Building Permits and Safety

“We don’t need a permit for this, we are only ______.”  We’ve all heard this sentence many times over the years.  It is sadly driven by the desire to save construction expense and increased property taxes associated with the improvement in value after completing upgrades to real estate.  However, skipping this important step in a construction project could easily create a situation that is unsafe.

We often work with Code Enforcement to resolve structural, life safety and other architectural concerns.  It has been our experience that New Hampshire and Massachusetts are blessed with talented and reasonable people charged with building regulation to help drive good design.

What is important to remember about Building Codes is that, in many instances, they are developed from lessons learned following previous failures and a history of poor practices resulting in property loss and in some cases having deadly consequences.

While new construction requires compliance with current codes, this may not be the case with existing structures involved in renovations depending upon the percentage of the building that is being renovated.

If you are considering a building project, be it a renovation or new construction, contact us to learn how we can help with the design and technical aspects of your project.