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Pulling permits for house addition - drawings, etc.?

I had an architect draw up our house plans. From there it was just contacting the Planning Dept to fill out forms and submit the requested number of blue prints (Site plan, plot plan, framing, electrical, etc).

Not really that complicated....just tedious working with the .Gov in checking boxes for them.
 
u2slow said:
If there was suddenly a money problem, and you managed to give some notice, and you paid them out for what was done....

That said, my GC's speed was incredible (by my standards.) Excavation to closed-up in about 10 weeks on a 40x50'x19' shop. The lumber never even got weathered. Worth it, even though it was expensive.
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define expensive? I can pay a fair price for work, but most seems to want to get rich off every job.
 
Go to the building department and talk to a permit tech. Ask the what they need to see and if it’s above your pay grade ask them if they have a referral sheet of preferred people they have done business with. Mine had that and I called until I found one I didn’t hate that was in my budget.
 
u2slow said:
I was in your shoes. The building dept office didn't like anything I drew up, despite repeated attempts. They want to deal with their regular local builders. That's when I caved and got a GC. With that came all the direction for lot survey, a reputable local designer, cheap engineer (one stupid tall wall needed $500 signature), etc.

Anyway, got the GC to do the basic 'heavy lifting' to have an enclosed dry structure and dismissed him. Then I DIY'd the easier stuff (for me) like insulation & vb, boarding, garage door, electrical, etc.
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We also hired a GC to dry it in and we finished the inside .
GC was fine with that .

Had a hard time finding a GC willing to do such a “small “ job though but the guy we wound up with , was about the third one reccomendd by the architect , was a great guy .

And very transparent , his fee was 10% of the cost , and he didn’t hide any invoices , most of the time he gave us the invoices and we paid his subs directly , eliminating the possibility he was severely up charging us , unless he was getting kickbacks from the subs after we paid them .

The GC got the permits and was there for all the inspections,


We had a lot of issues with weather and Covid suplly chain issues but that wasn’t the GCs fault

A local GC will have a lot of subs to use and knows which ones are reliable etc

The GC we used had six or seven houses going at any one time so kept the subs busy about half the time just with his own houses
And he didn’t do any spec houses , just remodels and custom builds


he got the grading done and the footers excavated and during Covid there was a six week lead time to get concrete, and if it rained too hard on your appointment day for your crew to do the work , you got bumped to the bottom of the six week waiting list since tomorrows concrete had already been promised to
Someone else six weeks ago .

Of course it rains on our appointment day , so a six week delay ,
That was for thw footers , then for the walls , it rained on our appointment day so a six week delay where nothing got done ,

Then it rained again on the appointment day for the slab ,

Took four months to get the foundation and slab in

Then since ours had a bend in the middle the company making the roof trusses wanted to measure it themselves , after the walls were up , then three weeks to get the trusses manufactured,

The day before our trusses were to be delivered , the warehouse caught fire and destroyed our trusses , so another six weeks to get new trusses .

Then the framers wanted ti use a crane to set them , so the GC has ti find a day when the crane company and the framers and the power company are all available since the crane operator required our power line to be taken down ,

So the day arrived and everyone is on site and it rains a little , crane operator heard some thunder and said he wasn’t gonna do anything and left .

So another four weeks to get everyone back out .

grading was done in feb
Walls got poured in mid March
Floor got poured mid April
Roof trusses got set at the end of July
Got all the siding done mid December
Not sure when the Sheetrock got done


Took about another 18 months for us to get the electrical and plumbing and insulation install the hardwood flooring
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
:confused:
WTF is 'code'?
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International building code.
Fire prevention code.
Which ever code your local municipality requires to build a new structure. But around here, that only applies to people who don’t have 6+ acres.


Call a local lumber yard. They should be able to get you most of that, minus the grading/site plan stuff.
 
Bggrnchvy said:
You don't HAVE to hire a professional, but you do have to educate your self on what they want and what code requires.
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Umm no.
Not in Bay county Florida. I went to the building department and they said you need drawings for a dock. I drew up very detailed drawings specifying all materials. I presented them and they said they have to have been drawn by a license professional. I took my drawings to an engineer and paid $2500. (The cheapest quote) The drawings are not nearly as detailed, but the county took em. F the government.
 
fordguy said:
thats a racket.
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Yup, and we are just about to go and meat the dock builder and I was looking at the plans. The engineer made a small change to my plans that will not work. It’s not hard to rectify and know one will ever catch it, but still irritating. I’ll see if I can post it.

IMG_1512.jpeg


So if you look close at the center boards, it has a 16” overlap. If I was using ordinary deck boards on top, that would be fine. In my case, I’m using fiber deck boards. They have molded in holes for screws at exactly 16” on center. If the board on one side is on center, the overlap board will be missed by the screws. I think we can just scab a 16” board (or 32”) on the side and be good.
 
No help but funny story.

When I was about 25 I was going to do some remodel on my kitchen. Raise the roof, move electrical, etc. I go to the city and tell them what I was doing and they say just draw something out. Doesn't have to be all perfect. We just want to get an idea of what you are doing.

Okay I say and head home. I draw it out and I am terrible at drawing. Take it in a few days later and the guys there start laughing like crazy. They say well this is terrible. We have to have something better than this!

They were cool as shit though so I have my neighbor, who was just starting as an architect, draw something up and take it in. They approve it but show me on the wall where they framed my drawing and put a sign under it saying "don't submit plans like this!"

Holy shit, I was laughing so hard.

20 years later I go back in to talk to them about my roof and I shit you not, that drawing was still on the wall. :lmao::lmao: I tell the lady in the front, that is mine!! She didn't believe me and first but a bunch of guys come out and shake my hand like I am Elvis or some shit.
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
:confused:
WTF is 'code'?
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Each facet of construction has building codes (look up Uniform building codes online which is part of it and mostly written in civil engineeringese) . Some states delegate the responsibilities of compliance to the county (or equivalent) or city. There's concrete codes, framing, HVAC, plumbing, septic_well, and especially electrical type specs/guidelines/common sense codes for construction. These happen to be what the permits and inspections are for. More often than not the general contractor deals with getting permits and ensuring the construction passes inspection to complete the project.

This is also where it can get ugly...some folks don't believe in building to code/common sense or pulling requisite permits so things get skipped/done funkily with later bites the owner in the anal orifice. Building sans permit can potentially mean having to rip the construction out/redoing it to code or even a cease and desist red tag tag put on the construction plus a nasty fine if one happens to have jerk neighbors that called the planning boards/city permit office on you or an errant building inspector happens to hear about the construction project and does a review with the permit office on the address. Yep...been privy to several stop work orders on commercial stuff over this type issues in CO, CA and MT and almost couldn't buy my house cuz of "iffy" construction of the drain field that the mortgage holders weren't willing to accept the inspection on here in MT.
 
bad zuki said:
International building code. Umm...Uniform building code (UBC), National electrical code (NEC), Uniform plumbing codes (UPC) here in the US .
Fire prevention code.
Which ever code your local municipality requires to build a new structure. But around here, that only applies to people who don’t have 6+ acres.


Call a local lumber yard. They should be able to get you most of that, minus the grading/site plan stuff.
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I dealt with all those commercially, locally it was the electrical and DNRC (Resources/well) folks for various reasons prior to purchase of the house, the home inspector for the lender was the guy that created the fiasco.

Not a wise idea to ignore code cuz you can. It "can" bite you come time to sell if the works not up to snuff and the inspector and/or title company calls you on funky construction issues...even with an "As Is" clause in the purchase agreement. Lenders don't have to finance if they suspect problems with the residence. BTDT.
 
dntsdad said:
No help but funny story.

When I was about 25 I was going to do some remodel on my kitchen. Raise the roof, move electrical, etc. I go to the city and tell them what I was doing and they say just draw something out. Doesn't have to be all perfect. We just want to get an idea of what you are doing.

Okay I say and head home. I draw it out and I am terrible at drawing. Take it in a few days later and the guys there start laughing like crazy. They say well this is terrible. We have to have something better than this!

They were cool as shit though so I have my neighbor, who was just starting as an architect, draw something up and take it in. They approve it but show me on the wall where they framed my drawing and put a sign under it saying "don't submit plans like this!"

Holy shit, I was laughing so hard.

20 years later I go back in to talk to them about my roof and I shit you not, that drawing was still on the wall. :lmao::lmao: I tell the lady in the front, that is mine!! She didn't believe me and first but a bunch of guys come out and shake my hand like I am Elvis or some shit.
Click to expand...
This is useless without pics !
 
dntsdad said:
No help but funny story.

When I was about 25 I was going to do some remodel on my kitchen. Raise the roof, move electrical, etc. I go to the city and tell them what I was doing and they say just draw something out. Doesn't have to be all perfect. We just want to get an idea of what you are doing.

Okay I say and head home. I draw it out and I am terrible at drawing. Take it in a few days later and the guys there start laughing like crazy. They say well this is terrible. We have to have something better than this!

They were cool as shit though so I have my neighbor, who was just starting as an architect, draw something up and take it in. They approve it but show me on the wall where they framed my drawing and put a sign under it saying "don't submit plans like this!"

Holy shit, I was laughing so hard.

20 years later I go back in to talk to them about my roof and I shit you not, that drawing was still on the wall. :lmao::lmao: I tell the lady in the front, that is mine!! She didn't believe me and first but a bunch of guys come out and shake my hand like I am Elvis or some shit.
Click to expand...

I told my wife this story and the first thing she said was “Who gave them permission to display your artwork”?
 
fordguy said:
Plot Plans (rolled plans drawn to a scale no less than 1" = 20')
• Elevation Plans (rolled plans drawn to a scale no less than 1/8" = 1')
• Floor Plans (rolled plans drawn to a scale no less than 1/8" = 1')
• Roof Plans (rolled plans drawn to a scale no less than 1/8" = 1')
• Grading Plans (rolled plans drawn to a scale no less than 1" = 20')


looking to do the work myself with the help of my employees sometimes and maybe hiring one main guy (not a company)
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You can use your survey for the plot plan. Basically draw your proposed layout in dark and call it out as "Proposed". Then cut into the title block and call out "Plot Plan" instead of "survey for" or whatever.

The town is getting very excessive by requiring a grading plan for a Residential addition. I'd start with a generic Benchmark being your FFE = 100. And then just add shots. The only benefit I see of a grading plan would be to see the elevation differences if steps are involved and 8" drops around slabs. The rest I'd just show slope arrows away from the addition and call out "Min. 2% slope"

Elevation, Floor and Roof plans are done by whoever does the architecturals. Plot and grading would be done by a Civil Engineer.

The only way I'd recommend you wasting time doing any plans by yourself would be if you did them for a living and knew what they wanted.
 
DVanVorous said:
I dealt with all those commercially, locally it was the electrical and DNRC (Resources/well) folks for various reasons prior to purchase of the house, the home inspector for the lender was the guy that created the fiasco.

Not a wise idea to ignore code cuz you can. It "can" bite you come time to sell if the works not up to snuff and the inspector and/or title company calls you on funky construction issues...even with an "As Is" clause in the purchase agreement. Lenders don't have to finance if they suspect problems with the residence. BTDT.
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I do MEP stuff as a day job.... NEC is a part the NFPA and the IEC is what they reference in most states' UBC. :laughing:

OP asked how to start getting permit drawings. The easiest way is to pay an architect. The best and cheapest way is to have the Building Supply or framing company do all of the Elevation, Roof, and Floor plans for cheap, since they want you to buy the materials from them. The grandparents entire house was $300 for every drawing other than site plans. The rolled set are just ARCH D (24"x36") sized drawings. If it says wet sealed drawings anywhere, you will need an engineers stamp before the county will even look at them. It will vary between counties.
You will need a civil engineer to do the Grading plans.
You will need to pull Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical permits as your county requires.

jpmassey said:
I'm a PE and do this often up here. Its not cheap. Most people haven't the slightest clue what is involved in navigating the local government.
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Nobody does. Its not like you where already working on 4 different projects, with deadlines, when this was dropped off. And they don't even want to know how much we pay for software. :shaking:

WaterH said:
My rant. Here’s my three drawings that were no good.
Again, This is the one drawing I paid $2500 for that was excepted.
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Your drawings looked pretty good! Did the other one have a PE stamp on it?
 
Here4memes said:
You can use your survey for the plot plan. Basically draw your proposed layout in dark and call it out as "Proposed". Then cut into the title block and call out "Plot Plan" instead of "survey for" or whatever.

The town is getting very excessive by requiring a grading plan for a Residential addition. I'd start with a generic Benchmark being your FFE = 100. And then just add shots. The only benefit I see of a grading plan would be to see the elevation differences if steps are involved and 8" drops around slabs. The rest I'd just show slope arrows away from the addition and call out "Min. 2% slope"

Elevation, Floor and Roof plans are done by whoever does the architecturals. Plot and grading would be done by a Civil Engineer.

The only way I'd recommend you wasting time doing any plans by yourself would be if you did them for a living and knew what they wanted.
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It's not the town, it's EPA forcing the town to have grading permits and all the rules are spelled out by the EPA on what they have to do.
 
WaterH said:
My rant. Here’s my three drawings that were no good.

IMG_1356.jpeg


IMG_1357.jpeg


IMG_1358.jpeg


Again, This is the one drawing I paid $2500 for that was excepted.
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Your drawing looks pretty good, but you don't address how you but together running beams either. If it were mine, I would like to see some x bracing between them also. You plan to scab boards will work fine or just swich your scabbing to both sides of the joint for 2' on each side of the joint to keep them on center.
 
junkytj said:
It's not the town, it's EPA forcing the town to have grading permits and all the rules are spelled out by the EPA on what they have to do.
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How is the US Environmental Protection Agency got anything to do with adding onto a house? Who told you that?:laughing:
 
Here4memes said:
How is the US Environmental Protection Agency got anything to do with adding onto a house? Who told you that?:laughing:
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It's about land disturbance and runoff going into the water. It's a combination of the industry I'm in and my side hustles that tell me that. EPA figured out that you can't build shit without a permit, so they threatened the local governing agencies with EPA policing storm water to include road runoff if they didn't follow EPA guidance on land disturbance permitting. Anytime you move dirt to make a flat area/ get rid of organic layer to build on, you now need a permit to make sure you aren't allowing any of that disturbed earth to enter the water. It's more nuanced than that, but that's the gist of it. If you want to educate yourself, here is a small primer. I'll forgive you for laughing at me, it is ridiculous but I'm accurate.

 
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