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Can the home owner go with the Architect/Expeditor to the Dept. of Buildings meetings to get the drawings approved ?

fv7hj83mMa | Posted in General Questions on

Need the architect drawings approved by the dept. of buildings to get permits to work on adding a new floor to a house. Doing a job in Queens NY.
This is my first contracting job where we had to get an architect involved. Not sure about how to answer the home owner. I would think the owner can sit in on the meeting and listen.
Does anyone know how long each meeting with the DOB inspector usually is alotted for ? Like are they set up for half hour each and you get what ever you can get crossed off in that time? This house has 16 objections and it seems that at each meeting they are only checking or crossing off 2 items at a time. Does that mean it will take 8 meetings to get approved drawings? Is this normal? What is the average amount of meetings an architect goes to with the DOB before getting approved drawings?
I got contracted the job back in the beggining of August when the drawings were submitted to the DOB. Can’t start yet. How long does it take to reschedule a new appointment with DOB ?
I’m just trying to understand this architect /expeditor stuff.

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Replies

  1. user-659915 | | #1

    Glad I don't work in New Jersey. Hereabouts, despite that we work in some of the fussier jurisdictions in North Carolina, it generally takes about a week to get a permit. That is, if you have all your ducks in a row of course.

  2. homedesign | | #2

    It will probably two trips of about 2.75 hours each trip.
    The homeowner should provide unmarked bills in a plain envelope.

  3. Riversong | | #3

    Ask the DOB.

  4. Armando Cobo | | #4

    Maria,
    It all depends on your job AND municipality’s Building Department. Some BDs have one stop shop and they’ll give you a permit in one hour or two. Other BDs take from one to several weeks since they review each section of building codes separately, like zoning, building design, electrical, plumbing mechanical, fire, planning review boards, etc. You may also have to deal with neighborhood boards, HOAs, historical reviews. I would expect your Architect should give you an accurate estimate of time, costs and effort.

  5. Roy Harmon | | #5

    Maria,
    By phone, ask for the name of the person in charge of your DOB. Get the Email address and send that person a question that is worded similar to your post here. Copy the owner/client and archetect with this mail, and ask for a timely responce.
    Good Luck

  6. davidmeiland | | #6

    I don't know if this will help or not, but I have a clsoe contact who owns a home in Brooklyn. They did work requiring a permit and hired a permit expeditor to handle the permit process. Is the architect on this job familiar with the permitting process in Queens, and do they have an expeditor they use? They probably do, and my guess is that you would be well off to hand the process over to that person.

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