modify bathroom without permit

[euro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just_Steve Permits? We don't need no stinking permits.

Texas?

[broadway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem Still, it's hard to see how you'd be impacted, unless you are sharing a common septic system.

If you knew anything about this sort of thing.

This is not my field of expertise which is why I asked.

[Sunset]

OP - No need to be concerned, it won't affect you.

Why folks don't get permits, is because they cost $, and then the inspector gets to come around to see it's correct. Then they use it as an excuse to gaze around to try to find extra work needed, where you might be in violation as codes changed over the decades. In an extreme case they could declare your house non-habitable until it is fixed, so you would have to leave to a motel immediately.

I got a permit for water heater installation, sure enough the inspector starts looking around and I had to keep directing him to the current installation. Even then he saw a pipe done the "old way" and I told him it had been there before we moved in, so he let it pass as he didn't want to cost me $200 to fix something that was working fine
I promised him if it broke, I'd fix it the new way, which I would as I like improvements.

[Just_Steve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euro Texas?

HA HA, no about 1,800 miles NE.

[Marita40]

Permits are needed in my locality but unless you are obviously pulling stuff out of the front of the house or bringing construction stuff in, few do it. I remodeled an entire kitchen from the studs then sold the house, leaving unchecked the initially intimidating box on the inspection form that stated "I have pulled permits for all remodeling." No one cared in the least.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset Why folks don't get permits, is because they cost $, and then the inspector gets to come around to see it's correct. Then they use it as an excuse to gaze around to try to find extra work needed, where you might be in violation as codes changed over the decades. In an extreme case they could declare your house non-habitable until it is fixed, so you would have to leave to a motel immediately.

Also,
- They can slow down completion of the work while everybody waits on the inspection. Or, if a part of the job winds up taking longer and you aren't ready on the prescribed date, prepare for a delay as you try to get a new appointment with the inspector.
- Tax assessments: The issuance of a permit is one way the municipality knows that an improvement has been made to the property, so they can bump up the assessed value during the next opportunity. For example, it sounds like the OPs neighbor's downstairs bathroom is going from 1/2 bath to 3/4 or full. That could add a few thousand bucks to the value of the home and raise the property taxes on it. "Cha-CHING"

[Teacher Terry]

WE remodeled our home for 4 months before moving in. A neighbor a few doors down called because we had a huge bag from the waste company filled with debris. So when contacted by the city we lied and said we only remodeled one small bathroom. The permit cost us 500 just for that and then the guy inspected, etc. It was a real pain in the butt. No one on the block likes that neighbor and we do not speak to him. Then our realtor whom we have sold and bought many homes with said " I don't ever want to sell this house because getting all the permits will be a nightmare". This is our retirement home but if we ever move we won't use her either.

[braumeister]

This thread reminded me of something. One of my neighbors recently removed the steps leading up to his front door, just old standard 2x10 and 4x4 lumber that was deteriorating.

He started building replacement steps and was doing what I considered a beautiful job, incorporating a small platform at the top that was almost like a miniature deck. What he did was ten times better than what he was replacing.

Then he suddenly stopped, about ⅔ of the way through the job. I wondered why, and today I happened to walk past and saw a sign nailed to the side of it: LEGAL NOTICE -- STOP WORK.

Going closer, there was a handwritten note on the notice that said "Please apply for a permit."

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadway If you knew anything about this sort of thing. This is not my field of expertise which is why I asked.

OK, it wasn't clear that you were asking because you didn't know if there could be any harm to you if the job was done wrong. Seemed like it was juts overall concern of not getting permits.

So no, shouldn't be any problem unless they really did it way, way wrong, and you saw water leaking out in the yard. I'm sure you are fine.

-ERD50

[calmloki]

Plumbing and permits are funny. We used to have a little old rental house that we found, did work on before closing (splitting an extra bedroom off the living room), closed on, and had tenants in in eight days. No permit, nothing structural changed, requisite windows in place. Very proud of that project. Anyway, about a year later we got a call from the tenants - they had been at the coast and when they came home there was - stuff - that had overflowed the toilet. Turned out that decades before a family built our place for their son and his family next to the original house - and had "Y"ed into the original house's main sewer line. If the main plugged up below the Y and one house was pushing water to try and clear their drain it would eventually overflow into the neighboring house. Once that was discovered the neighbors and I became best friends and whenever there was a drain issue we would clear it in tandem. We did install individual drain lines later, using a shared ditch to the street when the city was doing roadwork and it became inexpensive.

When we redid our house I got busted with a track hoe digging for a new main drain, two dump trucks in the alley, and our office with about three feet of clear air under it. I'd sent the foundation out for cleaning? Inspector said he had been trying to turn a blind eye, but the activities were a bit excessive. Expensive permits, but mainly a PITA trying to make progress on my schedule rather than waiting for the different boards to meet, inspector to arrive, that kind of thing.

Semantics were involved: we wanted a big freestanding garage, pottery studio, rental storage building. Didn't have the required setback room from the alley without having the garage unattractively close to the house. Tried for about three years to get a garage prmit without success until one day the city planner asked what we were doing with the building. Told him and boom - appurtenant structure permit was approved, and of course we could park cars in an appurtenant structure!

Edit: OP, unless you have a condo with common shared drains in a "wet wall" (back to back baths or shared kitchen walls) you have zero worries. Modern freestanding homes = no worries, all drain connections would be made in the neighbor's house and won't affect you at all.

[Aerides]

It really shouldn't affect you, but in general, issues with a neighbor's plumbing can impact next door.

My parents neighbors had issues in their underground sprinklers, causing basically a sinkhole in their front yard, major cracked pipe situation or something, multiple visits from the city to fix it, which ended up causing some back ups in a first floor bathroom for my parents.

But that's a worst case. For what you describe, nah. I'd say they are penny-wise-pound-foolish, not so much on the permitting side but finding an uninsured plumber, and no inspections? no thanks.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Then he suddenly stopped, about ⅔ of the way through the job. I wondered why, and today I happened to walk past and saw a sign nailed to the side of it: LEGAL NOTICE -- STOP WORK. Going closer, there was a handwritten note on the notice that said "Please apply for a permit."

Exhibit A: How you know your municipal government has got too many people (or, someone's priorities are not right).

[rodi]

In our city permits are required for absolutely everything that isn't a straight maintenance/repair. Adding a new plumbing fixture (shower) would absolutely need a permit. But I would warrant most folks don't bother if they are doing it themselves.

Licensed contractors will pull permits - because they'll lose their license if they're caught not pulling the permit. Most DIYers don't bother.

Advantage of having a permit pulled - the inspector often will catch gross code violations and incompetance. We were grateful that our companion unit was built on permit because the contractor tried to cheap out/violate code on several plumbing items (inadequate vent stacks, etc.) The inspector failed the contractor and they had to redo it - on their dime.

Advantages of using a licensed contractor - the bond. We had a *terrible* contractor - we collected on his bond, and on one of his subcontractors bonds when the contractor abandoned the job. We also reclaimed some of the money when we worked with the state attorney general on threatening his license. (He's now unlicensed because he failed to fully pay damages.) We had a nightmare scenario with a licensed contractor - but I'm still glad we used a licensed contractor.

If we'd used an unlicensed contractor
a) any worker could have sued us for disability/injury/workers comp.
b) we would have had much less legal recourse to recoup losses.
c) we would have had no recourse on getting code violations fixed.

That said - this is your neighbors house - it's his/her decision (and risk) whether to go with a licensed contractor/permits... Not your risk. Don't meddle.

[Bamaman]

The theme for Alabama is less government.

Build a house out in the county and the only inspection is for a septic tank perk. There are no building permits or inspections otherwise. We can even build 6 inches from the property line unless there happens to be neighborhood rules.

Every governmental jurisdiction is different as to what permits are required. Check with the county/city.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadway .....I was/am concerned shoddy work i.e. sewage lines improperly connected. ...

If they just added a shower to an existing bathroom then they probably just tied the new shower into the existing drains. There wouldn't be any venting issues with a shower and if the plumber screwed up the shower trap it would impact your neighbor (perhaps some smelly sewer gas in their house) but not you. I don't see where you have any need to worry about it at all.

[Winemaker]

I received a building permit to build a garage in August of 2007, my contractor was to start work in November and work on it weather permitting.
In October 2007, the county real estate tax assessor knocked on my door and asked me where my new garage was located, a few days later, the township assessor. The permit was nothing but a whistle for them. No building code inspection was ever made to my knowledge.

[NW-Bound]

I recently watched a movie titled "Still Mine". It is based on a real story of a man in New Brunswick building a smaller home for his ailing wife, and running into trouble with the city regulations.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker The permit was nothing but a whistle for them. No building code inspection was ever made to my knowledge.

That would be very unusual, the building inspection is for your benefit, to make sure the contractor built everything to code. Since you paid for it I would check to make sure it was done. In my area an inspection would be done at different stages, foundation, framing, electrical, etc. Don't want to wait until you sell it to find out there may be issues.

[exnavynuke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinger1457 That would be very unusual, the building inspection is for your benefit, to make sure the contractor built everything to code. Since you paid for it I would check to make sure it was done. In my area an inspection would be done at different stages, foundation, framing, electrical, etc. Don't want to wait until you sell it to find out there may be issues.

Hired licensed companies to do a new bathtub install, as well as convert the house from all-electric to natural gas water heater, furnace, stove, and fireplace. Never saw an inspector at the house. Whether any of the companies pulled permits I couldn't say for certain, but I'd be surprised if they didn't.

[Winemaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinger1457 That would be very unusual, the building inspection is for your benefit, to make sure the contractor built everything to code. Since you paid for it I would check to make sure it was done. In my area an inspection would be done at different stages, foundation, framing, electrical, etc. Don't want to wait until you sell it to find out there may be issues.

I was present during all phases of construction. I, personally, did all the electrical work, I know it was done right.