The Plan: Basement Renovation

We are endeavoring on a major renovation project that is beyond our capabilities, so we have found a contractor to help us renovate our unfinished basement. The plan is to clean out the basement (currently our catch all storage area) so we can add a full bathroom, a few closets, and a new living room. In an attempt to save money on this project we are planning on acting as the project manager and have decided to handle the designs and permit process ourselves. Wish us luck.

We haven’t signed a contract yet with the contractor, we’re waiting for the permits to be finalized so we can them included in the SOW. The hope is next week I can go back into the permit office and pay some exorbitant fees and walk away with a beautiful permit, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.




I took the first stab at the drawings, but I have to say there isn’t much information on the interwebs that explains DC’s permit requirements. So, I found some architectural books online and did my best. I knew I needed 4 drawings: exiting structure, proposed, plumbing/mechanical and electrical. What I didn’t know is I needed a water suply riser diagram and a sanitary riser diagram. In the end, I wasn’t too far off. I just came back from the permit office with minimal feedback on the drawing I had and some weak instructions on the plumbing ones I needed. By the way, the permit office isn’t as bad as I expected it to be. I had heard so many horror stories and had a hard time finding anyone I knew that had actually gotten a permit to do any of their work. I really want to get the permit so I can ensure that all of the changes will be included in the value of the house (when/if we ever sell).

Stay tuned for the permit process and the whole renovation…