Thanks Rustico! I wouldn’t mind living in a house without the permits, but an abatement has been filed (garage too close to property line and a shopping list of non permitted work), so code compliance is a must. I have talked to the code enforcement inspector (who seemed rather helpful for a city employee) and asked if the work could be permitted after the fact and she said possibly. She went on to ask if I was in construction, and I said no. I wish I would have said yes because it seemed like she was going to give me some good info, but backed off on the no and recommended I get a contractor or engineer to advise me. I’m definitely not jumping into this without a damn good idea of what to expect. Like I said it’s a house we like, and I’m willing to do some research. If someone else picks it up before me then I learned quite a bit for the next house with it’s issues (seems like everything I look at has one) Is there a contractor, or someone else you would recommend? I don’t want to just start gong down the list in the phone book.