Discussions

Hi, I was wondering if you needed a permit to do any kind of renovation in your home. Like finishing a basement without having anyone come check it out to make sure the wiring is good and stuff. Thanks  

you should get a permit. The inspectors job is be sure that the person that gets the house after you move out is getting a house finished properly. When you move into a house you yourself would like to be confident that that house has been constructed and finished so as not to be unsafe or unhealthy.

You'll need two. A building permit and an electrical permit.  

So if the person makes the basement into a finished basement. They need a permit. And if so, how much trouble can the owner get into?  

If they didn't get the proper or no permit at all

If you contact or go to the city of Brandon permit office and explain to them what type of work your doing or has been done they will say if a permit is/was needed or not for the work. They will also have a recorded if a permit was used on the property in the past. From my experience with them they've always have been pretty helpful. But I'm not sure if they are still located in city hall or now the old convergus building which I think now is called the A.R Mcdirmid building. The city website will have all the info.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edited by The_Young_Man, 2016-04-09 23:41:40

Permitting is gonna be required on anything structural that is done. Adding new living space (turning an un finished basement into living space). Or according to a letter from BAP last year "any renovation that has a value of more than $1,000" whatever that means.  
 
You do not need a permit for things like - Changing flooring, fixing drywall, painting, redoing your roof. These are considered maintenance items not renovations.  
 
You need a plumbing permit any time you move a drain line or a waterline according to BAP. Replacing the hose from a shut off to a fixture or replacing the fixture itself doesn't count as something that needs a permit as long as it is in EXACTLY the same place.  
 
Gas permits are required ANY TIME YOU REPLACE OR MOVE A GAS APPLIANCE. This doesn't mean you need one for maintenance work on gas appliances however you do need a licenced gas fitter to work on them.  
 
Electrical work beyond changing a plug or switch is supposed to be done by a licenced electrician who is supposed to pull a permit if the value of the project is over a certain $ amount. Alternatively you can apply to hydro for a "self wire" permit which allows you to do work on your own home and have it inspected.  
 
Hope this helps... in terms of trouble you can get into... well un permitted items that you do like electrical can void your insurance if you burn your house down as you can be held responsible for the fire. If found out about items like a finished basement can be disallowed and you may be forced to remove them. Things like wiring, framing, plumbing you can be made to remove drywall so it can be inspected etc...  
 
While I know that permits can be a frustrating process sometimes, especially for people who aren't used to the head banging process in this town. They are for the best and really don't cost that much in the grand scheme of things (couple hundred $ on tens of thousands of renos) VS thousands removing or fixing the work that you have already done.

Are you asking to get back at a neighbour or something? Just asking as the way you are wording things makes it sound like you have a beef with someone.

I believe once your finish your project, your house will be re-assessed by the city. Obviously you are adding value to your property, which means increase in property tax.  
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone?

I'm the AHJ for my municipality (not Brandon), and my experience is that a lot of people don't want to get permits because:  
 
1. permits cost money (true, but not much compared to the cost of the reno)  
2. it will increase the property tax bill (possibly - we do let MB Assessment know that you are doing improvements)  
3. some people just don't want to explain their plans and potentially have them revised or rejected by an authority that they don't recognize - a case of "It's none of your business, stupid government."  
 
Here's the deal though: by getting a permit and calling for the required inspections, you are transferring liability for your work from you to the municipality. So, let's say you DON'T get a permit (or you do get a permit but don't call the building inspector to check your work), and your basement reno results in condensation and, over many years, foundation rot. Or removal of a structural wall that eventually causes cracking and failure elsewhere in the house. By this time you have sold the house, and the new owners are appalled to discover that the work was never permitted, and they are left holding the bag. Who is their insurance company's legal team going to sue?  
 
If you had gotten a permit and called for the required inspections, and all this had STILL gone wrong, they could sue the municipality - it's in the Municipal Act, and it was decided by the Supreme Court of Canada.  
 
If you didn't get a permit, or didn't call for inspections, the only person they can sue is you.  
 
So please, don't mess around. Go in and talk to your building official. Some of us might be a bit gruff if we think you're trying to cut corners, but we all want to help.  
 
Edited by acidbasement, 2016-04-10 13:08:23

Skyy said "If they didn't get the proper or no permit at all "

Can be told to pay for permit when/ if they find out about renovation or if wall was put up can be told to tear it down.

I'm just curious. I know we need permits but just not sure which type of one for the type of work.

 
If u get a permit it will cost you alot more money for nothing. if I was you I wouldn't get a permit we did work on our house and we tried couple times do the right thing get a permit. they made it so hard and miserable. We just did it faith our permits 4 years later sold our house and nothing was ever said so I wouldn't get one it ur house ur not going do shady work  
 
 

get a permit is more a way for the city to control and receive extra money by increasing your property tax with the renovations

getting a permit does not mean that the city will inspect or even visit the work site. they will never take responsibility for any approved work, and will of course collect a fee and further increase your house taxes as a result of reassessment. get a qualified contractor and work without a permit, the city does not need to know your business.

If you're in the City of Brandon they will inspect the work. As well, if they inspect the work and issue an occupancy, they have assumed liability for the work, and can be sued if something goes wrong down the road. Some purchasers are asking for proof of permits obtained for work done on a house, so that might be a factor. As for someone not doing a bad job on their own house - Ha! If the homeowner/contractor doesn't know what they are doing, they are probably going to do a crappy job. And remember, the best way to fix a mistake you made on your own home is to hide it and sell it.

Waste of money. BAP is a joke. Worked construction for years in this city and inspectors pass stuff all the time that is wrong or incorrect. Just cause its inspected and passed doesnt mean its correctly done. Just get licensed contractors and trades and just document then work. Take pictures and videos of the work during the process. Even if u do get a permit and stuff is wrong, good luck suing the government. Just my 2 cents.

jetsfan9 said "Waste of money. BAP is a joke. Worked construction for years in this city and inspectors pass stuff all the time that is wrong or incorrect. Just cause its inspected and passed doesnt mean its correctly done. Just get licensed contractors and trades and just document then work. Take pictures and videos of the work during the process. Even if u do get a permit and stuff is wrong, good luck suing the government. Just my 2 cents. "

looked at the new houses built by xxx company supposedly be professional and are inspected by the city of brandon, look those houses have problems.

And no accountability by the city either. Those houses are a joke. City doesnt care what they do because ppl are buying these houses and paying that absorbent amount of property tax. The construction in those new subdivisions are appalling. Feel bad for the ppl who dont know whats going on and buying them.

I've had my fair share of headaches with the city and of course, the Brandon Area and Planning... But, the one thing you don't want to do is to try to screw with them or keep big projects from their knowledge. I both have known of and experienced very costly results from doing so. Look, if the average schmuck with an older house who wants to "refinish" their basement with new flooring, fixtures, a little rewiring (using new material), it's not that big of a fuss with them (if it's kept quiet). Heck, getting rid of old wall paneling, ceiling tiles and re-gigging some studs around before putting up all new drywall shouldn't be the end of the world (providing one of you knows what you're doing). However, the "DIY home flippers" that tend to ignore/hide potential problems or have no clue in what's even supposed to be close to building code and safety requirements, is often what we hear about. ..."Just make it pretty enough to sell quick", becomes their motto. It's those idiots that make everyone else's DIY projects subjected for scrutiny.  
 
Skyy, if your intentions are to provide yourself extra living space into a completely unfinished basement, it would be foolish to go without the required permits. The "Planning Board" can easily force you take it all down or open everything up for inspection if they discover this "new undocumented construction". I have a buddy that's a residential property assessor in Saskatchewan. His job does include to document/report any "suspicious renovations" and/or cross-reference with Municipal records to verify additional square footage for a dwelling. He finds many undocumented finished basements in the newer neighborhoods done by both previous and current owners. What comes next can be very unpleasant and expensive for those who get caught with such modifications done to their home.  
 
I know many of us feel like we are at the mercy of the Planning Board and sometime their "attitude" and opinions on what can or can't be done could be unlikable... But, we must to put up with their smuggish and superior bureaucracy, or be faced with the ultimate consequence of "working" with them for a much longer timeline and complying with all of their demands. It is truly a hellish experience.  
 
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

We just finished our basement. Only got an electrical permit as my dad did it and then it got inspected by Manitoba hydro after work completed. Less than 100 dollars