There is a huge sense of empowerment in being a do-it-yourselfer. There are also pitfalls if you don’t follow current building requirements and code rules. These rules are there for our own safety, that of our neighbors and to protect property values.
Pulling proper permits for electrical, plumbing or building upgrades on your property are immensely important. They may seem like a bureaucratic nuisance at the time, but they form a safety net for home-owners and tradesmen. Depending on the project, permits can cost around $100-$200 per job, but that minor cost affords you appropriate oversight and inspections ensuring the workmanship meets current building codes and standards. These permits also provide a public record of all improvements made to a property for appraisal, inspection, updated finished square footage, and assurances to insurance brokerages that a property is safe and worth insuring. Ultimately, pulling permits and completing the requisite inspections is the safest and most cost effective thing you can do when improving your property.
Many of the projects we jump into like finishing the bare basement, adding lighting to a dark garage to make a workshop, finishing a shed to use as a she-shed or powered workspace, or lighting and powering a deck patio area, are huge value additions to our overarching property value. But without proper permits, they can become a financial disaster in the making- often forcing a homeowner to go back and pull permits after the fact, and now be forced to prove work was done properly by tearing down and doing work according to current code requirements. This can be cost prohibitive and destroy our personal financial security.
If you should have the misfortune of a home disaster of fire or flood, having the knowledge of work being done properly (permitted and inspected) will keep your property insurable at the very least, keeping your safety net intact.
Contact Gringo Dave’s Electric, Inc. today at Dave@gringodaveselectric.com or 719-290-1484 to discuss your home improvement projects and receive individualized home recommendations for your specific needs.