Permit or No? East Point Laundry to Bathroom Conversion
Hi all,
Bought a 3/1 + den in East Point that I'm planning to make a 4/2. Just need to add a closet to the fourth room to officially make it a bedroom and will be converting a large laundry room off the kitchen into a 3 piece bathroom. I am hoping to have it tenant ready by early June at the latest.
I've had 4 different contractors come by to look at the project and give estimates, 3 of the 4 said that this is a job that would be best done without permits because we're working with the existing plumbing/house footprint (not adding rooms or anything) so it could count as "repairs." They also note that the EP permitting process is a big pain to be avoided if possible.
One of the contractors initially said that we should probably permit the job just to be safe but then sent me a cost estimate assuming that we'd do the job without permits but added that permitting it would add $500 and 1 month to the timeline. They'd do the work discreetly if we do this without a permit.
My questions:
- If I move forward without permitting, will I run into problems when I sell in 5-10 years as a 4/2?
- What will happen if we get caught beyond a fine?
- Do you think it is worth the risk to move forward without permitting? Since pretty much all 4 contractors suggested that route I'm thinking it might be ok, but wanted to check here first. They all have solid experience in this area
Any input would be much appreciated.