Permits, engineer and sealed plans.
Any project touching the structure of a building requires plans sealed by an engineer who is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and a permit issued by the municipality or the borough. The contractor can neither design nor size the structure: those acts are reserved to the engineer by law. Their role is to coordinate the engineer's mandate, obtain the permit and execute the sealed plans.
What requires an engineer and what doesn't
Requires one: removing or modifying a load-bearing wall, opening a floor, adding a storey, extending on an existing foundation, lowering a slab, redoing a foundation.
Generally doesn't: redoing a finish, replacing a kitchen or a bathroom without touching load-bearing walls, laying floors, painting.
The grey zone exists. A partition believed non-bearing that is. An opening widened by two feet in an exterior wall. When in doubt, checking always costs less than correcting.
The difference between the engineer, the architect and the contractor
The engineer analyzes and sizes the structure, then seals the plans. It's a reserved act.
The architect designs the spaces, the envelope and the appearance of the building. Their involvement is mandatory for certain categories of buildings and work.
The contractor executes. They coordinate the professionals, carry the permit application, run the site and deliver the work in accordance with the sealed plans.
At ASA, we're the third one. We coordinate the first two and we execute what they've signed. That's the division provided by law, and it's also the one that protects the owner.
How a permit is requested, and how long it takes
The application is filed with the municipality, or with the borough in the case of Montreal. The file includes the sealed plans, a description of the work, and depending on the case additional documents such as a certificate of location or a site plan.
Lead times vary from two to eight weeks depending on the municipality, the time of year and the complexity of the file. Spring is the busiest season everywhere.
In a condominium, the association's authorization is added and often precedes the municipal application.
The risk of doing without
An insurer can refuse a claim related to an undocumented structural change. A building inspector will spot it at resale, and the buyer will demand a correction or a price reduction. The municipality can order the building restored, at the owner's expense.
And above all, a structural change designed without analysis is a change nobody can say is safe.
So, what are we working on?
Eight questions, two minutes. We call you back to talk it through, and we tell you frankly whether it's a project for us or whether you'd be better served elsewhere.