Plans and Permits Each building department in the area has its own way of calculating permit fees, which are loosely based on the total cost of the project. On large projects I guess high and place that number in the allowance column. On smaller projects, I try to be more accurate and include the cost in the base price. Water, sewer, and sidewalk upgrades can be costly and are often required with larger-scale remodels, but may not be indicated on the plans. I always check with the building department to see if they will require these upgrades. ??Demolition Tearing out old work to make way for new work needs to be priced carefully or you'll bust your budget before
