What are the rules on doing a complete renovation yourself in Virginia?
I’m looking to do a complete renovation including redoing the electrical, plumbing, and moving around walls. I want to do all of the work myself with help from a few friends and am trying to figure out if there are any rules regarding what I can and cannot do. Thanks
Tagged as: electrical plumbing · renovation
call your town hall and they will tell you of the permits needed and who can do the work. typically there aree alot of rules, mostly to ensure the work results in a safe place with adequate quality of structural, electrical and plumbing components, but some rules are made to make sure you don’t mkae something that doesn’t fit into your neighborhood or bother your neighbors. If you can get your neighbors to buy in then typically a hearing is held and some deviances from the towns codes such as set back rules are allowed. It is really up to your town and your neighbors not us yahoos.
your best thing to do is first check the county/city website for restrictions my understanding from a few years ago was that interiors didn’t need a permit. Structural changes did, due to safety concerns ( moving walls that are weight bearing without replacing braces) best is to call the inspectors directly and then make note of who spoke to and what said to get the correct information the first time around.
You need to pull permits for any work you do in Virginia. The only exception to this is if you were replacing the same with the same (a light fixture or socket etc…) After you pull the permit you will be required to have each part of the project inspected. Most localities in VA you can talk to an inspector for advice before starting. I know in Henrico and Chesterfiels County the inspectors will work with you.