A friend who owns a construction company (renovation & additions primarily)
just told me that he compared the prices of his jobs with permits to jobs without
permits. Getting permits meant a 20% to 25% higher total job price.
Much of this was due to labor inefficiency...
- Breaking a project into many separate jobs with waiting periods between inspections.
- Waiting for inspectors, conducting inspections, & resolving issues with building departments.
For example, if he put in a water heater, there are 3 separate inspectors
to meet with on 3 separate occasions (return trips to the job)....
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Mechanical
Each is very simple, & could be done by a single inspector, but the
contractor has no say in the process.
On occasion, some county departments will let complex projects be signed off on by a
licensed architect. This saves a fortune for the customer (who ultimately pays all costs).
There's much room for improvement, but little incentive for change.
just told me that he compared the prices of his jobs with permits to jobs without
permits. Getting permits meant a 20% to 25% higher total job price.
Much of this was due to labor inefficiency...
- Breaking a project into many separate jobs with waiting periods between inspections.
- Waiting for inspectors, conducting inspections, & resolving issues with building departments.
For example, if he put in a water heater, there are 3 separate inspectors
to meet with on 3 separate occasions (return trips to the job)....
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Mechanical
Each is very simple, & could be done by a single inspector, but the
contractor has no say in the process.
On occasion, some county departments will let complex projects be signed off on by a
licensed architect. This saves a fortune for the customer (who ultimately pays all costs).
There's much room for improvement, but little incentive for change.