1. looking at purchasing a small ‘fixer-upper in neighborhood that we otherwise could not afford. While considering the advantage / disadvantages of DIY versus paying someone else to do the work, I have some questions concerning how long the job can drag on before some organization (city, county, other?) will begin to take notice. So regarding time restrictions: three possible situations:
o existing home – total renovation, while occupying
o existing home – total renovation, down to ‘sticks’
o existing home – tear down, or raw land, build new
in any / all of these cases, the DIY homeowner / builder would prefer no time constraints; the work will get done based on available cash flow, how busy I am at my real job, and many potential impacts that no one can predict. Neighbors, on the other hand, would like the entire project to start on Friday afternoon and be completed by Monday morning.
a. Question – what time restrictions (if any) are placed on homeowners who are undertaking major renovations? Can these restrictions be ‘finessed’ by not permitting the entire project at once? (request permission for new roof, then new windows, then heating system, then electrical, plumbing, finishes, new additions, etc - the renovation then becomes a dozen small projects)
b. Are DIY homeowners subject to the same restrictions as licensed contractors when it comes to ‘timely completion’ requirements? (are there such a thing as timely completion requirements, or can DIY homeowners and licensed contractors take as much time as it takes?)
c. FYI - in general, I am not talking about walking away from the job for six months at a time. More like me working alone on weekends. It would never look like an abandoned project.
o existing home – total renovation, while occupying
o existing home – total renovation, down to ‘sticks’
o existing home – tear down, or raw land, build new
in any / all of these cases, the DIY homeowner / builder would prefer no time constraints; the work will get done based on available cash flow, how busy I am at my real job, and many potential impacts that no one can predict. Neighbors, on the other hand, would like the entire project to start on Friday afternoon and be completed by Monday morning.
a. Question – what time restrictions (if any) are placed on homeowners who are undertaking major renovations? Can these restrictions be ‘finessed’ by not permitting the entire project at once? (request permission for new roof, then new windows, then heating system, then electrical, plumbing, finishes, new additions, etc - the renovation then becomes a dozen small projects)
b. Are DIY homeowners subject to the same restrictions as licensed contractors when it comes to ‘timely completion’ requirements? (are there such a thing as timely completion requirements, or can DIY homeowners and licensed contractors take as much time as it takes?)
c. FYI - in general, I am not talking about walking away from the job for six months at a time. More like me working alone on weekends. It would never look like an abandoned project.
