Finishing basement with no permit

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I'm a municipal employee and I deal with permits.

Believe me, you don't want to risk it. Government can make your life miserable and expensive.
 
Let's say a friend of mines (rolleyes), installed a door from a garage to his basement, does that require a permit?
 
Is it a roll up door?
 
Is it a supporting i.e. load bearing wall?
 
15 yrs ago I'd have said, get two buddies and a hammerdrill and have at it, today you can be left uninsured, liable for thousands in penalties and fines, and your house may be un saleable in the future.
Your call really.
 
RockerGuy said:
Let's say a friend of mines (rolleyes), installed a door from a garage to his basement, does that require a permit?
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Could be a liability issue with fumes into the house if not sealed properly. And yes, I believe that would require a permit.
Did you also dig down for steps? Sorry, I mean, your friend.

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It's a relatively easy process to get a permit. I do it all the time. It would be a mistake to skip it to save "hundreds". Think about it, you're getting a service which makes sure your contractor is doing it right.
 
inreb said:
Is it a roll up door?
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No
Baggsy said:
Is it a supporting i.e. load bearing wall?
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No, drywall. Some of the switches was relocated though
Joe Bass said:
Could be a liability issue with fumes into the house if not sealed properly. And yes, I believe that would require a permit.
Did you also dig down for steps? Sorry, I mean, your friend.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy far, far away using Tapatalk
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The door is coldproof. Insulation was even sprayed in the door to keep it insulated. Gaps in the door between the door post & door even has a seal. Bottom of the door even has a swipe. Definitely airtight.

Sorry for the threadjack
 
RockerGuy said:
No

No, drywall. Some of the switches was relocated though

The door is coldproof. Insulation was even sprayed in the door to keep it insulated. Gaps in the door between the door post & door even has a seal. Bottom of the door even has a swipe. Definitely airtight.

Sorry for the threadjack
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Does that door require a fire rating? I've never looked for the tag.
 
Yu mentioned spraying insulation in the door - it was probably not fire rated... I've never ever used my fire rated garage door to slow down spread of fire (and have never used my m/c helmet for impact protection either) - but an easy swap for a fire rated door if you want to sleep easier. If you can find the same size door.
 
So if that door replaces drywall, does it have to be fire-rated? So the door will be more fireproof than the wall?
 
RockerGuy said:
So if that door replaces drywall, does it have to be fire-rated? So the door will be more fireproof than the wall?
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The wall between the garage and he house has to be fire rated, typically 5/8 type-x drywall and a fire-rated door. Intended if a fire starts in the garage, the spread to the house will be delayed by a certain time, allowing the occupants to evacuate. The door should also have an auto-closer and a seal around the edge

So if you had pulled a permit, the plans would only have been approved if such things were included. Also, the inspector would have checked such before closing the permit. Hence everyone's recommendation above that permits are good things, not just a tax grab.

i'm just an amature though, there may be other reqts in the OBC that a professional would be aware of...
 
FLSTC said:
The wall between the garage and he house has to be fire rated, typically 5/8 type-x drywall and a fire-rated door. Intended if a fire starts in the garage, the spread to the house will be delayed by a certain time, allowing the occupants to evacuate. The door should also have an auto-closer and a seal around the edge

So if you had pulled a permit, the plans would only have been approved if such things were included. Also, the inspector would have checked such before closing the permit. Hence everyone's recommendation above that permits are good things, not just a tax grab.

i'm just an amature though, there may be other reqts in the OBC that a professional would be aware of...
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Ahem, his 'friend', remember?

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy far, far away using Tapatalk
 
crankcall said:
15 yrs ago I'd have said, get two buddies and a hammerdrill and have at it, today you can be left uninsured, liable for thousands in penalties and fines, and your house may be un saleable in the future.
Your call really.
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Think about all the 80, 90 and 100 year old houses in Toronto, possibly with dozens of owners over the years doing who knows what with what version of codes. Are you saying they can't get insurance?
 
TO Bandit said:
It's a relatively easy process to get a permit. I do it all the time. It would be a mistake to skip it to save "hundreds". Think about it, you're getting a service which makes sure your contractor is doing it right.
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If a contractor convinces you that you can save by not going with a permit he can also save on his costs by sending in low level apprentices because their work will never be checked.
 
nobbie48 said:
Think about all the 80, 90 and 100 year old houses in Toronto, possibly with dozens of owners over the years doing who knows what with what version of codes. Are you saying they can't get insurance?
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No, if its been there for 100yrs its probably been grandfathered in, if you make a change this year that does not meet code and was done without a permit and thus not inspected, and your house burns down tomorrow and your "work" contributed to the problem your claim may be harder to complete.


My understanding on a door between garage and dwelling is it needs to be a door without a glass window, sealed gasket and a self closer on it. It does not need to be a fire rated door I was recently told.
 
RockerGuy said:
So if that door replaces drywall, does it have to be fire-rated? So the door will be more fireproof than the wall?
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Fire rated door means nothing without the frame and hardware also being rated.

I'm not sure what the residential requirements are for wall between house and garage. If they used 5/8" type x board on both sides of the wall, it is most likely a 1 hr fire rated partition.

Don't quote me on that though.

In the ICI sector we build many 0 hr rated walls, where the doors and frames are not rated, specs on penetrations and/or seal at the top are more stringent than rated walls.
 
Finishing the basement I would not bother with a permit. If you're hiring someone to do it for you then it's your choice to ask for one or not. For the structural change I agree it's wise to get a permit. Gotta use your judgement at the end of the day and don't exceed your risk profile.
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