How do I handle building permits for a renovation?
Not getting proper permits can be the most expensive mistake a homeowner will ever make.
There is a dangerous secret in Metro Vancouver’s booming renovation sector: work being done without municipal building permits. Some homeowners claim ignorance of when a building permit is needed; others chose to begin work without a permit, hoping to speed up the construction, and save the few hundred dollars it will take to have the plans and inspections completed and the permits processed. Others are just trying to keep city tax officials from increasing the assessment value of the house. Whatever the reason, not getting the necessary building permits for a renovation can be the most expensive mistake a homeowner will ever make. “Generally speaking, if you are breaking up drywall, you need a building permit,” said Eric Schapira, founder of Georgieaward winning Klondike Contracting Corporation of Vancouver, which has been handling home and commercial renovations since 1998. Schapira explains that tearing out drywall normally means demolition, or changes to electrical or plumbing, any of which can trigger the need for building permits. In some cases such work may require only a permit for electrical or plumbing, not a general contractor’s permit. Often, however, an overall permit for the renovation is required. The cost of a general contractor permit is set on a sliding scale in most municipalities, but Schapira explains that an accepted rule of thumb is one per cent of the overall cost of the renovation contract. Expect it to take one to two weeks for the
renovation permits to come through, longer if the municipality is facing a backlog. Each municipality has different criteria for renovation permits, so it is important to check with city hall before any work starts, Schapira said. For instance, in the City of Vancouver, the placement of windows are subject to fire regulations regarding percentage of glazing – usually seven per cent of the envelope – and privacy corridors for neighbours. If a rental suite is being added, fire sprinklers and a minimum ceiling height are required. Many municipalities have set-back regulations that can restrict the size of a deck or an addition, and all are now subject to recent amendments to the B.C. Building Code.
Costly penalties
Municipal inspectors have a degree of flexibility on enforcement. A minor infraction or a generous translation of grandfather clauses may be allowed on one renovation, but not another. This ambiguity is one of the risks. “It is a bit of a pandora’s box,” Schapira said.
“We always advise our clients to get all the permits where and when required,” Schapira said, who noted the penalties for not doing so are severe. In one Vancouver case, a Kitsilano couple who had renovated their house and added a basement suite faced $30,000 in fines and fees when their non non permit work was discovered. Municipalities can also issue a stop work order on illegal renovations, and demand that completed work that is not up to the building code be removed. Walls may have to be opened up to check
electrical and plumbing installations, and subsequent building permit fees are doubled. At the very least, the homeowner can face delays and hefty costs. The odds on getting caught are increasing. City inspectors work in zones and are consistently on the same streets, so they recognize work being done without permits. Also, neighbours upset about
increased traffic and debris generated by a renovation often notify the city.
Best advice
The best advice, says Schapira, who has led consumer seminars on building permit regulations, is to deal with a professional contractor, who will arrange to have all the engineering, electrical, plumbing and city permits in place before work starts, and finish the work to the standards of the provincial and municipal building codes.