Ramsin Khachi has bought a new home in Oakville and his plan is to renovate it and flip it within a year — and he’s invited CityLine along for the ride! In Week 13, Ramsin explains what a BCIN stamp is and why you should have one on your plans before you do major renovations.
If you’re planning to do any major renovations to your home in the future, you’ll want to make sure to do your due diligence in the preparation stage.
That includes getting a BCIN stamp on any plans and drawings for the proposed changes. What’s a BCIN stamp? BCIN stands for Building Code Identification Number, and you may need to provide it in any building applications or correspondence with the MInistry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
"You need a designer who’s got the BCIN qualifications to review these drawings and stamp them," Ramsin notes. "That basically says that they assume all the responsibility that may arise as a result of that design."
Homeowners may decide to waive that right and submit drawings without a BCIN stamp, but that means they assume all responsibility themselves, which Ramsin says is "definitely not a good idea."
"Your homeowner’s insurance policy will never cover anything that arises out of design or anything that fails as a result of that design. So it’s really worth the money to get somebody to prepare your drawings for you that has BCIN qualifications, who can stamp the drawings for you, and that way you’re not assuming any of the responsibility if anything ever goes wrong."