A: Guy, listen to me very carefully. Stop right now until you consult with your local building inspector.

Contractors are not the only ones that need to pull building permits; handy homeowners need to pull permits for the job as well.

This brings up another question that comes up quite often: When should a homeowner pull a permit? I once asked a local inspector that question and his response was that anything other than painting and/or wallpapering required a permit in his area. So, it's safe to say that installing a new bathroom in your basement should require a permit.

You must realize that permits and inspectors help the homeowner. And as far as resale goes, if you have all the paperwork and permits for any additions you installed, this can actually bring in a higher price for your home! A home inspector will then know that everything added on was done to local building codes. So, don't just pull the permits, keep them on file.

Anyway, getting back to your bathroom, if you proceed without meeting with your building inspector you may create a potential disaster at you home. With all existing utilities you need to worry about ventilation, clearances, electrical panel regulations and future access to service the equipment, just to name a few. A floor plan will be needed to bring to the inspector with a layout of the proposed bathroom and location of all the utilities. The inspector can then tell you the codes and regulations you need to follow.

I must warn you that there may be a chance your building permit can be denied. In that case consider yourself lucky you didn't try to "sneak in" a bathroom without a permit. It's better to be safe than sorry!