I don't really understand how the gods manage to do these things, but shortly after writing about carports the other day, my local newspaper ran a report on the troubles some folks in town are having with the city Code Compliance Department about their carports and garage conversions.
Many of the changes done to these homes do not comply with the current building code. A total of 76 residents of a neighborhood not far from my house have received letters from the city telling them they are in violation of the building code. This action was evidently initiated by some less-than-neighborly person or persons who made anonymous calls to the building department. The homeowners have been given just a few weeks to comply or face criminal charges and fines of up to $2,000 a day.
The problem is that many of these carports and garage conversions were done years or even decades ago. In some cases, they were done by previous owners of the houses. One local firefighter was notified that the city did not have a valid building permit for a garage conversion that was done sometime prior to 1968!
Now, it's always important to check with your building department before undertaking major projects such as building a garage or adding new living space. But the idea of threatening homeowners over alleged violations that they had absolutely nothing to do with is shameful.
So, let me repeat, if you are planning to undertake such a project yourself, find out if you need a building permit before you start any work.
Photo © Hot Meteor @ flickr/Creative Commons
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