Permits

Sometimes the LAA unit will allow you to get the permit while you wait but sometimes you will need to drop it off and then it may take exactly as the time efficiency of the city for these kind of things.

Wow, they must be getting quicker!

The fact that your friend doesn't know what sort of permits would be needed is a good indicator that there's probably a number of things...some of them likely critical to the success of your project...that he/she doesn't know. Does he know when a contractor has a legitimate claim for extra $ or is trying to pad their invoice to cover the $ they lost when tiling took longer than they'd thought? Does she have professional liability insurance in case things go really wrong? Ask yourself if you're prepared for things to go badly...to cost 2x as much as you'd planned for, and to take 3x as long. Would that ruin your friendship, or would you accept that that's the risk you ran by using someone who was going to be getting on the job training? Just go into this with open eyes and realistic expectations. BTW, you'll be filing an Alt2 with the DOB. The plumbing work is filed as part of that filing...the electrical work is filed separately by the electrician. You may be able to find an architect to file the project for you, even though it's borderline illegal/unethical. But they're not just going to charge you for the number of hours (and it'll be more hours than you think) they'll be charging you for the liability they're taking on for signing drawings/docs under questionable circumstances.

I never heard of anyone getting a permit for a fence. I do believe there are some height restrictions to be followed. Steve