springlering We hired a contractor with out standing references to design our addition. To our horror, the day before we were scheduled to close on our construction refinance, the loan officer called and told us they had pulled a credit report on our contractor, and he had just filed bankruptcy, and they were going to decline our refi. We had no idea they would do that, but thank heavens they did. Once we told the contractor, he went into meltdown, and became belligerent and threatening, and then we discovered the same day by accident that some of his references were phony.

We contacted our other bidder, who busted his tail end to get us a firm bid, and provide necessary paperwork, and we were still able to close two days later. It ended up being a joy to work with these two brothers. One managed the project, and the other handcrafted our beautiful porch and breezeway, lovingly built our new garage, as well as a twelve foot tall wall of custom cabinetry. Our girls adored "Mr.Sean", and couldn't wait to come home every day to see what he'd done while they were in school. He EVEN saved our house from burning down when he made a special trip over to screw on a switch plate cover he'd forgotten and found a bag of oily rags in the garage smoking and smoldering. (I had accidentally tipped over a can of waterseal deck treatment and had mopped it up with towels).

Our bank officer was wonderful. We feel like she watched out for us by checking our contractor out in a way we didn't even think of, and she was a tiger about staggering funds to release to our contractor. It was kind of a relief to have the fallback to say, "oh our BANKER says you can't have the next installment until you've done thus and so." but these guys were so good it never really became an issue.

We thought we'd done our homework, gotten multiple bids ,checked references etc. I guess this is all to say, if the bank or some other source throws up a roadblock, hear them out before you have a conniption fit. Sometimes there's a very valid reason they're making your blood pressure yo-yo, and you may even thank them for it some day. I do, from the very bottom of my heart!!!!

riconsd An extension of 10: "It-only-cost-$-X" well your get a dozen of those and its suddenly $50k.

Another great one but really could'nt you be more controversial? The early ones were fun.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR So very true that many things cannot be predicted or discovered until after the demo reveals problems behind the walls, ceiling or floors. Don't assume it won't happen on your project. Planning for that contingency is the smart thing to do.

And #8 is such a no-brainer, yet people seem to think you can tell them how much a project will run without a plan of any kind. When people ask me how much it will cost to remodel their bathroom or kitchen and there is no plan yet, I tell them that's like asking me how much it will cost for them to go to the grocery store today. They may have "meat, wine, bread" on their list, but I don't know if that means hamburger or filet mignon? Two-buck-chuck, or $40-a-bottle wine? Day-old white bread at $1 per loaf or $8 per loaf artisan baked bread? For a remodel project multiply those decisions by the score -- $600 Home Depot fiberglass tub vs. $5000 free-standing tub -- $40 plastic handled deck-mount faucet vs. $800 sleek, contemporary, wall mounted faucet -- $6 per square foot tile vs. $60 per square foot mosaic. The list goes on and on. Make ALL your decisions before you start demo. It's the only way to really know what the project will cost and not run out of money before you're done.

k_sera Reason #2 to get a building permit: It will help you sell your house. It proves that work on your house met minimum standards and was inspected. When I bought my house, the home inspector had flagged the electrical panel as deficient. And I noticed significant new electrical work that had been done without a permit. I used that to force the seller to install a new panel and fix other deficiencies (he had put in regular outlets where GFI was required). I had a plumber check out the water heater that was installed without permits (it's not quite to code, but it's OK), and the roof installed without permits checked out too. If a contractor ever tells you, "No, you don't need a permit," and you're getting into plumbing, electric, structure, changing windows and doors, find yourself a different contractor. Building permits are for consumer protection, not just to make jobs more expensive.

Ellessebee We started our renovation/addition 7 months ago knowing there were unknowns - as always when working with an old structure. What we didn't know was how extensive the unknowns would be - $28,000 worth of foundation and framing replacement had to be done before we could even begin the real part of the project. Fortunately we had anticipated the worst so when we got it, we were prepared. It means we have less to spend on furniture, but at least we'll have a sound house. The contractor was frustrated from time to time because every new discovery that affected the plans necessitated modifications to the permits and that meant waiting for inspections. We lost about 2 months between the extra work and the bureaucracy but, on the other hand, that extra time also gave us a chance to catch our breaths and develop the design a little more. Here are some photos - the before and the current state, half-way through.

cindymbell As a Realtor, I definitely encourage my buyers and sellers to check for permits. Also, when my husband and I added a master suite to our long-time home, our contractor suggested I get a half-survey to make sure the addition fit within our property line. Happily, we discovered we had an extra foot to work with, and we have the documentation to prove it, should we ever sell...peace of mind is priceless!

frenchdecor As in comments construction permit was mentioned I would appreciate if I could get from professionals general requirements when permit is a must. We have general construction knowledge, but had controversy suggestions from different sources and some debating regarding permit. We were told that in the house we can do changes without permit as long as we don't touch sound engineering structures as adding new windows and doors, or adding bath, or a kitchen. Means it's okay to move a bath wall taking some hall space and linen closet expanding bathroom, or remove built in closets if they do not support joists. We were told if we are going to ask questions "they will require you to get permit even for moving furniture to make money on you" (not literally). We plan to do some work in future. I understand it depends where you live, but good to know something ahead. I am disagree that little knowledge is a bad thing, for me it's a direction to start thinking, planing and then acting.

Ellessebee frenchdecor, it really is location-specific. Many towns have websites that say what permits are needed for. have you checked your town? Can you ask the building department casually, hypothetically, without being specific about what you're planning?

frenchdecor Thank you Ellessebee. Below are some of our local requirements (exact words) that were questionable.
• Renovate, repair or add to a building
• Install, change, or remove partitions and load bearing walls
• Make new openings for, or change the size of, doors and windows

-"renovate, repair" - uncertain meaning
-"change or remove partitions" -they are not comparable to load walls
- and " change the size of windows" was also disputable, as changing the width can affect structure (transom (beam) need to be changed), but opening window downward (keeping the same width) doesn't affect structure as untouched transom holds the load.
Generally speaking incomparable things combined in the same sentence/requirement creates confusion, or we should get permit and pay for everything as it falls under "renovate, repair".

Ellessebee It sounds like if you want to do it by the book, you need a permit for everything. In some cases, it might not be as expensive as you fear, though. When we installed a generator, for example, we needed a generator permit but it was free. We did have to pay for the propane permit which was a lot but really unavoidable because there was a licensed plumber and propane company involved. Ironically, the town never did the final inspection so who knows if we got a safe job! Most likely, people in your town don't follow the book. One consideration is if you ever get into a tussle with your contractor and end up in court - even small claims - you should have a permit in your hand when you go.

A & D Glass Inc. Please give your Contractor and Subcontractors accurate plans to bid from. I don't see anything other than floor plans anymore - even when a whole set is e-mailed to me in a PDF. So I bid everything standard and "per incomplete plans".

Malka Sabroe-JoHanson Well, done, clear information. I hope many people read these tips.