All Forum Posts by: Mark D.

Really well done! Great to see another architect doing this... I hope to have my first deal sooner than later. Great material choices - clean and timeless. 

How did you finance the deal?

Here in California sub contractors have to file a Preliminary 20 day Lien notice within 20 days of starting their work on the project. See if that is the case in your state. Also, your GC should receive lien releases each with each progress payment he gives to his subs. Ask him about those. How long has the project been complete? Again, here in California, the subs have 90 days from completion to file a lien. It's reduced to 30 for subs (60 for prime contractors) if you filed a notice of completion with the county.

Welcome! Are your multi-family income properties in Long Beach? 

Most of it you can do yourself. If you are doing a major re-design (addition, re-configuring exterior windows/doors/etc) I would consult an architect or someone who is an experienced rehabber (not a decorator) A well placed window for balanced light or thoughtful layout is the difference between a decent house and a great house.

Also be aware that large re-habs will most likely require a permit.

Take a GC with you when you walk the houses. They know what to look for and can alert you to anything strange going on. They will want to see the property to give you a bid anyway.

You hire the GC after they give you a bid and you agree to their pricing and scope of work. Be up front and informative with them and they should be helpful. Just don't string anyone along without the intention of actually hiring them.

A quick trip to the city building department will answer a lot of questions for you. Ask them to pull all of the permits on the property. There will be a written description and hopefully some drawings on file if it was permitted.

If there is no permit ask them 'hypothetically' what the consequences are. They person at the counter isn't going to flag your property and send an inspector over. It's best to talk to them directly as each city is different.

Good advice from Karen. Don't forget to ask for references and to see some of their completed work. If you have a schedule in mind make sure they know this up front - it can and will influence pricing.

Being the CG is a lot of work. Construction happens in a certain order and having subs show up out of order will slow your project down and cost money.

If you hire a GC my advice is to 'play' GC as well. Think through what you would do first, second, etc. Then see what GC's order of operations and expenses are. There is always something to learn.

Your best option would be to file for a retroactive "as-built" permit. You will need a drawing set but it will only need to be the bare minimum to get through the permitting process. There are people/companies who do this for a living. Find a good one and it will make your life easier. They will know everyone at the city and will probably be able to tell you what will need to be done to pull a permit (if possible). If you know any architects now is the time to talk to them.

If the actual construction is to code (within setbacks, lot area coverage %, etc.) this will just be a minor headache. Demolition and re-building is a major headache.

Hopefully you know or can find someone familiar with this process to guide you through it. Knowing which questions to ask the city will help as well.

Keep us updated and ask questions. There are a lot of us on the forum that have had similar dealings.

Also, the fact that there may be no documented square footage may not be your demise. If there is a written description of the project (which should be on the original permit and any permits for additions) you can use that to back the fact that the structure, addition, etc. is permitted. If it's an older structure you may have to dig through the counties archives.

I may be able to help you more if you are able to provide more information. Also, don't presume your contractor giving you the quotes knows the solution. Rebuilding is one solution, but spend time at the city and get all of the facts before you go that route.

Not being up to code is one thing.

The completed addition not being permitted is a different story.

Have you pulled all of the permits on the house from the building department? All you need to give them is the APN number or address and they should be able to give you copies of all of the permits pulled for the given property.

You can check the cities recorded square footage of the property on this GIS site - http://assessorparcelviewer.saccounty.net/GISViewer/Default.aspx

Let us know how that compares to the current square footage.

Originally posted by Jason A.:

The county did indicate they would not grandfather in any of the compliance issues and were not sympathetic to my situation, despite going out of my way to be professional and courteous in my quest for information. Originally they asked for any documentation that I had that indicated the size of the house when I bought it. The title, note, and appraisal have no mention of the original size of the house. When I spoke to the county after finding this info, they were no longer interested in it.

This is to prevent people from building an un-permitted structure and getting it approved after the fact. I'm working on a project now where an addition built in the 1970's has to be torn down because it was documented incorrectly (completely by mistake) and built into the setback.

Try to develop a relationship with one person at the building department. This will keep you from having to explain the situation each time and you are more likely to make decent progress.

You're going to learn a lot very quickly. Be persistent and record any information you have. Type up meeting minutes from the various city official you speak with so you have something to point to and quote.