All Forum Posts by: Samuel Pavlovcik

@Rory Boone,

PM Sent, I think I could help out.

Hey @Brandon K Dickinson,

I am a Licensed Architect in IL, IN, and TX based our of Chicago. I'd be happy to connect and assist with any Architectural related questions or needs.

@Jimmy Lieu,

This will completely depend on the local jurisdiction; Where is the property located? Various Cities, Towns, and Counties each have their own building departments with their own rules. With COVID19, many have tried to provide some form of digital processing; however, many are still lagging behind. Larger cities typically already have something in place for a digital process, but it is not guaranteed. I would recommend looking online for the local building department website, or calling them directly to inquire.

Additionally, the title of your thread inquired that you do not yet own the property. Often times you can submit for a building permit as an "Authorized Agent" of the owner, but you may need the Owner's signature on the permit application. Even if you don't need the owner's signature you will definitely need their contact information... There are also going to be fees associated with pulling a building permit, some of which may even be due at the time of permit submittal in addition to permit approval; again, this will vary based on the local jurisdiction. You will also need to provide the contact information for any licensed trades you plan to use for the permit (i.e. Electrician, Plumber, Roofer, etc.) and they may have the "Register" with the local municipality as well.

@Brie Schmidt definitely provided some relevant code excerpts; however, @Henry Lazerow definitely brings up a good point. You need to use a certain level of finesse when dealing with the City.

If the unit was constructed illegally; without a permit, they can require you to strip everything down to the studs, and either go thru the building permit process to get it done legally, or make you provide a different use for the space (i.e. storage). Additionally, they definitely could write up various other violations and fine you to get them corrected. That being said, I appreciate your desire to "do things the right way" and actually make it a legal, habitable space.

There are many illegal/nonconforming units throughout the city, so many, in fact, that a majority of the time these units go unnoticed, and continue to be used and even rented out for years at a time without ever having any issues; however, the concern and risk is always there. While it can seem stressful and a little scary think about how long the previous owner was using it the way it was being used; plus he was still able to sell the property as is without anyone coming down on him for the illegal unit... Priority 1 is just making sure it is safe.

@Luke Stone,

@John Westbrook and @Brie Schmidt both provided good answers that can definitely provide good results.

In addition to trying to figure out what the building "Was" you may also want to look into what it "Can Be". Even if the property was legally a 5-unit building at one point, and has since been de-converted into a 3-unit building; that doesn't necessarily give you the instant approval to bring it back to a 5-unit building. The Zoning Ordinances will allow for some things to be "grandfathered in" however, if it has been converted from a non-conforming condition to either a non-conforming condition of a lesser degree, or just converted to a condition that would be approved "By Right" for the zoning, they likely will not allow you to go "backwards" to the previous non-conforming conditions.

I sent you a PM with my info. Feel free to reach out if you want me to take a quick look into the zoning and permitted uses for the property before you get too far into it. Obviously the difference ROI for an anticipated 5-unit may differ greatly if you have to keep it as a 3-unit...

@Michael Taylor,

Feel free to reach out, I'd be happy to take a look into the Zoning and sizes of the lot and help with a quick analysis to help you make the best decision for what the best opportunities you have for your lots!

@Kaustubh Johri,

My first recommendation would be to reach out to the local building department and inform them of your situation. Many times you will be able to pay a fee and renew/extend the permit in order to finish up the work and close it out. I assume you do not have access to the same licensed trades that were previously on the building permit (i.e. Plumber, Electrician, HVAC, etc.) However, you may be able to update the same permit with new contractors, as long as they all meet the local requirements and get registered (if required) or as the owner of the property you may be able to "self perform" the work; however, that is typically limited only to owner/occupants. The other thing you will need to have is the architectural drawings and scope of work to be able to finish the project that was actually permitted.

Worst case scenario, the city could make you resubmit for a new permit, possibly meaning new drawings stamped by an architect, and all new licensed trades. A lot of city's will be pretty flexible and understanding of situations if you just reach out and try to have a conversation with them and ask them how to proceed to close out the permit. They will hopefully recognize that you are trying to do things in the right way, and hopefully provide a little leniency with this. Without the permit closed out, it is likely that they can legally keep you from determining the property to be "habitable" 

@Ben Kirchner,

A few of the other members posted correctly. When you look up the address, figure out which County it is in. The you can enter the address into the County's Property Tax Portal website and usually get a name for the owner. I have listed a few local county tax portal websites for your reference. Let me know if you need assistance figuring out which county the property is located in.

Cook County: https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/address-search

DuPage County: https://www.dupageco.org/PropertyInfo/PropertyLookup.aspx

Lake County: http://www.tax.lakecountyil.gov/forms/htmlframe.aspx?mode=content/home.htm

Will County: https://co-will-il.smartgovcommunity.com/Public/Home

Kane County: https://kaneil.devnetwedge.com/

@Rishi B. Thank you for sharing this!

@Daniel Winsauer, I definitely agree with @Martin Vehlow's comments. The best way to get a fair estimate would be to get a few contractors to walk the site with you, and also send them over the violations list. From that, they should be able to give you a relative ballpark number for their estimate. Many contractors will say that they can not provide a final price until they have drawings from an Architect, which for the scope of this project, you may need anyway in order to obtain the building permit; however, don't let them write you off too quickly since you cant provide drawings. The list of violations and a quick site walk should be enough to get an estimate started.

Additionally, use caution when selecting your contractor; there are a lot of great ones out there, but also a lot of dishonest people looking to take advantage of owners and make some quick money. While the pricing you receive from your bids can vary greatly, just remember that not all contractors are the same, and I would recommend trying to do some vetting before you fully bring someone on. I'm sure there are a lot of people on this forum that can definitely provide some good contractor references as well. If you hire a full-on GC they should be able to provide their own licensed trades for the job, but if you want to be the GC on the project and hire your own sub-contractors, by the sounds of it you will likely need Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, and Roofing at a minimum.