Architect & Permits for Miami - Palmetto Bay House Flip w/ Garage Conversion?

[Nicholas Vaccaro]

Hi all - I am currently working on a single family house flip in the Palmetto Bay area of Miami. Almost all of the house is done except for the conversion of the garage into a master bed and bath. Architects are charging roughly $10k for drawings, submission to city, etc. but all we really want to do is close up the garage wall. My questions below:

- If we do not use permits, when a buyer comes to purchase the home are there any foreseeable problems?

- Are there any architects you would recommend that would be cheaper than our current option?

- Realistically, if we just do the entire inside of the house and leave the garage door for last, would it cost less now that the city would literally just have to approve us closing a wall rather than changing any of the plumbing and electricity inside the house (as it would be implied that the work inside the house was done prior to us purchasing it)?

- Can we do the entire inside of the house without permits and lightly hit the garage door with our car which then would mean we would need to close the wall of the garage or otherwise risk flooding inside the home from rain?

Thanks all!!! Trying to get creative here, if there are real risks in terms of legalities with the buyers I understand being weary on this, however if its just a "be careful, you don't want a stop work order and a fine" we are truly okay with the risks of no permits.

[Branden Rivero]

if the property is inside the city limits of Palmetto Bay I would pull permits for the major things (roof, windows, garage) . Palmetto Bay is very strict and has city inspectors roaming the streets all the time. If its in unincorporated Miami Dade I would take my chances