Ask the Architect

Preparing to sell

Posted

Q. We’re planning to sell our house, and have a deck and a dormer bathroom to legalize before we sell. How much time will we need to allow for this, and is there anything else you think we should know about? We don’t want delays and problems when we sell.

A. It’s a good idea to get started sooner than later. Codes are constantly changing. There are many things to consider that tend to complicate the matter. The majority of people think that built items like decks, sheds, pools, fences, trellises and ponds are either “grandfathered” or don’t need permits. Not only is this not true, but when they learn they need permits, they discover that there are many codes regarding each, that these codes are different in each community and that many of their neighbors have the same fences, decks, etc., that are illegal but just never got caught, yet.

I’m often walked to someone’s front door to have a look at their neighbor’s monstrosity dormer or giant deck, having no permit. The person showing me wants me to explain how I know this, and I ask if they ever got the notice necessary for the zoning case for the obviously illegal zoning problem that would have needed to be heard by a board. Usually the answer is no. I mention that the neighbor’s time will come, but now the focus is on you.

Usually, to make things less stressful, you should plan on a year to a year and a half to make sure that everything can be given permits, inspections and sign-offs. In most cases, the architect is required because, it seems, nobody else is given the authority or responsibility to write the letter that says everything is to code. That can be interpreted a different way by us licensed professionals, and may be something for those aspiring to the field of architecture to keep in mind. Society decided that architects should be responsible for everyone else’s mistakes.

In the process of legalizing things, we sometimes notice problems that can be costly to fix, and most people don’t want to correct the problem — they want to spend the least and just sell. The dilemma is that those problems generally won’t get past a building inspector — or, in some cases, in order to get something approved, the inspector hands the problem to the architect, requesting a letter to cover the precarious issue. All of this takes time.

The building codes are about to change, again, and each time they do, they make a big difference, and can contradict the way people a few months before got away with something or spent money that’s no longer necessary. For example, in October the code will change again, and escape wells from basements may no longer be necessary in every instance, depending on the interpretation of what a habitable space is. So plan ahead and start soon. Good luck!

© 2016 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.