Next month I’m going to be DIYing a roof tearoff and replacement. Anyone had the pleasure of dealing with Amherst on the roof permit? I found the form on their site and it looks like a huge PITA.
Very tempted to say fuck it, this should qualify as a repair not construction, and just do it over the weekend.
I’d say f it. Its a roof repair/
Up to you. Most inspectors will tell you they don’t work weekends. Not sure if you’re in a high traffic area where they might see you. Could always say fuck it, you get caught, plead ignorance and then deal with it. They’re typically looking for no more than two layers and ice / water shield. I have an ass load of roof jacks if you need em.
When I go to job sites to reinstall a dish I do often find a permit in the window, but honestly I have never paid it any attention to what towns i notice that in. If it were my house I would do it over the weekend and be done with it. Otherwise go to your town hall and ask would be my only other suggestion. I have never applied for a permit but I would assume that is where they are issued or they could at least point you in the correct direction.
If you get along with your neighbors then just do it. If one of them hates you and is looking for a way to screw you, they will call the code enforcement office.
Personally I have done some pretty major work without permits in a couple of local towns and nothing ever happened. It is rolling the dice though.
I live on a really low traffic street and know all my neighbors.
Thanks for the roof jacks offer but my roof has very little slope so I think we’ll be fine.
IMO, screw it. If it’s just you and a friend doing it, there won’t be an issue.
It’s far easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
I’m in south buffalo. Took down the front lower and upper porch on the house on a Friday after 5. And has the new porch up by dusk on Sunday. Just get it done over the weekend.
After wasting my time and $ to get a fence permit in Rochester I’m not going to bother to get a permit for anything ever again unless its for something big.
This is the rule I use with my wife, mainly for purchases of toys.
just do it over a weekend and hope for the best. The code enforcement offices in most municipalities are a M-F 9-5 gig so there won’t be someone driving around looking for people to write up. In the event you get caught, usually you can just plead ignorance and they will charge you the cost of the permit and issue it that day (and help you fill it out)
Oh? might be interested since I’m looking at a shed permit
not sure if you have plans to sell or refinance in the near future, but beware that it is becoming more common for underwriters to inquire about the legal status of stated improvements on a property. i’ve seen most of these related to significant building additions although there are a few lenders out there that ask about roof work and building systems- plumbing, electrical, mechanical.
also some insurance companies will take the opportunity of a homeowner installed roof as a means of denying a claim on the grounds of faulty installation. the permit won’t necessarily change that, but it will at least give you some sort of proof that the installation was considered proper and acceptable by a third party
I can certainly understand this viewpoint, especially with insurance companies. Sadly enough, there’s “legitimate” contractors out there doing substandard work even compared to homeowners. As far as the “faulty installation” point, I would take photographs of all the work, especially the ice and water shield. This would come in handy if you are stopped by a building inspector after shingling has started. You would have photographic proof of the installation. Believe it or not, I’ve had some inspectors accept emailed digital photographs of ice and water shield.
Not sure if this is still happening but I have had building departments use the filing of one permit as a springboard to requiring the installation of interconnected smoke and CO2 systems, as required by law. Again, not sure if this is still happening as it’s been a while. Post pics no matter how you go with this.
I think most municipalities require permits for re-roofing now.
I finished a basement in Williamsville, and the electrical inspector (from Amherst BD) inquired about Smokes/COs in the rest of the house…we thought he went upstairs to look for them, and never saw him again. Left the final inspection as passed on the panel.
All depends on who you deal with and what kind of day they are having.
I also did a basement in Amherst, and I would avoid doing that again at all costs. I would not personally try to do anything in Amherst that required a permit, without one.
But I may feel differently if it was my own house.
My brother did his 2 years ago. He’s in Amherst as well. He contacted the building inspector, and the inspector said he would stop out. My brother took pictures of everything, especially the ice shielding near the edges. The inspector finally showed up on Friday, and it was just about fully done. He looked at the pictures for about 2 minutes and said “good job”, and was on his way.
roofs are just a bad operation in all accounts when something goes wrong. insurance companies don’t want to pay for them, manufacturer’s don’t want to cover their warranties when something fails…its nearly impossible to keep track of who owns who as it seems like roofing companies merge or get bought out every few years.
on the permit item, they really shouldn’t be pulling that crap. the building code outlines what constitutes new work that would require the upgrade of existing work. a roof is a pretty self contained building system that shouldn’t impact anything else apart from perhaps roof structure. assuming the roof covering is similar to existing (as is the case here) there shouldn’t be anything more to it. now if you were putting on a slate or tile roof then i’d expect them to require new calculations on the structure.
again a finished basement shouldn’t be considered significant enough to demand that the rest of the structure meet current code. i’d expect to have to install the detectors in the basement but no where else in the home. although some municipalities have passed ordinances that require things like smoke detectors or CO detectors be installed at the time of sale or transfer of the property. it is sort of backdoor way for the municipality to bring the existing housing stock up to code outside of the typical powers of the building code.
Ask your neighbors if they mind if you put up a shed. If they’re cool with it just do it.