Correcting a garage that was not permitted

[Priscilla Z.]

Hi everyone!  I haven't been here in a while, forgot how good it feels!! :) :) :)

We are buying a house that has a converted garage, however it was converted without a permit because the square footage still reflects as garage on our property appraiser website and when I called the city for all the permits on the property they didn't mention any garage.

We would like to do it correctly, so obviously that means going to the city and getting a permit, and going through inspection, etc etc.  For those of you that have gone through this, what did the inspector make you do?  Tear our the drywall?

I'm trying to work on our numbers over the weekend and the city is closed so I can't call to ask the question....I come to the next best place....actually I think this is better than calling the city anyways :)

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Jon Holdman]

I've been in a similar situation where a borrower did unpermitted work, got caught, and ended up giving us the house deed in lieu.  The inspectors made us remove cabinets, cut holes in drywall, and dig a trench in a finished basement so they could inspect.  Not just the work he had done, but also work that had been done decades earlier, but without permits.