It's A Good Idea To Get Them
Lots of people take shortcuts in life. Builders take shortcuts putting up houses - that saves them money in the short run, and keeps me busy in the long run. But homeowners often take shortcuts too, often without understanding the consequences.
Many homeowners view the building permit/inspection process as something to be avoided at all costs. That's sad, because that process was set up to avoid problems. By not getting a building permit for remodeling work you are likely to cause yourself needless grief later.
When you go to sell the house you'll be obligated to disclose to the buyer that there was no permit. This plants seeds of doubt in the buyer's mind. When minor defects are found during an inspection those seeds will be fertilized and will grow. The buyers also know that they'll have to disclose it when they sell.
Even if you build houses every day for a living you're bound to do something wrong - builders prove that to me all the time. There is also a good chance that whatever it is that you do wrong would have been a whole lot easier to do right the first time. Going back to fix something later usually means tearing out surface finishes, and that's expensive.
Here are some things I commonly find that homeowners have done wrong:
- Exhaust Vent Pipes Bathroom exhaust vents need to go outside. If they don't then humidity will build up inside and could cause moisture problems. You also want to get the odors outside the house. White vinyl flexible duct material is not durable, and should never be concealed behind finished surfaces; get a flexible metal duct instead. Better still, use rigid pipe wherever possible.
- Roofs and Flashing Water runs downhill - it always has and always will. Roofing and flashing has to lap in the right direction. If it's put in properly it shouldn't need any caulking.
- Furnace Rooms Most older houses were built with the furnace and water heater in an open basement. That was OK because there was plenty of air supply for them. But when they get enclosed into a small room you need to install ventilation pipes for them directly from the exterior (called 'combustion air intake').
- Electrical It's OK to do your own wiring, but there are right ways to do wiring and there are wrong ways - homeowners often do it wrong. If you haven't got the skills then hire a pro. And yes, even if you do it yourself you still need a permit.
- Decks There are lots of ways to go wrong building a deck. The structure needs to be sturdy, properly supported and securely attached to the house. If it's only attached to the house along one edge then it also needs diagonal bracing underneath to keep it from swaying back and forth. Deck screws are great for holding down the surface planks, but don't use them for holding the structure together - they snap easily when overloaded and that can have catastrophic results. Railings also need to be securely attached, the openings should be small enough for children's safety and they need to be built so that kids can't climb them.