Some (Expert) Assembly Required
Having applied for a building permit today for a house in
Charleston I can attest that the Building and Planning department does not make
the process easy. I will go further to say that a lay-person cannot apply for a
building permit without expert assistance. As a licensed contractor having completed other homes and
soon-to-be architect, many engineers (Structural, Geotechnical, Civil,
Mechanical) sealed drawings as well as licensed electricians, and
plumbers are still required to complete the application process. The process is not
made clear, and I can see how someone not in the industry and used to such a run-around
would get frustrated. Building your own home is a rewarding process and it would be beneficial for architects
to get involved in the political system to influence how local jurisdictions
govern if they wish to encourage self-built communities in the U.S..
The stakes are set for the piles to be driven.
Once the permit is approved construction will begin!
In your experience, was this process the norm, or perhaps more arduous than typical due to the nature of building around Clemson?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful site by the way.
This process was roughly the norm, although Charleston Country requires a bit more engineering due to the hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.
DeleteI agree, it is largely our job as professions or "experts" to navigate our clients through this tedious process. Planning review boards in my experience are rarely architects or even people with architecture backgrounds. They are made up of sometimes historians, lawyers, and sometimes planners.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! So from now, I guess the experience of the whole process from concept to completion will be one of your best experiences, because you are both the architect and the client. You can fully understand your requirement and obtain the sufficient expertise to realize it. This design progress will be 100% participated by the client while the architect can 100% control the project. Perfect!
ReplyDelete