Almost Do It Yourself Remodel Or Addition

A person can acquire quite a bit of skills in life.  Maybe you helped your
mother and/or father install some cabinets.  Or you helped your neighbor lay
some tile.  Regardless of the source of where you learned the skill, you are now
ready to use the skill in your own home.  Great!  The following are steps to
consider in your home remodel/addition.

Do Some Research

Learning from others mistakes is better then learning from your own.  Find out
what problems other people ran into when doing a home remodel/addition.

Develop A Budget

In addition to the obvious, be sure to allocate an amount in the budget for
contingencies.  For example, a certain supplier of material does not have it in
stock; you might have to pay a little extra somewhere else.  It can work the
other way too.  Maybe you could rent a tool instead of buying one.

Create A Rough Design

This is not a formal design.  It can be on a napkin if you like but it is
probably better to put it on writing paper.  Remember to discuss the design with
all stakeholders involved!

Determine If The Home Remodel Or Addition Is Exempt From A Permit

Go to your local building departments website.  Look for a link that is titled
“Work Exempt from a Permit”.  The link should be in the main web page for
building permits.  This portion of the web site will define a scope of work that
does not require a permit.  If the scope of work that you are planning meets the
scope of work defined in this section, then you might not need a permit.  Before
you make a determination that you do not need a permit, I suggest you confirm
your determination with the local building department by either giving them a
call or going to the office.

Prepare Construction Drawings

This is one of the reasons that the title of this article is almost do it
yourself home remodel/addition.  Unless you are familiar with the local building
codes and know how to prepare construction drawings, I suggest you hire an
architect.  There are a number of companies in the market that provide this
service.  For house remodels/additions, you will need “as-built” plans and
“construction drawings”.  Please note that in regards to the “as-built” plans,
depending upon the size of the remodel/addition, only part of the house may need
to be drafted.

Recalculate Budget Based Upon The Construction Drawings

Once the construction drawings are complete, the costs for the project can be
calculated in detail.  This is a good point to determine if you are going to be
under or over budget.  The completed construction drawings are submitted to the
local building department for building permit approval and to banks, if a
construction loan is being used to finance the project.  Once the plans are
approved by the local building department construction can begin.

Consideration For Electrical Work

This is another reason why the title for this article is “Almost do it yourself
house remodel/addition”.  Unless you are very skilled in electrical work, it is
suggested that you hire an electrician.

Inspections

To verify compliance with the requirements of the various building codes, an
inspection of the work authorized by a permit is required at various points
during construction.  Go to your local building departments website and look
under inspections in order to determine at which point of construction an
inspection is required for your specific project.

Comments Regarding Permit Costs

The building permit fees generally increase as the total project costs increase.
  Inspections generally charge according to a minimum fee and hourly rate and
these costs are in addition to the building permit fees.

Conclusion

The above steps are not exhaustive list.  I have been in real estate since 2003
and I have seen some project scopes of work that cover 20 pages or more. 
However, the above steps provide a good framework that will lead to successful
home remodel/addition.