets are placed six feet from a door and then twelve feet on center. I find this seldom provides enough outlets in convenient locations. Think about the use of the room before installing outlets. Is the volume from which the new room is taken vented to the outside? Take a look at the Building Science Corporation web site for possible insulating arrangements. The HVAC pros will tell you that "adding a vent or two" from the existing system may well unbalance the entire system.

TB

[Yaofeng]

If you don't tell anyone, likely your daughter won't tell anyone, there will not be a problem. When your daughter invites friends to sleep over. "Look what my daddy did to my room!" The trouble begins.

Even a run-of-the-mill real estate housing inspector will raise red flags to your various deviations, not to mention the addition.

[Trent©]

Probably not. Live for today...don't worry about tomorrow. It'll arrive soon enough.

Have a nice week...

Trent©

What do you call a smart blonde? A golden retriever.

[JerryMouse]

Looks like to me you just put in a spare door you had lying around to facilitate access to existing storage area. And you made a modest attempt to climate-control the area - humidity, you understand (wink-wink).

You might consider not "finishing" the area so as to not confuse it with living space. Covering the walls with drapes would not only look nice, but provide the additional insulation you're looking for (nudge-nudge).

[Chet Hayes]

Many people get away with these conversions without getting a building permit. The downside is if you get caught, the remedy may be the removal of much of your work. For example, the electrical work can't be inspected later, with the drywall in place.

A classic example here locally. A chowder head decides to put a deck on his new house and gets a guy who does fix it type jobs to do it without a permit. Since the house is in a new sub-division and is in plain sight, guess who sees it? The building inspector, who is there doing inspections on the new houses. The result was, because it couldn't be inspected properly at that point and there were obvious parts that were a problem, they had to remove the whole thing.

These things are always a judgement call. If it's something that's not obvious, relatively small and done correctly, you very likely will get away with it. If it's finishing off a basement and making it into living space on a relatively new house, you have a far better chance of getting caught later.

[chuck]

"Is the volume from which the new room is taken vented to the outside?"

Thanks for all the input guys. Hard decision, strapped for cash and time and my experience with local govt is not pleasant.

Question about above statement. This attic area (8x12) does NOT have a window, nor was I planning on putting one in. The only access now is the french door. Is it code for it to have a window or some form of vent in addition to the door? (in future I thought about possible skylight)

thanks again. chuck

[Chet Hayes]

If the room is a sleeping area, then it needs an emergency exit to the outside, which can be either a door or window. There are specific rqts as to minimum size, and there is a rqt for a max height of the sill off the floor, so a sky light is out.

[Tom Baker]

Chuck, There are several issues: Chet Hayes brings up emergency escape and rescue. Code calls out minimum glazing per room area.

I was asking about the present attic venting. Most attics are vented in some way. I was thinking about where insulation might be placed.

Check with your Building Department for code used locally. The International Residential Code 2000 calls for:

Glazing area 8% of floor area. If the local inspector decides the doors make the 8x12 space a separate room, it requires 7.68 or more square feet of glass.

Emergency escape & rescue opening ( window opening ):

5.7 square feet min. 20 inch clear width min. 24 inch clear height min.

TB