Essay: The Process of Obtaining a Building Permit

        After returning from Jamaica, each of us was tasked with picking a topic to research or a project to complete. I chose to finish the AutoCAD drawing that we worked on this year and research the reasons behind making an architectural drawing in AutoCAD, as well as the process of getting a building permit in Jamaica. Within Jamaica, the process of obtaining a permit to build takes about three to four months according to KeVaughn Harding, the Executive Director of Falmouth Heritage Renewal (FHR) who we worked closely with during our stay in Jamaica.

        The process starts with a proposal to restore a historical house, which includes architectural drawings of the building, as well as “ the application form, photographs of the site, proof of ownership of the property, and endorsement of the property owner,” (Harding). These AutoCAD drawings that we have been producing will be used as some of the architectural drawings required in the proposal. Additionally, the AutoCAD drawings are used by FHR as a way of documenting and recording the history of Falmouth and as resources in their research to better interpret the history of Falmouth. By having these drawings, people are able to reference them to see what was common during different time periods, in terms of style and function; compare and contrast building layouts, structures, and designs; and develop a vocabulary to describe certain aspects of different periods. Once completed, these AutoCAD drawings, and the proposal they are a part of, have to go through a long process of checks and verifications before Falmouth Heritage Renewal is granted a building permit.

The next step in this proposal’s journey is a long process of checks, in which it travels through various levels of government to get either approved or denied. “Typically, building permits are granted by the Parish Council that has oversight for the area that you are proposing your development,” (Harding). Because Falmouth is located in Trelawny Parish, each proposal has to go through the Trelawny Parish Council, which functions as the seats of local government. The Trelawny Parish Council is made up of Councillors, which are elected officials from various regions of the parish. After one submits a proposal to the Parish Council, “it is reviewed by its different departments which include the council's Roads and Works Dept., and the Planning Dept.” (Harding). Members of these various departments “review things like the electrical plan, storm water disposal, structural integrity of the design,” (Harding) and that the proposal is following proper laws, “regarding subdivisions of properties, required setbacks of buildings from streets and publicly owned properties, allowable density within developments,” (Harding).

If needed, the proposal will be passed to the Health Department and the Fire Department for more approvals. The Health Department will review proposals if they include site sewage treatments for new bathrooms or issues regarding the disposal of waste. The Fire Department typically only reviews large-scale buildings to ensure they are following all the proper laws and are up to code, so many of Falmouth Heritage Renewal’s proposals do not pass through them as FHR normally works on restoring smaller buildings. Because FHR works within the Falmouth Historic District, which is a national monument, their proposals have to go through national government agencies such as the Jamaican National Heritage Trust (JNHT). The JNHT ensures, “that what we're proposing is in keeping with the authentic, historic character of the protected area,” (Harding). The goal of the JNHT is to make sure that, “new development doesn't destroy the overall character of the historic area,” (Harding); therefore, “both new construction and rehabilitation of existing buildings (whether ancient or modern), so long as they exist within the historic district have to be reviewed by the JNHT,” (Harding).

Once all of the agencies and departments with the Parish Council and beyond have approved the proposal, it will go to the Councillors with a recommendation that the building should be approved. The Councillors, then, get the final say in whether the proposal goes through or not. “Approval by them [the Councillors] results in the applicant receiving a building permit, along with the conditions that the applicant has to adhere to in order for the permit to remain valid,” (Harding). If denied, the proposal is sent back with recommendations of what needs to be amended.

The process of obtaining a building permit is typically a long one; however, it is fairly straightforward. After being submitted to the Trelawny Parish Council, the proposal goes through various departments and agencies to obtain approval. If it obtains approval, it is sent to the Councillors for a final stamp of approval or rejection. A significant part of this process relies on the AutoCAD drawings (some of which we made) of the proposed buildings, which are used as a way of verifying that the buildings will follow the laws, abide by the proper codes, and stay accurate to their historical design. Along with this, the AutoCAD drawings are used as a way of recording the history of Falmouth for research purposes and as a way to interpret Falmouth’s history by forming relationships between different periods and places in history.

Day 8: Limestone is good for your nails

Today, Daniel, Asa, and I got the opportunity to actually go out and make the materials that we work with in construction. We got to make limestone mortar that is used for brickwork, and we got to saw and shave wood.  Making limestone mortar is really labor-intensive work. To start we had to shovel limestone sand into a shifter and shift it, then that sand is put into a trough filled with limestone paste. Shifting the sand was such a workout for my core. We then had to smush and mix the two together. If I don’t get big guns by the end of this trip I’m gonna be pretty mad.

            At the wood workshop we got to cut and shave the wood planks that would be used in the house. It was really crazy because some of the pieces of wood were so long that it took me, Daniel, Asa, and Keniel to hold it to be cut. I cannot imagine how one person would do that by themselves. The last part of the wood making process was shaving the wood. The shaving machine was called the “thicknesser” and let out a lot of wood shavings and noise.

            I really think that its crazy that so much work has to be done in order to get the materials we use to build. It’s like you are constructing the construction if that makes sense. It was so much fun, even though it was really hard. I’d love to do that again.

            The second half of the day was filled with paint. We continued to paint the second floor of the house, but we had some visitors. Two kids, Renique and Trevin. Renique is a seven year old girl who loves reading, Rapunzel, and painting. She helped us paint, but she always forgot that the paint was wet, so she kept touching it. She was so cute. Trevin is the son of one of the workers and is in 7^th grade. Trevin has visited before; he really likes hanging with us. Trevin loves math and is in marching band. Logan said that next year we would bring his guitar and teach him how to play. It was really cool to meet some Jamaican youths.

Day 3: 4 Grades, 3 Activities, 2 Faculty, 1 Love!

Today was the first full day of work at the Falmouth Field School. Today was also the first day students finished rotating through the three different projects we will be working on for the duration of our time spent in Jamaica. The projects include: the renovation of a home, creating sketches of sections from an already built house and turning them into diagrams on a program called AutoCAD, and creating a video project regarding people's favorite places in Falmouth. All of the projects I have experienced have been exciting and interesting.
    I started off by working on the video project. One of the most interesting things we did was interview a Jamaican woman who happened to be the head of the crafts cooperative here in Falmouth. She was incredibly happy to be interviewed, and had wonderful stories to tell about the her experiences in Falmouth. Although I was the cameraman and did not get to ask any questions, I really thought it was incredible to see how much people open up, and how willing people were to talk about their experiences. I thought it was really incredible.
Secondly, I worked at the construction site. When I first arrived, I had few expectations for what construction we might be doing. I thought we might paint something, or maybe carry supplies to people that would be doing the "real work," but to my surprise, I turned out to be wrong. We were doing the amazing stuff; I even got to take part in building a staircase that will be finished later this week. I found it interesting when Mr. Harding explained to us why we were renovating these houses. The reason we were doing these renovations was because these houses have original pieces from the 19th century and this project was part of a historical restoration. It was at this moment that I realized I was making a difference in someone's life and that was really incredible.
The last great experience I had, during my last project, was in the sketching and diagramming group. When we arrived, I didn't realize what the living conditions were going to be like. I was surprised when I walked in, but it wasn't a pleasant surprise. The house was run-down, dilapidated, and falling apart. We got to work, immediately taking measurements of boards on the walls, rafters, windows, and more. After we had finished, we went to plug in the measurements on a program called AutoCAD. I had no experience using the program itself, but a fellow student of mine did, which was nice. While we were plugging in the measurements, I realized something. As students, we were taking something that was in meager conditions, and turning it into something sophisticated and clean that someone will someday be able to live in, and that, to me, was just another something incredible to add to my list of memorable things we've already done on this trip.