Building Extension Permit
People How important is it to have a city permit to an extension to a house – before we decide to buy it? I understand there are many properties with extensions built without permit but I want to weigh pros and cons before putting down an offer. Any insights from people here would be welcome….
People
How important is it to have a city permit to an extension to a house – before we decide to buy it? I understand there are many properties with extensions built without permit but I want to weigh pros and cons before putting down an offer. Any insights from people here would be welcome.
thanks
If a valid C of O was issued at some point in time after the extension was built, would that mean that the extension is legal from a DOB perspective? If so, could the OP check to see if there are any post-construction C’s of O on file?
what AnArchitect said. Depends on many factors- including how long you plan to live there and if you intend to do renovation work.
http://www.rodriguezstudio.com
Perhaps worth taking a look at any previous applications for Work Permits from the DoB. If, for example, a bathroom renovation was planned, and the filing documents show the rear yard addition, then it would be difficult for the extension to be termed ‘illegal’ as it was part of an application that was at some point approved by the DoB. The extension may then be recognized as existing non-conforming condition. Of course the alternate is to do a zoning study and determine if an extension would be legal, in which case you could plan on ‘legalizing’ it once you take possession.
Best.
http://www.agenciegroup.com
OP: What Jock said.
so much for a free country and buying your own house, then you still have to get a permit to do something to your own house that you pay for…..
Oh I see. Then it depends, you maybe able to legalize it. When was the extension built and how did you find out it was built without a permit?
I’m not big on permits, but doing extension is something you need one for.
Like I’ve said countless times, 90%+ of all buildings in Brooklyn have unpermitted work. And extension would be a fairly egregious offense but nonetheless, they are plentiful. Most likely it can remain but the problem is that if you do have to get a permit for something else, this will likely come under scrutiny and be a problem. If you plan no renovations that would require permits from here on out, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I think OP is considering buying a building with an existing extension and there wasn’t a DOB permit for it.
I bought a house with a small 1 room extension that had been there for generations (we found newspaper from the 40’s inside the walls). Got it fixed up – new interior walls and floor, new siding, new window, new roof. Later sold the house. Honestly I never thought about DOB permits and it never became an issue but maybe things are different with DOB from how it was in the 90’s and 00’s. Riskier to build a new un-permitted extension vs. keeping an existing one.