Did you get a Permit for your install??

[webbie]

Long thread~!

My guess is that the lack of permits are a similar percentage among most home improvements. When I was a carpenter and installer back in NJ, the customer sometimes made it a prerequisite that I DO NOT get a permit. This was back in the old days, before there were standard codes even. We had some local inspectors (in NJ) who would make up their own! And often, the customer already did a bunch of work in the house and did not want the inspector coming to see the new screened in porch I was building around back, cause then he would see everything else!

These days things are more standardized and our store gets permits for 100% of jobs. Once you get into the flow of it, it is not too hard....although in NJ the dozen forms or so they give you can confuse a person.

Heck I just got a permit for putting new roof shingles on a shed/garage that is falling down! It took 10 minutes to fill out the form, and they approved it within 48 hours. Hopefully they will pass it when I am finished, since I have not called them for any "in between" inspections.

But as I said before access to inspectors is not always easy. My current town has the inspector in his office 2 hours per WEEK...so you better not be in a hurry. When I first moved up here, people could not contact him at all. My neighbor tried for weeks to find him - wanted to put in a pool. Someone finally directed him to a local bar where he did meet the guy.......(true story, but we are now two inspectors later- turned out the last one did not have the proper credentials!).......

So you can just imagine calling your local official in Idaho or deep WV........nowhere to be found!

 

[Corie]

I just saw the title of this thread, guess I missed it somehow. Its funny because I actually just went through the permitting thing here at work. Everyone I asked said, no, in Virginia? shoot, you don't need a permit. But I contacted the county anyway and of course, I needed a permit. I filled out what I would consider to be one of the three most poorly designed forms in existence and sent it off, even though the permitting office is right down the road. It should be back here within a few days, I'm hoping. I really need that puppy.



I know its "against" the rules, but what would be the harm in getting started with the stove installation? The inspector only comes out at the end anyway, right? I just know its goign to be a mulit-day job so I'd like to get the ceiling hole and stuff cut and then get on the roof the next day. I have like 23 inches maximum height to work with in the attic, so its going to be fun fun fun fun.

 

[backpack09]

I know its "against" the rules, but what would be the harm in getting started with the stove installation? The inspector only comes out at the end anyway, right? I just know its goign to be a mulit-day job so I'd like to get the ceiling hole and stuff cut and then get on the roof the next day. I have like 23 inches maximum height to work with in the attic, so its going to be fun fun fun fun.

Corie,
I agree with you on this one. I also have to do some refraiming to install the chimney where we want it to run. I am also waiting for my permit. But as instructed by my building official, I only needed to state I was installing a wood burning stove, and nothing more.

So as I see it, as long as all of the framing work I do meets the regs, I can do that up while I am waiting for my permit to go through. And when it does I will be all set to cut a hole in the roof and tie everything up in a weekend... hopefully.

 

[eba1225]

I too obtained a permit for my DIY stove installation into an already existing fireplace. As with everybody else the forms were poorly designed, actually designed for a new home than for a retrofit, i.e. installation of a fireplace insert. With the permit the inspector sent a couple pages of State Code that was in excess of the manufacturers requirements, thus that required me to do a little upfront work before I could start the installation.

As for the reason to get the permit....more related to insurance purposes than anything else. Anticipating when I tell the insurance company about the insert they will ask 'Was it installed per code?'

Erik

 

[elkimmeg]

I would think if
I were that far out in the boonies and knew any response time was in hours,I would never risk my life or my family's

If anything I would want to go beyond code and make it super safe Outside air is required so that enough combustion air is drawn in

If there is a deficiency's it will draw from you exhaust and You run the risk of serious Carbon monoxide poisoning

I think enough well meaning members pointed this out to you. already

 

[BrotherBart]

I would think if
I were that far out in the boonies and knew any response time was in hours,I would never risk my life or my family's

If anything I would want to go beyond code and make it super safe Outside air is required so that enough combustion air is drawn in

If there is a deficiency's it will draw from you exhaust and You run the risk of serious Carbon monoxide poisoning

I think enough well meaning members pointed this out to you. already

How true, how true. Fischer actually used to make one for manufactured homes that had a plate on the bottom you took off to connect to an outside air inlet under the home. And was tested for them.

 

[jpl1nh]

So I pulled my Jotul combifire smoke dragon with a 7" pipe out (yikes!! the thimble was scary full!) popped in my used Woodstock Keystone with new 22 guage 7" pipe, one less elbow (after cleaning the thimble and chimney..) Did not get a permit because it was such a straight forward swap, no real change to the masonary chimney with 6x10" tile liner. Not really even sure if I need a permit for this but figure its such a substantial improvment in safety that it's irrelevant.

 

[oregonrider]

I read thru this whole thread last night and it scared me! Never thought about the insurance. Called my agent today and told him I'd converted from electric to wood heat. He said he would make a note of it but it didn't matter on my policy. oregonrider.

 

[BrotherBart]

I read thru this whole thread last night and it scared me! Never thought about the insurance. Called my agent today and told him I'd converted from electric to wood heat. He said he would make a note of it but it didn't matter on my policy. oregonrider.

Go figure. Allstate has never cared that we heat with wood but after 32 years with them they doubled our homeowners insurance rate last year because we didn't have a credit history. We don't use credit. Just wood.

I wonder what the new insurance company is going to think about burning wood?

 

[Hogwildz]

Web you are correct that there are mortgage companies that need there interests protected. They are. First of all most consumers do not realize the banks have a special insurance coverage in this type of situation that will protect their interest. You are correct in the homeowners insurance to a point. Lets say my house burned down because I put in a wood burning stove and didn't pull the permit. My insurance company would probably pay the loan off to the bank but none of that money would be to go to the homeowner for rebuilding. That will also happen if someone doesn't carry the proper amount of insurance. If you state your home is only worth $100k and it is actually worth $500k, if you don't maintain 80-90% of the property worth (the house not the land), they won't pay your claim, but if the lien holder is listed as an insurable interest, their interest will be repaid. But that's it. I don't think, that relieves the homeowner of the debt, but I would need to check that out. I have had a lot of education with property insurance, but I've concentrated on Liability and Workers' Compensation. Permits also come into play with Homeowners Liability.

I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. I work in Ins. also. As a automotive physical damage appraiser/adjuster I see this type od situation happen often in heavy truck claims. I am independent and work for about 30 dif Ins. Co's. They all have what is called an 80% coinsurance clause. Meaning, that if the vehicle is not Insured at least 80% of the actual cash value, the Insurance co. charges back a percentage of the difference that the Insured is underinsured.
They pay the claim, but only the percentage that the Insured is insured for. Now given that in the auto physical damage claims, there is usually a salvage value. Most of the Insurance companies will give back a percentage of that salvage, even sometimes all the salvage value towards the Insured's underinsured coinsurance portion.
Now in the case of a repairable, the Ins. co. will pay for the repairs, but might also charge that underinsured percentage back to you. So they would pay for the repairs up to the percentage you are Insured for, but then figure in the percentage difference and stick you with it.
As with any Ins., the companies can differ in their practices & policies as varied as Insurance policies themselves can vary. And the other side of the coin is this, if you over insure your vehicle, you do not get what you are paying for as a stated limit amount. You get the Actual Cash Value amount. Meaning, if you say hmmm, my car is worth $15,000.00 but I am going to insure it for $20,000.00, and if it totals, I get $20,000.00. Wrong, an ACV will be performed. And the amount the ACV vehicles average together to, is what your getting paid. Many homeowners Ins. Co's use that same 80% clause. I expect Mrs. GVA will know the home owner Ins. better than I.
I do realize there is a coinsurance clause in almost every Ins. Policy.
Also in the automotive physical damage claims, the Insured is not supposed to make a profit on repairs. Although we all know that this is not always the case.
I don't pretend to know alot about policies, I am just a lowly physical damage appraiser/adjuster.

 

[jjbaer]

Since this thread seems to have began to turn into insurance bashing I'm going to chime in again. Everybody complains about insurance fraud, but what about the fraud the insurance companies commit. I know a guy who's father died and the family went to collect the $100,000 insurance policy that the guy had been paying on his whole life. The insurance company said we will give you $75,000. You can sue us if you want but the lawyers will take 1/3 of it and you will only get $66,000. Also, what about how they over inflate replacement cost. The replacement cost they said I had to have works out to almost $187.00 a square foot. This was ten years ago. I bet if I got a new policy, they would up it to well over $200.00 a square foot. My house is nice, but I'm sure it's no nicer than what everybody else here has. You could buy my house for less than half of what they forced me to insure it for.

I say "make my day"...you sue in Federal Distric Court for $50 Million alledging fraud. All you have to do is to show the judge or the jury two items and you win, no questions asked: 1) the policy and 2) the death certificate. And, you not only get all your money, your lawyer fees are paid out of the winnings for fraud. In fact, you can personally (without a lawyer) file against them and they'll cave and never let it go to court. Why: because NO lawyer, anywhere, could win that one for the insurance company