[NGALLOPO85]

As a homeowner it horrible we have to ask permission to fix and change our home..

We were denied, to fix attic now here is my question for help the attic is a walk up the size of an apartment all we wanted to do was sheetrock,instulation,flooring and refix the exsisting little room for an office ? The rest of the open floor would be for a rec room,gym.. we were told there aren't enough specs? For an additional living space.. how do I fight this no one going to sleep there its going to be a rec/office ?

Any suggestion

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[hkstroud]

.. we were told there aren't enough specs?

That sounds like you didn't tell them what you wanted to do in terms that they can evaluate the proposed work.

The ceiling rafters of the rooms below are seldom sufficient to also serve as floor joist for the attic space.

[joypulv]

Every town has their own building inspector, who gets to make these decisions.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'not enough specs.' I take it to mean you didn't submit drawings and measurements.
Many people fix up attics to rent out, and I think renovations get discouraged depending in where you live. I used to live in a suburb with miles and miles of two family houses, and about every 5th one had an illegal attic apartment. No fire exit!!
Anyway, get some graph paper at CVS, start measuring, and draw it.
I would start a bit of the demo so that you can measure the rafters, height to ridge, span, and joist size. (My attic has 2 x 4 joists 2' a apart - no way could anyone live up there.) Draw plugs and lights and type of wiring. Vents going out the roof. Windows and attic vents. Make a list of what you are planning to do, in steps. Demo, insulate, drywall, etc.

Try to get on the good side of the building inspector. Don't be all defensive about reno permits, which are based on the idea that you go by building codes, which are mostly based on safety. Some of them are absolutely ridiculous, I know.

[ebaines]

we were told there arent enough specs

What do you mean "not enough specs?" You need to submit plans to document the basic construction - the layout of the rooms, materials to be used such as studs, insulation, flooring and sheetrock, and the electrical plan (outlets, ceiling lighting fixtures, location of switches), etc. If the attic is currently unfinished you will need to document the sizes and supports of the existing floor joists, to show that the existing construction is suitable for a living space.

[JoeDunn]

The chances of you getting an approval is slim... in most cases an attic build out is difficult at best. You need to check with your twp building dept to see what is possible. Once you start talking about additional framing, insulation, ventilation, electrical, etc, etc... it's going to get hairy. I'm not even sure if you can request a variance... in my TWP... it would never get approved unless you were building up and adding another level. Then you talking major changes esp if you have a sepic system.

Best advice... go and discuss it in general terms before submitting a formal design plan.

[ScottGem]

What did you submit along with the request for a permit? Sounds to me like you didn't do it properly. Have you engaged a contractor? When I added a dormer to my house, I engaged a contractor first who submitted the plans and got the permits. They know the proper way to file for a permit. If you want to do the work yourself, you may need to hire an architect to prepare the permit.

[JoeDunn]

Was a permit pulled for existing "little room"?

I bet not... and that might also enter into his problem. Maybe he thinking about selling and he's discovered that the code... ees will find it or a smart buyer/agent did a background on the house and found out that no permit was ever pulled for the attic's "little room"!

Six months ago, did a job for a local homeowner... upgrading his service to 200Amp.

PSE&G replaced the ouside service drop & meter sock - no permit needed.
My job was to remove the old main panel and adjacent subpanel for his downstairs office, bathroom and workshop - permits were pulled.

Everything went smooth until the inspector arrived and saw the "finished basement"... the HO was shocked started yelling at me for pulling the permit and at the inspector... following day the inspector returned and slapped a code violation notice to stop all work and gut the basement. Because the idiot had kids in the house... the inspector allowed be to complete the 200A upgrade as long as I removed all of the Romex branch ckts that were in the illegal subpanel.

Bottom line... we've seen it all, heard every excuse... might be happening with this guy too!!

[creahands]

Have an architect draw up plans and specs for the area that you want done. They will do it right.

You may still be turned down, but the reason will be more to the point.

In my area health dept also has to approve. This because we area on septic systems and need that checked out also.

Chuck

[Fr_Chuck]

The "specs" have to be detailed, often, including the exact material to be used, often unless you hire a professional to do them, it will not be done. Also, attics can require special considerations and even materials