Hey everyone! So, I'm in a bit of a situation. My family member is moving back in for a few years, and we want to convert our semi-finished basement into an in-law suite by adding a full bathroom. The catch is, we can't legally add another bedroom since we're already at septic capacity based on the number of bedrooms we have (not bathrooms). I'm worried that when I go to pull a permit for the bathroom, the town might question why we need it if we can't add a person living there. Will they actually ask for a reason, or is it just about meeting the building codes?
3 Answers
You don't need to provide any personal reasons when pulling a permit. Just focus on the scope of the work, and as long as it meets code, you should be all good!
Honestly, there are tons of perfectly valid reasons for wanting another bathroom that don't involve adding more people. If they push you on it, just casually throw out answers like 'teenagers' or 'parties'!
If you're worried about explaining yourself, you could always say something funny like, 'My wife needs a backup because I hog the bathroom!' Just don’t mention any extra bedrooms or kitchens to keep things simple.