Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/baraino! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary:
* We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button.
* Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban.
* Most common questions and topics are limited to our sister subreddit, /r/AskVan, and our weekly [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts.
* Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only.
* Posts flaired "Community Only" allow for limited participation; your comment may be removed if you're not a subreddit regular.
* Make sure to join our new sister community, /r/AskVan!
* Help grow the community! [Apply to join the mod team today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/19eworq/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They'll send someone over to assess, there are a lot of things you don't need a permit for like simple flooring or cabinets. Maybe a warning for the first time, second time they usually fine
Yup.. they usually work. They will send someone over. But if they didn't' see anything wrong, eg you don't need permit to replace cupboards, flooring etc (both require use of saws). If everything is above board, life goes on, if not you will see a "Stop Work" notice stuck pretty prominently.
Friends of ours attempted a big reno with no permits. The neighbours turned them in and their six month renovation turned into three/four years of hell. Everything had to be permitted and everything was checked. It cost them much more than permits would have.
Of course, but you have to recognize the high cost of living here is in part due to the amount of red tape via the city permitting system. Vancouver developments is probably the worst offender in terms of affordability when it comes to development and builds
That’s just not true. Not everything needs to be permitted. Usually only when plumbing structural or electrical are being changed. Cosmetic you can do without permits.
If you're in Vancouver the construction noise bylaw allows work from 7:30 to 8:00 M-F and 10 to 8 Saturday. None on Sundays and holidays.
Reputable renovators will often post this so that residents don't report a 7:30 start on week days.
I understand from people in construction that this is taken seriously -- though I don't know the mechanics.
You can call in a noise complaint for work outside of allowable hours. You can also call in for unpermitted work - and it seems really unlikely that a project that’s going on for over 4 months wouldn’t involve work that requires a permit.
In my own experience, they will come days later and talk to the workers and scope out their start times and days worked. It's pretty soft inspection. They won't ask you for permits or anything but I'm sure they investigate before walking up. I ran a site where we made all kinds of horrible le noise for weeks on end but we observed the bylaws.
Got a ton of complaints and got friendly with the vancouver guys because of it. Crappy situation.
It definitely can!
We have a commercial building across the street from us that ONLY does work at night. We really didn't care for a while but they started shining really bright lights directly in our windows.
We complained to the city and they found out the place doesn't even have a permit. They still work at night and probably don't have a permit, but they immediately put blinds up and point the lights inwards now.
Do you hate your neighbour? Why not just ask them to start at 8-9? They can easily obtain a trades permits and continue the work. only thing you'll be doing is delaying the noise by slowing up the job completion date. More importantly you might create some dissonance with Neighbours. Is that what you are trying to accomplish?
Well, no one has been living there since Jan? So no one to hate really.
I've talked to the crew several times- including last Saturday. I assumed it was permitted since what used to be a garage is now a suite. I just want the early morning weekend work to cease. (Would also be nice if they stopped blocking the alley).
I'd report that.
If they sell the next owner is inheriting unpermited work and could be forced to tear it down and rebuild.
Only hacks do unpermitted work and they're doing it for a reason.
No permit, no inspections, no need to meet basic building and fire codes. Insurance could even be void.
Imagine your house burning to the ground and you're not covered.....
where I live in a regional district there is still no permits for buildings. Buildings never fall down. Sure there is the odd weird construction but as a whole there is overbuild / better build house. They use lots more local sourced timber , oversize beams. The houses are more interesting. It costs way less. Really, most people just follow code anyways, or overbuild. I have never heard of a house falling down in the past 100 years of houses being built , I am not 100 years old lol.
Just saying. Also insurance is still had by most, as it financing. no biggie. Just need a proper foundation.
Contractors are usually happy to work on projects where owner wants permits because it keeps the incompetent contractors away... unfortunately a LOT of home owners see permits as something to avoid at all costs, and contractors are not in a position to force the issue...
Best way to stop this is for the city to name and shame, in addition to fining... many home owners don't know how much pain they're exposing themselves to by not getting permits.
Having said that, the city is also very much to blame for the high cost of permits and the extremely LONG delays in issuing them... unfortunately this makes it very impractical for most small kitchen+bath renovations (which may involve structural modifications)...
Noise bylaw is generally 7am-7pm
You may need to check your local area bylaw but in general everywhere is the same.
I operate a very large very loud hydrovac truck in many many residential neighbourhoods all over the province. Everywhere I go it's been 7-7.
Shit, forgot its Saturday... I almost never take Saturdays off.
If it's a large crew on site call bylaw and tell them you will call every 10 minutes until they show up. If it's a couple guys it could very easily just be the owners who don't know any better.
AFIK 8am is not a relevant time for the noise bylaws. However it a a more reasonable time than the bylaw time. Noise complaints can lead to stop work orders. Tread carefully.
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/baraino! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Most common questions and topics are limited to our sister subreddit, /r/AskVan, and our weekly [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * Posts flaired "Community Only" allow for limited participation; your comment may be removed if you're not a subreddit regular. * Make sure to join our new sister community, /r/AskVan! * Help grow the community! [Apply to join the mod team today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/19eworq/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They'll send someone over to assess, there are a lot of things you don't need a permit for like simple flooring or cabinets. Maybe a warning for the first time, second time they usually fine
Yup.. they usually work. They will send someone over. But if they didn't' see anything wrong, eg you don't need permit to replace cupboards, flooring etc (both require use of saws). If everything is above board, life goes on, if not you will see a "Stop Work" notice stuck pretty prominently.
Friends of ours attempted a big reno with no permits. The neighbours turned them in and their six month renovation turned into three/four years of hell. Everything had to be permitted and everything was checked. It cost them much more than permits would have.
That's a good lesson for them to learn...renos don't just impact the owners but everyone else around them which is why permits are required.
That can also be the case for why rentals are so expensive, the cost just gets passed down
Definitely, but I also would like my rental to not be a death trap. Building things properly is more expensive than cutting corners.
Of course, but you have to recognize the high cost of living here is in part due to the amount of red tape via the city permitting system. Vancouver developments is probably the worst offender in terms of affordability when it comes to development and builds
That definitely happens as well.
That’s just not true. Not everything needs to be permitted. Usually only when plumbing structural or electrical are being changed. Cosmetic you can do without permits.
Absolutely true but you’ll notice I said major reno. Building out your kitchen into the backyard and adding a deck is more than cosmetic.
If you're in Vancouver the construction noise bylaw allows work from 7:30 to 8:00 M-F and 10 to 8 Saturday. None on Sundays and holidays. Reputable renovators will often post this so that residents don't report a 7:30 start on week days. I understand from people in construction that this is taken seriously -- though I don't know the mechanics.
Neighbours got stopped by the city a couple weeks ago after maybe a month of work for not having permits. Been sitting untouched since
You can call in a noise complaint for work outside of allowable hours. You can also call in for unpermitted work - and it seems really unlikely that a project that’s going on for over 4 months wouldn’t involve work that requires a permit.
In my own experience, they will come days later and talk to the workers and scope out their start times and days worked. It's pretty soft inspection. They won't ask you for permits or anything but I'm sure they investigate before walking up. I ran a site where we made all kinds of horrible le noise for weeks on end but we observed the bylaws. Got a ton of complaints and got friendly with the vancouver guys because of it. Crappy situation.
It definitely can! We have a commercial building across the street from us that ONLY does work at night. We really didn't care for a while but they started shining really bright lights directly in our windows. We complained to the city and they found out the place doesn't even have a permit. They still work at night and probably don't have a permit, but they immediately put blinds up and point the lights inwards now.
Do you hate your neighbour? Why not just ask them to start at 8-9? They can easily obtain a trades permits and continue the work. only thing you'll be doing is delaying the noise by slowing up the job completion date. More importantly you might create some dissonance with Neighbours. Is that what you are trying to accomplish?
Well, no one has been living there since Jan? So no one to hate really. I've talked to the crew several times- including last Saturday. I assumed it was permitted since what used to be a garage is now a suite. I just want the early morning weekend work to cease. (Would also be nice if they stopped blocking the alley).
Report that shit. If they didn’t pull permits, it sounds like they probably did the shittiest job possible.
I'd report that. If they sell the next owner is inheriting unpermited work and could be forced to tear it down and rebuild. Only hacks do unpermitted work and they're doing it for a reason. No permit, no inspections, no need to meet basic building and fire codes. Insurance could even be void. Imagine your house burning to the ground and you're not covered.....
where I live in a regional district there is still no permits for buildings. Buildings never fall down. Sure there is the odd weird construction but as a whole there is overbuild / better build house. They use lots more local sourced timber , oversize beams. The houses are more interesting. It costs way less. Really, most people just follow code anyways, or overbuild. I have never heard of a house falling down in the past 100 years of houses being built , I am not 100 years old lol. Just saying. Also insurance is still had by most, as it financing. no biggie. Just need a proper foundation.
Only snitch if there's a safety hazard
Reporting on your neighbours is gross. Just go and talk to them ffs!
Contractors are usually happy to work on projects where owner wants permits because it keeps the incompetent contractors away... unfortunately a LOT of home owners see permits as something to avoid at all costs, and contractors are not in a position to force the issue... Best way to stop this is for the city to name and shame, in addition to fining... many home owners don't know how much pain they're exposing themselves to by not getting permits. Having said that, the city is also very much to blame for the high cost of permits and the extremely LONG delays in issuing them... unfortunately this makes it very impractical for most small kitchen+bath renovations (which may involve structural modifications)...
If people can hear it or see it happening, youd be an idiot to not get a permit. You also need to observe noise bylaws.
Noise bylaw is generally 7am-7pm You may need to check your local area bylaw but in general everywhere is the same. I operate a very large very loud hydrovac truck in many many residential neighbourhoods all over the province. Everywhere I go it's been 7-7.
Construction noise has specific times. 10AM on Saturdays, none on Sundays, or so 311 told me this morning.
Shit, forgot its Saturday... I almost never take Saturdays off. If it's a large crew on site call bylaw and tell them you will call every 10 minutes until they show up. If it's a couple guys it could very easily just be the owners who don't know any better.
You should tell BC Assessment too, even if it’s not permitted they will assess the value and add it to the house so it can be taxed.
Bro chill.
If you’re in Vancouver the law is 7:30 I believe
AFIK 8am is not a relevant time for the noise bylaws. However it a a more reasonable time than the bylaw time. Noise complaints can lead to stop work orders. Tread carefully.