Actually, it's very common (in newer buildings of course). And legally, if anything should go wrong (even if you sign the disclaimer) you will have recourse.

Posted by: no permits at May 20, 2008 4:27 PM in response to Disclaimer of Warranties on New Construction?

I think all of you are blowing this out of proportion, 3:28 is right on. The original poster mentioned they are only looking to do minor plumbing, erect one wall and remove three non load bearing walls, which is by no means a big deal.

An insurance company will not deny the claim, that's ridiculous. Take my word, I have plenty of experience with all of this...

Posted by: no permits at May 18, 2008 8:45 PM in response to do we need a building permit?

8.50 PM, that is why Red Hook will always be full of interesting, creative people. Not boring, chinless yuppies. YAY!

Posted by: guest at May 20, 2008 10:24 AM in response to do we need a building permit?

Be very careful! Our lawyer did not include a standard phrase relating to the "warranties/guarantees made by the seller survive the closing of the contract" and we got SCREWED. The house had many hidden disasters that clearly the seller wanted to distance himself from, and he was obviously counting on that when all this came to light, it was no longer his problem. Which is exactly what happened. NY is a "buy it you own it" state and so without protection, you are screwed. You may want to have the seller put $ in escrow until you can do a thorough investigation and stipulate in broad terms that unless and until the house checks out, the $ stays in escrow, and if it doesn't check out, then the $ is yours.

Posted by: guest at May 21, 2008 8:38 AM in response to Disclaimer of Warranties on New Construction?

I have an 8 unit old law tenement w/o a C of O - I'd love to see how a housing court judge would speak to a tenent withholding for that stupidassed reason! That arguement makes me laugh.

Have the contractor bring in the supplies early in the morning and DO NOT get a dumpster - have the trash stored inside and get a hauler to take it away, early again, in one haul. Don't work on weekends.

Insurance will be "concerned" say if there is a fire and you own up to the fact you wired yourself (unliscenced) or the building collaspes due to faulty work.

With these old building no one can clearly tell when the work behind the wall was done -"by the last owner" - I'd say, not me!
The Inspecter cannot open walls. he cannot force in, but he can just walk in if the door is open - following behind the workers that pay no attention to who is who. Happened to me once, eek!

Posted by: Bergen at May 22, 2008 2:37 PM in response to do we need a building permit?

"Any mention of the proposed hindering the sale or financing of your property is ridiculous. Anyone who says otherwise has no experience with this."

As someone who just had a bid accepted only to find out the property has an existing violation on it for an illegal roofdeck and never had the C of O amended for an addition, I can state with certainty that if you do get a violation and don't get it resolved, it can impact the ability of a buyer to get a mortgage. One bank said they wouldn't lend to any property with a outstanding violation, and another wants us to get an estimate and then hold that money in escrow until we, they new owners, have the violation removed by DOB.

We are on the verge of walking away from this deal over exactly the issues discussed here, so just keep in mind how it may impact your re-sale value, especially as it becomes tougher to get mortgages.

Posted by: Gravy at June 3, 2008 4:53 PM in response to do we need a building permit?