<div dir="ltr"><div><p>And with regard to the permit, it is not unheard of for a local
government to have lost a permit between 1971 and whenever it was that
the permit records were scanned. It is not uncommon for older homes
with rafters that are steeply sloping to have quite a bit of area that
is less than the minimum ceiling height. Building codes have
historically addressed the issue by requiring a minimum room size (70
square feet), with areas having a roof height of less than the minimum
as not counting towards the minimum room size. So no, there is not a
minimum ceiling height as you might think of it. <br></p>You might
also consider asking the City building department which building code
was applicable in 1971. Almost certainly, it was a version of the
Uniform Building Code, which was revised every 3 years. It was likely
the 1970 version if the home is within the city limits of Tacoma, but it
may have been an earlier version. Old versions of the UBC should be
available at the clerk's office of city hall, or at Tacoma Public
Library. I seem to recall that ceiling heights are addressed in the chapter on "R" occupancies, if you decide to follow that trail. And i doubt that the minimum height is 7'-6." That seems
pretty high. My recollection is that minimum height is 7-0 under the
IRC, but I don't have a copy at my fingertips. If it was legal when it was built, then it should be legal now.<br><br></div>Scott Thomas<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Feb 24, 2017 at 3:18 PM, Marc Holmes <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:marc@holmeslawgroup.com" target="_blank">marc@holmeslawgroup.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US"><div class="m_-1101033664131436330WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Appraisers vary on how rigidly they interpret and/or enforce the guidelines so i t may be a lot easier to pick a new lender and order a new appraisal. FHA appraisals follow the property so this wouldn’t work but I think VA appraisals are more like Fannie/Freddie and do not. Ask a loan officer that does VA loans and they’ll know. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">I suspect the problem is that the value came in low since the current appraiser won’t include the 300’ of attic space. If that’s the case, they might also challenge the valuation if they think the appraiser missed something about the comparables he chose or missed a better comparable that better supports the price per foot you need. I deal with this sort of thing with some frequency but don’t have the bandwidth to take on the client.<u></u><u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Marc Holmes<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Holmes Law Group PLLC<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">808 5th Ave N<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Seattle WA 98109<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="http://holmeslawgroup.com/" target="_blank">HolmesLawGroup.com</a><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u><u></u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="mailto:marc@holmeslawgroup.com" target="_blank">marc@holmeslawgroup.com</a><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u><u></u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Ofc: <a href="tel:(206)%20357-4224" value="+12063574224" target="_blank">206-357-4224</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Cell: <a href="tel:(206)%20849-0853" value="+12068490853" target="_blank">206-849-0853</a><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> <a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.<wbr>com</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbarp-bounces@lists.<wbr>wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ronald L. Coleman<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 24, 2017 9:09 AM<br><b>To:</b> '<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com" target="_blank">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>'<br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] Referral Needed --- Lack of Permit Question<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><div><div class="h5"><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">PC purchased house a year ago which was built in 1923, with unfinished attic at that time. 1971, attic finished without permit, but included by assessor in square footage of house. All work is fine and house has been appraised and sold four times since 1971, with the approx. 300 sq ft in upstairs (attic originally) included. House now being sold and VA appraiser says cannot include the upstairs because ceiling is 7 ft 4 inches and needs to be for code 7 ft 6 or 8 in (I am not sure on the 6” or 8”0). City of Tacoma says no record of permit. Workmanship not an issue and could be permitted if ceiling was higher, per City. I need to refer this to someone who has handled matters like this. I have heard of whole houses and garages being “permitted’ after the fact, and this one seems very strange. The VA appraiser will not approve unless City says ok for use as finished.</span><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"> </span><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">Thank you.</span><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"> </span><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">Ron Coleman</span><u></u><u></u></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Ronald L. Coleman<br></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Direct <a href="tel:(253)%20238-5129" value="+12532385129" target="_blank">253-238-5129</a> - <a href="mailto:rcoleman@dpearson.com" target="_blank">rcoleman@dpearson.com</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#5a647f">Davies Pearson, </span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#5a647f">P.C.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><br></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#5a647f">ATTORNEYS AT LAW</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><br></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black">920 Fawcett Avenue / PO Box 1657, Tacoma, WA 98401<br><a href="tel:(253)%20620-1500" value="+12536201500" target="_blank">253-620-1500</a> | Fax <a href="tel:(253)%20238-5158" value="+12532385158" target="_blank">253-238-5158</a> | </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><a href="http://www.dpearson.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">www.dpearson.com</span></a> <br></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black"><a href="http://www.dpearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Ronald_1584702.vcf" target="_blank">Download vCard</a> | <a href="http://www.dpearson.com/people/ronald-l-coleman" target="_blank">View Profile</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div><p><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:gray">This e-mail is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. secs. 2510-2521, and is legally privileged and confidential. 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