The permit is approved. Are we ready to build?

A message saying a review is approved and an issued permit are different records to check. Ask the project team to identify the permit status, the issued plan set, relevant conditions and the work covered by that permission. Keep that information tied to the job rather than relying on an old attachment or a screenshot.

Seattle SDCI says its construction inspections check work against approved plans and applicable codes after the building permit is issued. Approval starts a continuing process of building and inspection. It is not a substitute for the field coordination that follows.

Hypothetical example: the approved remodel shows one window opening, but the homeowner later prefers a wider window. The supplier may be able to provide it. That does not establish that the opening, framing and approved documents can remain unchanged.

Before ordering or reframing, have the responsible team compare the proposed product with the issued design and resolve the effect on structure, adjoining work and approval. Seattle’s permit-revision guidance tells applicants to discuss proposed changes with the building inspector before making them to determine whether a revision is needed.

The useful response is a documented decision: keep the approved selection, or pursue a reviewed change with its scope and sequence understood. A homeowner’s product preference should not quietly become a field redesign.

List the actual work in the next phase and identify which permits, approvals and responsible trades apply. Do not assume the general construction record answers every electrical, plumbing, mechanical or utility question.

For example, Seattle maintains a separate electrical-permit process for covered wiring and equipment work. Its addition-or-alteration guidance also directs applicants to coordinate with other agencies when relevant. The team must establish what applies to the property and scope; requirements elsewhere in South King County may differ.

A useful responsibility record names the person obtaining each required approval, the work it covers and the point when it is needed. An unresolved trade approval should be visible before a schedule assumes that trade can proceed.

Construction readiness is specific to the phase. Ask the contractor to describe the first work package: which issued drawing sheets control it, which selections affect it, what must be on site and what conditions would stop it.

In the window example, a practical release identifies the window selection and dimensions, who verifies the opening, the agreed framing information and the next inspection or review point. It also identifies whether the existing room can remain protected and usable during that work.

This is an execution decision for the project team, not a requirement that every decorative finish be chosen before any work begins. Choices that do not affect the released phase may stay open if the team records when they become necessary.

Seattle lists inspections at stages including foundation, framing and insulation, with timing that depends on the work. Its electrical guidance specifically requires approval before covering certain work. The responsible team should establish the inspection sequence for the actual permits.

Ask who requests the inspection, what must remain visible and what happens if the result requires correction. A crew finishing its task does not automatically release the following crew to cover it. Keep the inspection result with the work record.

Do not copy a generic inspection list into a promise about your property. Use the issued documents, applicable requirements and inspector direction to establish the real hold points.

Before agreeing to a start, ask for a plain explanation of what is ready, what is still open and which open items affect the first phase. A short marked plan or written phase note can be more useful than a broad assurance that everything is approved.

NABS Brothers coordinates remodeling scope, existing conditions, trades and required design and permit input. For a project still being defined, the Home Project Review can organize the idea and the questions that could change the next commitment. It does not replace detailed design or agency approval.

Permit approval deserves a milestone on the schedule. The construction start deserves its own readiness decision.