Can someone answer the following.

I have an existing bonus room above our garage that was not completly finished when we bought our house. The builder was trying to unload the house so we opted to let them leave the bonus room as-is and save money on the house price. The room was framed out, completly wired, and the HVAC ducts capped off but not ran and vents not installed in the walls. So here is my questions.

Do we need permits for the following.....

1. Put in the insulation (some insulation was already put on the walls)
2. Sheetrock the walls
3. Run duct work and install vents. (duct work already there, just capped off)

Last, Can I do the work myself, as a homeowner. I know how to do all the above.

Thanks

Has the wiring been inspected?

If so, I don't think you need a building permit.

If you were able to close on the house, get the occupancy permit, etc, it stands to reason that all the relevant inspections were already passed...surely not a guarantee, but a decent inference. If you started moving walls, that would be a different story, but if you're just sheetrocking walls, I think you're OK.

If you wanted to make absolutely sure, you could go to the city and get a copy of the permitted original plans, and if the bonus room was already there, with wiring and such, seems to me that would be a good indication that you'd be good to go.

The house was new when we bought it. So I assume that all wiring and everything was inspected prior to them finishing the house as a whole. We have not ran any new wires.

If you are doing the work yourself then I would not look into getting a permit. No reason really, just more money and headaches to deal with. And if you have contractors work on it, Id find out up front with them if theyll do it without a permit.

Is the bonus room accounted for on the county assessor?

It is not. The room was considered unfinished when we bought the house. So it was unlivable. So no it is not included with the assessor sqft.

It is not. The room was considered unfinished when we bought the house. So it was unlivable. So no it is not included with the assessor sqft.

Then you'll need to contact the city anyway to figure out the process for getting that added to the assessment, and I imagine you'll fine your answer to whether or not you need building permits at the same time.

Then you'll need to contact the city anyway to figure out the process for getting that added to the assessment, and I imagine you'll fine your answer to whether or not you need building permits at the same time.

Why would one need to strive to get square footage added to the Assessment?

We are selling the house.

Why would one need to strive to get square footage added to the Assessment?

One reason would be for resale; the full square footage would not show on the MLS and would have to be described as "non-permitted".

One reason would be for resale; the full square footage would not show on the MLS and would have to be described as "non-permitted".

If you are selling, it would make sense to add the square footage, if not, I wouldn't add it unless you want your property taxes to go up more than the max of 5(?)% per year. There are often fairly large disparities in what the County Assessor shows as the square footage and what an appraiser will show in an appraisal, particularly in historic neighborhoods where old, inaccurate SF measurements have been passed down along with the house. There was an interesting case in Oklahoma a few years back:

Realty Times - Realtor Sued For Misrepresentation When Assessor's Record are Incorrect (http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20091103_realtorsued.htm)

If you are doing the work yourself then I would not look into getting a permit. No reason really, just more money and headaches to deal with. And if you have contractors work on it, Id find out up front with them if theyll do it without a permit.
There was an area just north of us in Austin where the city was coming after people who had converted garages into living space without permits. Many of the people bought the houses with the renovations made many years prior and the city was going after them mainly for permit fees. If it needs a permit, pull one, it will make reselling it much easier.