Indy Total Construction

A building permit will probably be required if you plan to do the following:

1. Alter or change the external appearance of your house. For example if you: add a porch; add a screen in a porch; add or remove a window or door, or if you build a fence or wall.

2. Do any electrical work.

3. Do any plumbing work.

4. Add or remove any structural element.

5. Build an addition to your house.

6. Erect a separate building on your property.

Applying for a building permit

To obtain a building permit, a set of plans showing your proposed alterations must be submitted to the local Building Department where they will be checked for compliance with the National and local Building Code. If the plans are up to code a permit will be issued, usually for a small fee.

The permit will be valid for one year after which time a new application must be made if the work has not started. The permit must be displayed prominently at various stages of the construction work you may be required to call in the local building inspector to check the work for compliance, for instance, before and after any footings have been made.

This checking procedure ensures that the work is indeed being carried out according to the approved plans and that the method of construction and the quality of the materials is up to the standard set out in the Building Code. Although this procedure may not be necessary on your particular job, however, the Building Inspector may call by at any time to check on the progress of the work.

Always be sure to complete the job according to the approved plans. If you are in any doubt, call the building inspector and ask his advice, never try to guess. This could be a waste of your time and money as any work not covered by the approved plans or not up to the standards of the code may be condemned at any stage of the building.

If your plans are rejected by the building department for non-compliance you will receive a notification of the reasons given. In some cases this may be simply dealt with by getting your building contractor to amend the plans making sure all the changes are incorporated before re-submitting them.

In other cases the layout of your property may make it impossible to comply with the requirements of the code. In this case you may seek an exception to the law by filing an application with the Zoning Board of Review. When filing for an exemption, evidence supporting your position must be presented with your application, together with a block plan showing all lots within a specified distance including all buildings and marked with owners’ names and addresses.

A plan of your lot showing the existing structures, and plans and elevations of the proposed work must also be submitted. A decision will be made after a public meeting of the Board during which any member of the public may speak for or against the project.

In this age of electricity, modern homes have more and more electricity built into them. In home maintenance and repair, knowledge about electricity is a must. It is important to know which electrical jobs you can handle and when to call an electrician.

People who work with electricity are called electricians. As specialists, they put wires in houses, install fuse boxes or panels, repair large electrical appliances, work on doorbells, and generally handle all common electrical equipment problems.

The most common house current is ’110 volt, 60 hertz per second alternating current (called AC). AC is a type of electricity that “alternates.” This means that it changes its direction of flow as it passes through a wire. Sixty hertz AC is electricity that changes its direction of flow 60 times each second.

Another current, 220 volt AC is also available for use in most homes. It is very dangerous to work with, and a qualified electrician should be called in if you suspect trouble in a 220 volt circuit.

Electricity may be dangerous, but it is not difficult to work with if you follow certain basic rules. The following units include the basic safety rules for working with electricity and explain simple electrical repairs you can make around the house.

When speaking of electricity, the word hot means charged with electricity. Hot also means dangerous. To avoid danger when working with electricity, follow these rules:

• Assume that all electrical wires and parts are hot

• Always check to make sure that the electricity is turned off before starting or continuing any electrical work

• Never turn on the electricity for someone else unless asked to do so

• Always check for electricity with a circuit tester

• Never work with wires or electrical equipment in wet or damp places Electricity is invisible. You can’t tell

if a wire is hot by looking at it. Things that electricity can run through are called conductors. Things that electricity cannot run through are called insulators. Electricity runs well through most metals and through water. So wires and electrical parts are made of metal. Because the human body is mostly water, it also makes a good conductor of electricity. Always be careful around electricity!

When you are working with appliances, you can turn off the electricity by pulling the plug. Most shop work is done this way. But when you are working on wiring in a house you must turn off the electricity in a different way.

All house wiring runs to a fuse box or breaker box. A fuse or breaker in this box completes each circuit. Too much electricity flowing through a wire could make it hot enough to melt and cause a fire. To prevent this, the fuse will melt or the circuit breaker will open automatically when the wires get too hot. This opens the circuit and stops the flow of electricity. The electricity can also be stopped by removing the fuse or opening the circuit breaker by hand.

The circuit breaker box and the fuse box have a main switch. This switch turns on or off all the electricity in the house. When electricians are working they will padlock the main switch in the off position and tag it.

A careful electrician tests bare wires with a circuit tester. A circuit tester is made of two wire probes and a small bulb which glows if electricity is flowing through the wire being checked.

Fuses are designed to melt and break the circuit when the flow of electricity becomes too great. Removing the fuse will also break the circuit.

The main switch on a fuse or circuit breaker box controls all the electricity in the house.

Blown fuses must be replaced. Blown circuit breakers, however, may be reset by hand.

On fuse boxes the switch may be locked open to insure that the electricity remains off. On circuit breaker boxes, the main switch is thrown and the cover is then locked.

Most circuit testers are made of two wires or probes and a neon bulb. The two probes are touched to the wires. If the bulb glows, the wires are hot (electricity is flowing). Circuit testers have different voltage ratings so be sure you are using the correct type.