If you are building a new home or remodeling an existing home, chances are you will need a building permit. Even some outdoor projects, such as building a fence or adding a deck in the yard, require a building permit and home building permit drawings. Building permit requirements vary from state to state. Some even vary from city to city and county to county. However, all these permits serve the same purpose to ensure that your structure is safe and meet current building codes.
Creating Home Building Permit Drawings
Building Permit Plans
Come up with a tentative plan. As part of the building permit application, you will have to describe, and submit home building permit drawings. It’s a very good idea to design a set of drawings/blueprints that will provide detailed information for your building project. You can choose to hand draw your plans or we recommend that you use a good drafting software for designing your blueprints. Drafting software allows you to quickly modify your designs if required. Cad Pro is an excellent inexpensive home plan design software.
Building Permit Contractors
Determine what jobs you will need a professional to complete. For example, adding an oil burning fireplace to a home or adding stairs to a building must be done by a licensed professional. You will also need a licensed professional for electrical, plumbing and roofing jobs. It’s always a good idea to contact your local building code enforcement office and discuss what jobs will require a licensed contractor before you start your project and submit your home building permit drawings.
Contact your local building office or code enforcement office. One of these two offices will be the one that issues the permits. When you contact the office, ask if you can pick up an application or have one mailed or emailed to you.
Determine how many permits are needed for your project. For example, if you are adding a bathroom, you will need three permits: a basic building permit, an electrical permit and a plumbing permit.
Complete the application packet and home building permit drawings then return them to the building permit office. When you return it, you will have to remit an application fee. Do this with a money order if possible. Some states require that your check clear the bank before the permit will be issued, which may slow down your permit and put your project on hold. Be sure to keep any payment methods and all copies of your application for future reference.
Schedule a time for an inspection. For most jobs, an inspector will come to the job site before the permit is issued. He may come out periodically while the job is in progress and again when it is completed. It’s well advised to meet with your inspector and discuss any new building materials or construction methods that would better serve your new building project.
Helpful Tip for Building Permits
If you haven’t received your permit within 30 days of submitting your application, contact the office that you filed your applications with and request an update. If you are applying for a building permit for a multifamily dwelling or a public building, you may need a temporary certificate of occupancy to allow people into the building during the renovation. This is important if you want to keep a portion of your business open or if you have tenants living in apartments in the same building in which renovations are going on.
Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive software programs for designing your home building permit drawings. Cad Pro is great for creating kitchen design plans, innovative smart home designs, custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, deck plans and much more.
CAD Pro allows anyone to share their ideas and plans with clients, colleagues or professional remodeling contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.
CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders, and contractors plan and design all types of home building permit drawings. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors and the NRCA roofing contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). as well as the (NALP) National Association of Landscape Professionals.