A. As Christopher Columbus did, you too, should keep going. Imagine if Columbus had quit just before seeing land. The capital of Ohio might be Toledo. We'd have no Columbus Day weekend, and every year the parade would be scheduled, then canceled, to symbolize that Columbus was a quitter.
The best reasons for not stopping your permit from going through right now are the changes headed our way. For 25 years I saw few major changes in codes and regulations. But in the middle to late 1990s, various code organizations began a process that included rewriting the safety regulations, consolidating regional code regulatory committees into a national board and frequently revising the codes. Since 2003, the International Building Codes, adopted by 39 states, have changed and been reprinted three times, with more changes to come. Each time changes have been adopted, we professionals have had to get the new volumes of the code, take seminars to learn how the changes will affect the public, and try to figure out how best to work with the code changes relative to existing buildings or ongoing planning or construction.
The latest items to be implemented are the new Energy Star regulations requiring increased indoor air quality, insulation, natural day-lighting, higher-efficiency heating and cooling, and tedious building testing. This alone adds between $3,500 and $7,500 to the cost of improving the average home. In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is adopting new flood elevations, meaning more properties will now be included in flood hazard areas, with more restrictions and insurance requirements. So if your home's improvement permit has already been applied for, you're better off squeaking in before the new regulations take effect in early September.
Then, with approval in hand, discuss the financial issues that are hindering your progress with building officials and elected officials, who should be sympathetic, since this problem is national, not local or personal. Hopefully they will address it with the fairness you deserve in these trying times. Your project helps improve the economy, so hang in there. The important thing is to communicate, and not avoid the issues. Most municipalities want to be notified within 30 to 60 days that you have begun the work, so check with them right away and find out about what you can do to avoid penalties or problems that translate into expenses. We'll all get through this, though I doubt there'll be a parade, even in Toledo. Good luck!
