Renovating your home can be a wonderful thing. After all, who doesn’t like the chance to refresh their home? However, it’s important to keep in mind that some renovations need a permit in order to be legal. In NYC especially, certain renovations require permits or you’ll run into legal problems. As such, it’s important to inform yourself about the regality involved in renovations before going through with them. At the end of the day, making sure everything is handled properly should be a priority when renovating your home. In order to help you out, we’ve put together a list of NYC home renovations that require a permit, and we hope you find it informative.
Adding or removing walls
First up on the list of NYC home renovations that require a permit, if you’re planning on either knocking down or adding more walls to your home, you’ll need a permit. To be more specific, any kind of renovation which changes the layout of your home needs a permit in NYC. In order to avoid any legal issues, make sure you go through the proper process. As a note, NYC authorities are very strict when it comes to this sort of thing, so always be thorough with the required documentation. And, of course, make sure the renovations are actually up to code. Additionally, if you’re considering knocking down a wall to make your kitchen bigger, consider hiring a renovation contractor to avoid common kitchen renovation mistakes. And even if it’s not in the kitchen, knocking down a wall can be quite dangerous. As such, you should only rely on experts.
Adding or removing walls in your home both require a permit.
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Room conversions
This one might come as a surprise, but when it comes to NYC home renovations, any sort of room conversion needs a permit. To use a simple example: converting your garage into a home office. While this kind of renovation doesn’t always require a permit (depending on the area you live in), a permit is required in NYC. This is because, technically, converting a room is changing the layout of the home. And so, a permit is a must if you want to convert a room. And when it comes to the renovation itself, you should think ahead about the items currently in the room. Your best call is to rent a short-term storage unit and storing the items there. And if you’re worried about getting your belongings into the unit, experts can handle transfer. Local movers can make sure your belongings arrive in the unit safe and sound.
Any sort of change to the plumbing
Even the simplest change to the plumbing of a house requires a permit. Even adding a single pipe, or redirecting one requires a permit in NYC. Not to mention larger changes like replacing the piping in your bathroom during a renovation. Even large-scale repairs like full-house repiping require a permit in order to be legally done. And while it makes sense when it comes to repiping, since every single pipe in the house has to be replaced, it can come as a surprise that some smaller changes require permits too. Still, if you’re planning on renovating your bathroom, keep in mind that if you’re doing anything with the pipes, you’ll need a permit. Also, you should consider how to go about adding value to a bathroom remodel. After all, if you’re renovating your bathroom, you might as well get some value out of it in the long-run.
Even the smallest changes to the house’s plumbing require a permit.
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Any change to the roof or replacing the roof
All roofs have a lifetime, and every homeowner will eventually have to do a replacement. However, keep in mind that changes to the roof, including minor modifications, require a permit. A roof replacement is considered as a major change, and as such requires a permit. Keeping in mind that ignoring your roof’s age can lead to some serious consequences to your home, this is a renovation you definitely want done right. As such, make sure sort out the permit and rely on experienced professionals to get the job done. After all, the roof is a vital part of any house, and any sort of mistake can have serious consequences. Additionally, experts from Ben Hur Moving & Storage NYC note that you should think ahead about any belongings you have stored in your attics. Also, consider finding somewhere to stay until the roof renovation or replacement is done.
Demolishing any part of the house
We’ve already mentioned that changing the layout of your house in any way requires a permit. As such, it makes sense that demolishing a part of your house requires a permit. This is because demolition, if not done correctly, can cause a lot of property damage to surrounding households as well as your own. Something as big as this, logically, requires a permit. Additionally, when looking to demolish a part of your home, no matter how small, make sure you can trust the contractors you hire for the job. The tiniest mistake during demolition can cause some serious consequences. So, make sure the professionals you hire treat it seriously. And when it comes to other, more tame kinds of renovation, maybe consider a kitchen respray or kitchen replacement. Sometimes, all your kitchen needs is a little touch up instead of a full replacement, so consider which one you want carefully.
Demolishing a part of your home requires a permit.
Alt-tag: house during demolition
List of NYC home renovations that require a permit – wrap up
Renovating your home requires a permit much more often than you might think. A good rule of thumb to follow is that any change to the house’s layout requires a permit, however this doesn’t cover every case. Plumbing and roofing replacements and changes also require permits, but they don’t change the home’s layout. As such, whenever you’re planning a renovation, make sure to do your research and make sure that it doesn’t require a permit in order to be done legally. Even if it’s something small, you should make sure doing it without a permit is legal. We hope this list of NYC home renovations that require a permit helps you figure out if your planned renovation requires a permit, and we wish you a good day.
KW: NYC home renovations
Meta: Planning some renovations? Read this list of NYC home renovations that require a permit first and check if you need one!
Photos used: https://www.pexels.com/photo/floor-plan-on-table-834892/
