I just went through the process for adding about 180 square feet (via a loft) in a condo I recently bought. It should have taken a month and cost about $700 (in fees). Instead it took four months and cost almost $2,000 in fees. And, of course, having my drafting firm have to go back and re-do shit god-knows-how-many times added a few thousand dollars onto the project´s cost. So, the total cost of permitting – including drafting, permits, and all the other BS was probably almost $4,500. Should have been about $1,500. Now, I´m still glad I did it. Getting the extra square footage permitted was important to me, and the actual construction costs came in well below my initial estimate, so it all came out in the wash. But… dealing with the City was a major pain in the ass. I had no idea how fucked up it would be.
