Permits and utilities
One job, not five offices
A second dwelling touches the city's planning and building review, the water system, the sewer or a wastewater system, and the electric service. We run them as one job so that nothing waits on a form nobody sent.
What we don't do: we don't promise a permit date, and we don't file anything in your name without your signature.
What we handle for you
A lot check against zoning, access and utilities
Site and floor plans drawn to your lot
Plans filed with the Department of Planning and Permitting and answers to each round of comments
Water, wastewater and electric applications started early and tracked
Inspections scheduled in the order the work needs them
What changes the cost
What the paperwork's price follows
Permit work is a service in the estimate, not a surprise at the end.
Drawings
A simple unit needs fewer sheets than one with a stair, a structural change or a special lot.
Engineering
Wind, soil and structure may need an engineer's stamp.
Review rounds
Each round of comments takes time. A clean set of plans takes fewer.
Fees
The city and the utilities charge their own fees. The estimate lists them as pass-throughs.
Special lots
Shoreline, flood and historic areas add reviews of their own.
Your own time
Some forms need the owner's signature. We say which, and when.
We print no figures here. The written estimate lists each of these for your lot.
How it goes
Who does what on the permit path
The owner signs, we prepare and track.
- 01Owner
Step 1: You
Sign the applications and the owner's statements, and send us any papers about the lot you already have.
- 02Hashimoto Ohana Builders
Step 2: Aiko and Lito
Aiko is the licensed contractor on the permit. Lito, the permit coordinator, files and tracks each application.
- 03Agencies
Step 3: The city and the utilities
Review the plans, comment, approve and inspect. We can ask for speed. We can't buy it.
- 04Specialists
Step 4: The engineer and the designer
Stamp the structure and draw the plans. We pick them with you.
Sample content.
Permits and rules
The offices a new unit meets
Names change and so do the rules, so the owner confirms each.
Planning and building review
The Department of Planning and Permitting reviews zoning, plans and inspections.
Water
The Board of Water Supply decides whether the new unit needs its own meter or lateral.
Sewer or wastewater
The city sewer, or the Department of Health for a septic or other individual wastewater system.
Questions
Questions about permits
Do I need an architect?
Not always. For a simple unit, a licensed designer or engineer may be enough. We tell you which at the lot visit.
Can you promise a permit date?
No. Nobody can. We give a range from experience, tell you where the queue is when we file, and update you at every round.
What if the city asks for changes?
We answer and resubmit. If a change alters the price, we write it up before we spend anything.
Do I sign the permit?
The owner signs the owner's parts. Our licensed contractor signs the contractor's parts. We explain each before you sign.
Start with the lot check
The lot check is the first step on the permit path. Send us the parcel and we'll tell you what to ask the city.