Permitting a Basement Bathroom

Cate.. yes that’s the magic number for us…

I would guess about half the homes on my block have bathrooms in the basement (I’ve been in many of them, the homes not the toilets, wink..) and the neighbor who is doing a gut renovation just three homes from us is just building a 3 piece bath around what was only a toilet… but he was caught with his Reno and now has filed for everything.

So comparing apples to apples in my neighborhood.. I think we are basically all paying the same tax, basement bathroom, or not…. So that may work in my favor.

But yes, just another thing to discuss with an architect going forward.

jrs84o

in General Discussion 1 year and 8 months ago

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jrs84o | 1 year and 8 months ago

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So every so often this type of thread comes up… just looking for current opinions:

Yesterday I had a talk with an engineer/architect (NY design professional as per DOB) about adding a three piece bathroom to my LEGAL basement….. he advised it would be nearly $20k for permits, drawings, filing.. etc.

Considering the cost to actually build a bare bones toilet-shower-sink would be only about $10-12k if I have expert trades do it in, let’s just say, “in their spare time”….. no wonder no one in my area ever files for anything.

The same credentialed engineer also said “between the lines”… if you can build it without getting a violation… do it… and worry about it later… permitting electrical, plumbing, mechanical and getting a GC involved is just not worth it for a BROOKLYN home owner doing a RENOVATION.

COMMENTS..?

jrs84o | 1 year and 8 months ago

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I should also add…

The engineer kinda implied that the only way his shop would get involved was if or when there was a violation… otherwise… he was not interested in taking my money.

Is this a common business strategy… or did I talk to an odd ball?

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 8 months ago

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it can be a problem if you go to sell it to a savvy buyer. it happen here and the buyer made the seller write in the contract that the basement bathroom was legal and when he got caught years later, he had to correct it and he turned around and sued the seller and won.

In truth, there is a lot around this house that i could do on my own without filing but i will not because i know if i have to have the dob in here for anything else down the road, they might see it and say something.

jrs84o | 1 year and 8 months ago

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Steve, I understand what you are say’in, as this problem exists with even minor work.

It’s not the permitting that makes jobs prohibitive (barring getting the DOB involved) it’s the fact you gotta get a “design pro” involved for even minor alterations.

I wanted to open up the stairwell under my stoop 4 inches on each step… I was quoted $1200 to do the work (pre Covid) and $2k for the drawings, permit pulling, etc…..

Even today I could do the job with a friend for $50 worth of cement, $75 worth of wood forms and a sledge hammer.

Never did the job and I’m stuck with a turn of the century—useless—stairwell.

Still looking for the path of least resistance here….

I just can’t see spending $20k on permits for $12k worth of work.

cate | 1 year and 8 months ago

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My advice would be to shop around for a different architect who charges differently and does not charge so much. You will want to find one who has added many full bathrooms to legal above-grade basements in the past, ideally in your neighborhood and in your specific property type. However, one thing to know is that adding a full bathroom with permits where there was not a full bathroom before could cause your taxes to rise — hopefully not hugely and hopefully there are some ways around that. Hopefully you could do the whole thing (labor, materials, filing/architect) for about $20,000.