We have been asked several times to take over jobs started by homeowners or unlicensed contractors.  Most of the times, these jobs were started without plans, permits, engineering or any of the other prerequisites for a legal construction project.  After a town building inspector has been notified of an illegal project, they will issue a "stop work" order, bringing the New Home, Remodeling, or Renovation project to a halt.  The time and money a homeowner might save by skirting the permit process is far outweighed by the headache, embarrassment, and costs associated with correcting un-permitted work.  In general, the homeowner has to start from scratch, and usually ends up removing any of the work that was done so the critical items can be properly inspected.

   So if you are thinking of performing your own work, and not hiring a contractor, or even worse, if you are thinking of hiring an unlicensed contractor to do your work without a permit you are setting yourself up for failure.

Don't make this mistake, because you will regret it in the long run.  Sometimes people are unable to sell their homes because of poor workmanship, or discovery of un-permitted work. 

If you are thinking of a New Home, Renovation, or Remodeling Project on Cape Cod, click below to download our guide to hiring a contractor! Here is an article from MSN.com that talks about the risks: Work Without Permits

   Permitting can be a tricky and complicated process, full of numerous regulatory hurdles.  It becomes especially complicated if you hire someone to do Remodeling or Renovation work and they are unlicensed, or fail to properly document the permit with the local building department.  Given the fact that the building, energy, and mechanical codes have changed several times over the last 5 years, we cannot stress the importance of having your project properly permitted.  There are still many contractors on Cape Cod who will bid on a project, and then ask the homeowner to obtain their own permit. This is a huge red flag and indicates one of the following problems:

- The contractor is not licensed do do the work

- The contractor does not have workman's compensation insurance

-The contractor has lost his license for violations reported to the state

In Massachusetts, the law is very clear about doing any work in a home, and basically, unless you are re-painting, you need to obtain a permit for most work.  So if you would like your next  Remodeling, Renovation, or New Home project to be done right, and you don't want to worry about permits, hire a licensed, reputable contractor, and please check their references.

Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal about permitting mistakes: Avoiding Pitfalls of Remodeling Permits.  We have also put together a guide for hiring a general contractor that provides a checklist of things you should be looking for when you hire a contractor, click below to download: