The Expert Podcast

Today we're going to look at two of the steps in getting a building project off the ground One is getting a contractor to call you back and in process the other is getting a building permit So make sure you look at both of these videos. The first one we're going to talk about is how to get a building permit. Look you may be able to get your contractor. To file your building permit However, sometimes it's hard to get the contractor even to call you back And if you already have a building permit in hand, many times that we'll get the contractor to call you back that's kind of a sneak preview of our top five ways to get contractors to call you back.

Contractors don't want to deal with the zoning and planning department any more than you do, think about the bureaucracy you're facing When you go to the building and planning and zoning department, you hate it It's dealing with the government. It's bureaucracy It's red tape. You hate it. The contractor hates it too. So if you're putting that. Responsibility on them Sometimes that's the reason they don't want to call you back. They don't want to deal with that. If you already have a building permit in hand…The contractor's going to look at it Like that's one less thing I have to do. I don't have to do bureaucracy. Do you think that builders like to do paperwork or like to do building? They like to do their trade their craft They like to build things They like to, if they're framers they like to, you know hammer, stud walls and. And king studs. If there are sheet rocker they like to mud and tape. If they're a painter they like to cut in and paint all the details. Right You see where I'm going with this? They don't want to be bogged down in paperwork Now you may find that your permit might not exactly be what is needed but at least if you have something in hand, Now the contractor can go in and maybe make some changes That's different than starting from scratch to get an approved. If you already have it approved, the builder knows that they're not going to be faced with. Not having a project…

One of the biggest fears that builder. is…Contracting with you to build let's say an addition on your house. You have the plans and then what if it doesn't get approved? By the county by the city. They don't get any money. They don't get their contract done They did all that work for nothing or for very small amount They wasted their time. If you already have it approved, now they might have to make modifications They might, when you're quoting it they might say well we're going to change the roof line to save you 10,000 in building expense That's fine. But at least they know it's already approved and they know you're serious.

Well, what else do you have to do to get a building permit Well first you have to know. Who has the jurisdiction. Is it a city? Building permit jurisdiction Is it the county Is it the state you might need additional sign-offs from other agencies like department of…environmental protection or DEQ depending on what your state has, maybe for a septic system maybe for drainage. You might have to get approval from the road district. to do a road cut for a driveway. Or for a curb cut to put in a new access. Sometimes you even have to do turn lanes for larger developments. You may have to get approval. From wetlands If you're going to have silt and drainage go near a stream you might have to put hay bales. So you first have to know what all the agencies that have to sign off on your permit.

The good news is the planning and zoning departments. Are very glad to help you. Especially as a civilian. If you walk in as a contractor, they're just going to expect you have all everything already figured out. But as a consumer homeowner property owner, they're going to help walk you through it more so than a builder. And that could help work to your advantage. You're going to also need to have some type of plan Sometimes it can be handwritten As long as you have dimensions, we've talked about this in other videos. you may need to…Get some feedback from the county before you filed a permit. Well we. recommend doing is going to the county or city and tell him look this is what I am. contemplating doing or proposing to do before I make plans and everything else. Do you see anything that is a prohibiting factor? Is this too tall Is it too close to the property line? Do I need to have more square footage some. Counties have minimum square footage whatever there is.

At least if you describe it to them even if you have a drawn on a napkin, you tell them look I'm not applying for a permit I know this is not what you need, but at least tell me if I'm on the right track. That way you're not going to waste your time. Getting building plans that are going to cost you hundreds or not thousands. You're not going to waste your time, putting together a permit package or paying the fees for something that you can't do anyway. Right. Sometimes you might find you don't even need all the permits that you're thinking that might be required.

So start with a informal conversation. Then get your plans, then submit the package They're going to tell you what sign-offs you need. Right.

Environmental. maybe forestry if you kind of cut down some trees maybe grading if you're going to move certain volumes of earth. and they'll tell you what you need for a building permit. Then you're going to need…your fees. We also recommend before you even…do anything. Even before you put hay bales for silt getting insurance policy…Get a builder's insurance policy even if you're the homeowner, because anything you do that causes liability, even if you're not digging with a payloader or something else, you want to have a policy to cover it because many homeowners policies or even commercial liability policies, don't cover all of the activity, even basic activity.

You also want to look to see if your project is going to have any feedback from neighboring properties. You might have to post a notice. Four. A permit. Or for a zoning change. And you want to make sure that all of your neighbors are on board with this You don't want to create a neighbor Not a problem. For something that…if you talk to them in advance would be more cordial. Look if you're going to build an addition, why not talk to the neighbors and look I'm thinking about building an addition. You know what kind of feedback do you have? Right. You don't have to necessarily listen to them If they say I don't want you to build an addition Okay Thanks for your feedback I'm building in anyways, but at least it's common courtesy to let them know. And it shows that you're a polite considerate person. Before you do it. You'll know if your neighbor's being overly…You know, kind of…kibitz. to kind of tell you too much. feedback or if they're just saying thanks I appreciate it. Yeah I really like our view So anything you can do to keep the trees down whatever. And you can factor that in or decide to or not. That feedback from neighbors will keep you in Good. Stead with your neighborhood or your HOA or whoever's around you, right At least it's not a surprise. At least they're not gonna all of a sudden wake up one day. And there's a Symmetra pore and a foundation. Keep them in the loop. That's another thing to do before you start applying for permits.

How do you make sure the permit gets approved? Well, make sure that it fits the guidelines of the statutes You can read your county. planning and zoning statutes of lot size coverage, maximum height fence size. And make sure that your project conforms to those statutes you can find those online and print them out and highlight the ones that apply to your property. Again if you have that permit in hand before you start trying to get a contractor that might help you it's a little bit of a reverse psychology or kind of…anti Antithetical. strategy that people use but it might put you in good. Good shape with getting a contractor which you bear next video. look for. After this to talk about how to get contractors to respond to you.