Building permits, though required for nearly every new building, remodel or existing building project, can be an extremely complex and time-consuming process. The building permit process extends beyond major building or remodel projects as well; the appropriate permits are also needed for most major structural, electrical or plumbing changes made to a building, regardless if it’s commercial or residential.
However, you’d be surprised how many business owners, property managers and investors think their new building projects or renovations are too small, and don’t warrant the proper permits. But, they’d be wrong; the absence of the proper building permits attained at the appropriate time during a project’s timeline can lead to major roadblocks, and sometimes, almost derail a project altogether, that is, if unpermitted work comes to the attention of a city’s Code Enforcement Officer.
There’s also the chance that the work completed was not done to code, meaning not only does the permit process need to be completed, but the work will need to be redone to make it compliant with the current code. In sum, you are better off researching the needed building permits early, and proceeding with the building permit process, than taking the risk of multiple headaches and greater costs later on. This of course amounts to more time spent doing due diligence and coordinating the appropriate building permits, but keep in mind this is absolutely required to minimize surprises and keep a project on time.
This is where G.C. Garcia, Inc. comes into picture. To keep the process as efficient and painless as possible, we work with a project’s engineer(s), architect(s) and general contractor(s) to make plans for and process the building permit. If a project doesn’t have one of the three, we can assist in getting estimates and contracts as needed. Additionally, the team at G.C. Garcia reviews the plans for permitting to catch any missing items before they are given to the local jurisdiction for review; the fewer items that are missing or incorrect, the faster the building permit can be received. Each correction requires a new submittal of the corrected plans, which then also needs to be reviewed. This ultimately prolongs the building permit-plan review process.
Once everything is submitted for jurisdictional review, we also monitor the responsiveness from the local jurisdiction in reviewing the plans. In addition, we monitor the responses from the project team to ensure they are responding in a timely manner and addressing all comments received.
When needed, our team works with the local jurisdiction’s staff, including Code Enforcement, to create solutions for any issue that may arise before or during the building permit process. Though these items can be accomplished rather simply, they are very often overlooked, and not completed in the proper time frame. G.C. Garcia not only leads every step of the process, but we like to do in the most expedited and professional way possible.
Building Permit Expediting
Very often, we deal with projects that have extremely tight timelines, and hope is lost when some land developers believe they can’t get the proper permits granted for the project to be completed on time. However, G.C. Garcia has become very experienced with these situations, and we often assist clients in attaining expedited building permits from local and state municipalities for time-crunched projects.
Expediting, though roughly four times the cost of a standard building permit review, is very often justified, given that some timelines don’t allow for much wiggle room. However, it is also important to keep in mind that expedited building permits can be requested, but are not always guaranteed. This is based on the current workload of jurisdictions, as well as the amount of staff available for an expedited review.
G.C. Garcia’s role in expedited permitting is similar to the role we play in the process of standard permitting. But in this situation, as we work with local jurisdictions in the submittal and reviewal processes, we make sure they do their part in the timeline required to ensure no time or money is wasted.
Whether you’re gearing up to start the building permit process for a project, or you’ve just recently received a code violation notice for unpermitted work, the G.C. Garcia team is prepared to work tirelessly to afford you and your development the proper resources to complete a project on time, and headache-free. To further inquire about our services, feel free to contact us at 702-435-9909, or info@gcgarciainc.com.
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