Ask the Architect

What work can we do ourselves?

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Q. We just moved in, and want to add to the back of the kitchen, put bedrooms over the garage and finish the half-basement. I’m handy enough to do the lighter work like electric, insulation and finishes, but the heavy work would take me too long. We need to save money anywhere we can, and we both plan to do as much as we can, but someone told us we can’t, because we have to get permits and a licensed contractor. Is this true, and what can we do ourselves?

A. You want to save money, and authorities want to make sure you do things safely. The dream kitchen and additional bedrooms do require a permit, and it’s important to get an experienced team of professionals to do the “heavy work,” especially because there are so many things that can go wrong — foundation work being the wrong mix, wrong configuration, missing steel and termite shields, to name a few. Even joining foundations and location are critical. Imagine finding out, after tons of concrete have been placed, that the foundation is misaligned. The wall framing above will be crooked and, in some cases, the structure may be too close to a property line, requiring the time and expense of going before a zoning board prior to final sign-off.

Most communities don’t require a permit for finishes like siding, roof shingles, trim work or insulation, but you should always check. One community issued a summons to a man sanding his floors. He hired us to measure and produce floor plans just so he could get a permit to continue, and we also went to court to show the judge our plans to expedite the situation.

There are very different rules regarding permitting, so I can’t emphasize too much for you to always ask first. Some communities also have a printed list of items needing or not requiring a permit. In your jurisdiction, you’re limited to finishes and insulation without a permit, but beware. If you use the wrong material, you can still cause code problems. For example, there were roving opportunists after Hurricane Sandy who put the wrong wallboard in garages and utility rooms. And many plumbers installed heating equipment too close to flammable wall studs, leaving little or no room to fit fire-protective wallboard in later.

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