We are doing a lot of work on a 6 unit building in Allentown, PA. As of today, we realized that since we opened up walls to do the electric and plumbing work, we need to get a building permit. Because it's a commercial building, we need plans, drawings and how the work is being performed. The inspector suggests that we have a third party review the plans before we submit them. Do you have any recommendations on:

1) an architect or professional who can create the plans, drawings and description; and

2) the third party who reviews the above?

At this point, should we hire a GC to handle it? It’s putting a lot of stress on us since the scope has significantly exceeded what we planned and the handyman we normally use for the rehab work did not seem familiar with the process.

Thanks very much in advance!

Sounds like you should hire a GC. Depending on the exact quote they may do the plans in house. They will pull the permit

@Stephen Kunen

Being it’s a commercial building find a local GC that has a history in your area. They are more likely to be familiar with codes. This might cost a little more but is well worth the investment as they can do things with the city much faster than you as an owner can since they speak with the city more often for permits.

We went through this a few years ago while renovating a commercial building.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to at the time.  I named myself as the GC on the project, apparently you can do that on a property you own in Allentown.  We found a local architect to draw up plans, and third party review wasn't optional, it was required.  We submitted the plans to the city and they sent them to their third party review company.  If I were to do it again I think Id hire a GC who was experienced in doing all of this and used to working in Allentown.  It was definitely not the easiest process to navigate but we did it and certainly learned a lot about the city permit and inspection process along the way.  

Originally posted by @Stephen Kunen :

We are doing a lot of work on a 6 unit building in Allentown, PA. As of today, we realized that since we opened up walls to do the electric and plumbing work, we need to get a building permit. Because it's a commercial building, we need plans, drawings and how the work is being performed. The inspector suggests that we have a third party review the plans before we submit them. Do you have any recommendations on:

1) an architect or professional who can create the plans, drawings and description; and

2) the third party who reviews the above?

At this point, should we hire a GC to handle it? It’s putting a lot of stress on us since the scope has significantly exceeded what we planned and the handyman we normally use for the rehab work did not seem familiar with the process.

Thanks very much in advance!

You definitely want to get a turn key design build commercial GC to do this. They will handle everything for you. Make sure to get a couple of bids from GCs that do this type of project, have the correct license and insurance. Check references, current and recently completed projects as well. It will save you tons in the long run.

Are you moving walls or just have them opened up to do other work (plumbing, electric) ?  

@Phil Chadbourn we just opened them to redo plumbing and electric. No movement of walls load bearing or otherwise. Some spots do need to be reinforced with additional beams but that’s it.

I’m not in Allentown (yet at least) but as far as I know you shouldn’t need all the architect, GC stuff then.

Note to (your) self: Always close up the walls before inspectors come in

@Stephen Kunen this is definitely something that I would recommend you get a proper contractor for. My teams contractor handles all permits and inspections for us, and the peace of mind and good relationship with the city have been well worth the additional cost of using a professional. Yes, you can save a bit of money by doing it yourself, but this can easily open up a great deal of liability. I had one client that ended up coming to me after losing $70k on a flip deal. They had permitting issues that caused them to have to tear open the walls and re-do much of the work.

Originally posted by @Phil Chadbourn:

I’m not in Allentown (yet at least) but as far as I know you shouldn’t need all the architect, GC stuff then.

Note to (your) self: Always close up the walls before inspectors come in

@Stephen Kunen , everything about this statement is WRONG. You will need building permits. You will need a professional seal on your plans (be that an architect or an engineer). More than likely, you will need to hire a GC. The reason you will need an architect or an engineer is that this is a COMMERCIAL building. There is no jurisdiction that I know of that will allow you (as the owner) to submit unstamped plans and they wont take plans from a GC either. The same reasoning is behind why you will more than likely need a GC...doing DIY work on a commercial building is a HUGE red flag. If the city finds out you are doing a reno on of this scale on a commercial building without a permit, without stamped plans & doing the work yourself (especially electrical) the will drop a massive hammer full of fines and time delays that will cost you a lot of money. So go get an architect or engineer to do some simple plans and hire a GC. You can't imagine the hell the city will throw at you...I've seen it first hand. There is nothing pretty about dealing with a pissed off city planning department and building inspector. 

Oh and on the note of inspectors....dont follow this guys advice and cover up the walls before the inspector arrives....if you are only doing plumbing and electrical, which is inside walls, they are going to want to see it. They WILL make you rip off all the drywall and at your expense. This is some of the stupidest advice I've ever heard. If you are are going to go this route dont even bother doing anything else by the book and pray you dont get caught. 

@Nik Moushon thank you.

@Nik Moushon

Damn dog you’re really on your high horse there...

I didn’t mean diy everything and skip all permits etc.  I don’t think it’s necessary to have an architect involved if you’re just removing drywall and putting back up...there’s no structural change there, but possibly it is required. If there’s electric and plumbing involved then yes you should pull the permits. If you’re just patching a hole, I’m not pulling a permit

Originally posted by @Phil Chadbourn :

@Nik Moushon

Damn dog you’re really on your high horse there...

I didn’t mean diy everything and skip all permits etc.  I don’t think it’s necessary to have an architect involved if you’re just removing drywall and putting back up...there’s no structural change there, but possibly it is required. If there’s electric and plumbing involved then yes you should pull the permits. If you’re just patching a hole, I’m not pulling a permit

 Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the laws and codes of commercial buildings before you suggest things that are flat our wrong and could get someone in some seriously hot water. I'm not on any high horse. This is simple facts that I'm stating and calling out the blatant wrong information that you've suggested here. 

Its very clear from the first post that the OP is not simply patching a hole. If thats all he was doing, then yes, no architect/engineer would need to be involved and maybe not even a permit. But thats not the case. He is also dealing in the realm of commercial buildings not residential. Commercial building are a whole different ball game when it comes to permits and what professionals are needed to get involved. Commercial buildings REQUIRE a professional seal for pulling permits. Just because he's not moving walls doesnt mean its not required. Now a professional seal could come from a licensed electrician and/or plumber, if thats the only things that are getting updated/changed. The removal of drywall to get to these trade wont require an architect or engineer. But at bare minimum a licensed trade professional will be required. Now a GC could have on on staff so he wont have to hire two people either. Or at least the GC could do it. 

As an architect I've seen first hand people who approach commercial buildings as they would residential and it always ends up badly. There's nothing wrong with people doing work themselves, even plumbing and electrical, but for commercial buildings you either need to know an electrician that will put his signature on your work or just hire it out. Electrical in one of the trades that inspectors really focus on in commercial buildings, especially multifamily commercial, as its a huge life safety issue.