Do I need a San Jose building permit to patch drywall?
Usually not. San José treats sheetrock and taping joints as a surface improvement that needs no building permit, along with painting. The exception is fire-rated sheetrock, which does need a permit, and in a house that is normally the wall and ceiling between an attached garage and the living space. If the patch exposes plumbing or wiring that has to be replaced, that work has its own permit rules.
Can drywall scraps go out with San José's free Junk Pickup?
No. The city's Junk Pickup rules exclude construction debris, along with glass, mirrors and hazardous waste. You can self-haul it to a landfill or transfer station, calling ahead to confirm it takes the material, or hire a hauler and, as the city suggests, ask for a copy of the weight ticket. For a bigger tear-out, rent a temporary bin. Only City-approved haulers may place bins in San José, and unauthorized haulers face fines.
Our Naglee Park house has cracked and sagging plaster. Should it all come out for drywall?
Rarely. The National Park Service recommends keeping historic plaster if at all possible, and Brief 21 shows loose plaster screwed back to the lath with plaster washers and holes filled over metal lath. Where a section cannot be saved, it suggests veneer plaster rather than drywall. Plaster over wood lath is thicker than standard board, so a full swap can change how the door and window trim sits against the wall.
The walls in our Willow Glen Eichler are wood. Who repairs those?
Someone who works in veneer and wood finishes rather than drywall. The National Register nomination for the Fairglen Additions describes original walls of deep-toned Philippine mahogany veneer paneling and ceilings of stained redwood roof decking. The city's Eichler design standards do not apply indoors, since they cover exterior changes only, so the choice of repair is yours.
Why does the same crack keep coming back in our San Jose house?
Often because the ground keeps moving. The city's General Plan geology appendix describes much of San José's soil as moderately to highly expansive, and clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons shifts walls with it. Brief 21 says diagonal cracks running in opposite directions point to settling and soil, and that a crack which seems to be widening should be seen by a structural engineer before it is patched again.
We rent out half of our duplex in the Hensley district. Do lead rules apply to a wall repair?
Yes, if the building dates from before 1978, which is near certain in a Victorian district. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule exempts owners working on their own homes, but not a home where all or part is rented. A contractor disturbing more than 6 square feet of paint per room inside needs EPA lead-safe firm certification and lead-safe work practices.
