The answer to this question lies in where your project is located (city/town & state) and what alterations you are making to your home.
Permits are absolutely necessary when you’re changing the structure of the room (adding or removing walls), so if you are planning a large remodel or renovation (kitchen, bathroom, or basement) then we will very likely need to pull permits.
If we are tearing out that old stained carpet and installing new flooring, it is likely that we won’t need a permit.
Who is responsible for permits?
As your general contractor, we here at Remodeling Journey are going to be fully responsible to obtain permits for your project.
It’s going to be on us to communicate with the city or county to collect and provide the necessary documentation to get our permits approved. Once we get our permits approved, we can start the build process!
The purpose of a permit is really accountability and ownership. We want to make sure everything is done correctly, professionally, and up to (or above) local codes. This alleviates a ton of stress that a homeowner would have from trying to do it on their own, and makes sure everything is done safely. So, sit back and let us handle the permitting, documentation, communication with the local government, and you can rest assured that it was all done professionally.
What's The Purpose Of Building Permits?
The purpose of a permit is really accountability and ownership. We want to make sure everything is done correctly, professionally, and up to (or above) local codes.
This alleviates a ton of stress that a homeowner would have from trying to do it on their own, and makes sure everything is done safely.
So, sit back and let us handle the permitting, documentation, communication with the local government, and you can rest assured that it was all done professionally.
What does a permit cost?
This answer really depends on what is being done to your home, including how much of the home is going to be changed and the cost of those changes.
The actual permit fee can range anywhere from $50 and $100. However, we allocate for the cost of the permit, but also time that goes into the permitting process with: getting the needed documentation, communication with the local authorities, any downtime while waiting for production or an inspection, and the inspections themselves.
Here are the fees for various building permits in Wausau, WI.
Facts About Building Permits And Inspections
- Having work permitted may be necessary to sell your home if you intend to do so in the future.
- Wanting to do work without a permit, or having the home owner pull a permit is a huge red flag when hiring a contractor. It either means that they are not licensed to do the work, or they are going to be cutting corners.
- When the final inspection is finished, you may be contacted to have an assessor come out and inspect the changes to your home. This means your property value will increase, and therefor, so do your property taxes.
What Do The Building Permits Inspections Look Like?
4When an inspector comes into your home, they can inspect anything in the work area and make sure it is up to code even if we didn’t do any alterations to it.
This means, if you have had work done that was not done by a professional and permits were not pulled, those areas could bring up a red flag for the inspector. We’ve even heard of cases where the homeowner was asked to remove everything and start all over, but with a permit.
Other examples of what the inspector may see is not having the required smoke detectors in your home, or missing GFCI receptacles around areas exposed to water like a kitchen or bathroom.
There are also many more in-depth building codes such as this one required by one local city: if you are remodeling your main bathroom, and had to do some alterations to the framing… the inspector is going to make sure that you have a 32 inch door size minimum or a 30″ opening for accessibility and safety issues.
Some of these requirements are pretty standard and some can be much lesser known. Instead of taking the hundreds of hours to read through the Wisconsin building, plumbing, and electrical codes, leave it up to us, and enjoy the stress free process to love your home again!
Conclusion
If you’re doing a full scale remodel of your bathroom, kitchen, or basement, you’ll most likely need a building permit from the city building department.
Applying for it yourself can turn into a nightmare, as you’ll have to submit different paperwork, including the blueprints and the designs of your envisioned space.
With Remodeling Journey, we’re taking care of everything, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy watching your dream space come to life.
We offer a complete kitchen, bathroom, and basement remodeling service for homeowners all over Wausau, WI, and surrounding areas. So if you want to work with a professional that truly values your investment, give us a ring at (715) 551-7328 or request a free quote and let’s talk!