Just this past week, a number of building permit applications were received, which is common for this time of year.
Contractors and property owners need to get things in the ground pretty soon if they expect to beat the snow.
Certainly some of these projects have been in the works for weeks, months or even years with planning and getting prices and estimates from contractors and suppliers.
A few of the applications received were presented perfectly. Everything was in order, easy to understand and read.
Showing compliance with all the various things reviewed, this office had nothing else to do but issue the permit accordingly.
That’s pretty nice when it happens. It allows more time to spend on the applications that come in that are not so well prepared.
A few years ago a cover page was added to the building permit application, entitled “Instruc-tions.”
This was an attempt to have the applicant be better prepared when submitting an application.
There is even a signature line to state that they read and understood the instructions.
This page describes the required information such as surveys, plot plans, proposed location of work, asks that it be drawn to scale, construction plans and details, when the certification of a licensed architect or engineer is required, submittals for NYS Energy Code compliance and inspection requirements.
Still, some people read it, some don’t.
Although there were a couple very well presented applications last week, still more than half of them were void of some of the basic things needed to review and verify compliance…
No survey, no plot plan, no plans or construction drawings of any kind, the hand writing was sloppy and extremely difficult to read.
The application could have been just mailed back and marked “denied.”
One of these was an application for a new single family dwelling.
However, in an attempt to try to help the applicant along, a phone call is made to the number listed on the front of the application.
After a number of attempts to reach the applicant over a several day period, finally contact is made.
They could not understand why the application is incomplete. They read the instructions and answered all the questions.
The “survey” they submitted was a copy of the tax map showing their parcel, along with all the other lots in the area.
They provided a color photo of the lot with a magic marker “X” for the location of the house.
As for construction drawings, they circled the line in the instructions that indicate certified plans may not be required if the house is less than 1,500 square feet in size.
They did not read the second part of that.
After explaining that a ‘tax map’ is not a survey, and the color photo could not be used for a plot plan and that construction drawings are required for all structures—even those less than 1,500 square feet and not necessarily needing an architect’s signature—we engaged in a lengthy conversation of what all these things were.
The applicant had no clue or understanding of what surveys, construction drawings or compliance sheets were.
After all this, they assumed they could build a simple, small ‘A’ frame, one room, no running water or bathroom, no insulation and just a wood stove for heat then providing only an outhouse in the yard.
Now the challenge of the situation gets a little harder.
In this neighborhood only structures that qualify as a single family dwelling, as defined by the local zoning and the NYS Residential Code were allowed.
The structure had to provide complete cooking, private sleeping, living, bathing and sanitary facilities again, as defined by the codes. A one room building would not comply. Although a compliant single family dwelling can be pretty small, around 350 square feet, this one room concept is prohibited.
Please note that a ‘hunting / fishing cabin’ can be built with the one room concept.
However, it has to be out in the middle of almost nowhere, no utilities of any kind near any property line and the zoning district has to allow them.
Built out residential neighborhoods are for regular homes, not hunting cabins.
Just another day in the quarries of code enforcement.