Adding a garage next to a house

[queen of spades]

So I am considering offering on a 2 story home, with no existing garage. The land is sloped down the side of the house so that the one end is exposed down to the first story floor, and the other levels out at the 2nd story floor. It looks like a garage could be added by digging out the dirt, pouring footers, concrete floor.

Are permits needed to do this kind of work? What if I don't physically connect the garage with the existing house foundation? Never had to do this kind of thing before so any pointers or tips are appreciated.

[D-Dogg]

Start with your county building office. they can give you quite an education.

[smfcpacfp]

Permits will definitely be needed. How else would the assessor know to raise your property taxes?

Also there will/may be zoning restrictions. In our township there are restictions on the size and height of accessory buildings. These zoning restrictions definitely affected my pole building height which was just completed:

Pole building construction

[Mike Milburn]

Permits will definitely be needed. How else would the assessor know to raise your property taxes?

LOL, ain't that he truth.
I'm in the process of getting a garage built. Why don't I do it myself...not worth it, for about roughly $1500 more than buying the material I can get it done.
For me it was a 6 month PIA process, long story short:
Bought house and property, lot wasn't big enough for garage so I bought the adjoining lot, can't put garage on separate lot so I had to join it to the first lot, had to get it surveyed and septic tested which cost me over $5K for basically nuttin as my first lot was origonally cut from the lot I bought.
Typical government crap hurry up and wait and getting different answers to the same question as no one could tell me the exact steps and in what order they were required. To that end get everything in writing that anyone tells you. I lucked out in that the surveyor I hired was a smart guy and knew the process better that the municipality.

A garage around here that's over 600sf has to be on an engineered slab and there's numerous other stipulations as to setbacks from the front, it can't be closer to the road than the front of the house. No floor drain, minimum slab thickness yadda, yadda, rant off <G>....Mike

[Mouse]

I would start by asking a contractor to look @ it, location is everything, and on a hill you must keep the footing/ foundation stepped, if you cheat, could the garage push into the house, or slide away from the house. Soil has a lot to do with this. Just my thoughts.
Mouse

[queen of spades]

Well the more I think about it, putting the garage right next to the house is less appealing.


What would something like this cost to put up? I'm probably forgetting something in the materials...

Shed size:
18' x 24' x 10' w/ 4" concrete slab and low-slope gable roof

* 6 cu. yd. poured concrete (4" depth + footers)
* 896 concrete blocks 8" x 8" x 16" (776 sq. ft. of wall)
* 68 cu. ft. mortar
* roll-up door 8 x 8, -64 sq. ft.
* steel door 80" x 32" and frame
* no windows
* GFI drops every 6'
* low-slope gable roof w/ 20 yr. shingles

[Mike Milburn]

Can't comment on the cost of yours but for comparison when someone does <G>
22' x 26' x8' wood frame, 4" slab, 5/12 storage trusses, vinyl sided, man door, 7' x 9' garage door, no electrical nor interior work CAN.$15K, US$14,200.....Mike

[PaulChristenson]

These guys do work up and down the east coast...they may be able to help you...
http://www.horizonstructures.com/garage_landing.asp

[bontai Joe]

My very first step would be scouting ou tthe local Better Business Bureau for good local contractors, then get one on site to give you info on what he would recommend, what kind of permits needed, and a rough idea of costs, before you even contact your local municipality.

[Bart]

Originally Posted by queen of spades

Are permits needed to do this kind of work? What if I don't physically connect the garage with the existing house foundation? Never had to do this kind of thing before so any pointers or tips are appreciated.

I suggest you start by thinking about what you want/need in a garage. A lot of the costs/permit requirements depend on the type of area you're located in--rural areas are generally a lot less "picky" about how things are done. If you're looking for a shelter to store tractors then you might want to consider a prefab steel structure that is quite cost effective and may not require a permit since they can be considered non permanent structures. The downside is that they are not pretty and may not appeal to neighbors in a suburban environment.

I've built a number of structures on my property without permits and figure it's saved me enough that if I have to hire a lawyer to deal with the gestapo I'll still be ahead. Best to talk to people in the area and get a feel for how stringent the local authorities might be.

[smfcpacfp]

Originally Posted by Bart

I've built a number of structures on my property without permits and figure it's saved me enough that if I have to hire a lawyer to deal with the gestapo I'll still be ahead. Best to talk to people in the area and get a feel for how stringent the local authorities might be.

Big mistake, very, very bad advice. I never feel that violating the law is good advice however, even though I might do it myself.

If the local authorities have a building code and permit system they can chose to enforce it. It usually is someone's job to do so, so I suspect that this person wants to look busy.

Are the locals who you ask about enforcement, going to bail you out if their free advice is wrong?

Regarding the cost of fighting city hall..

The local county fair in my county built a building without a permit. The logic they put forth at trial was that the building was agricultural and didn't require a permit and they were the county fair and didn't need to get a permit anyway. At trial, they lost, had to buy the permit, pay the penalties, pay their attorney (I presume) and were required to make substantial changes to the building after the fact. These changes were extremely costly so they determined it was best to tear it down, and comply with the law. By the way, they had to pay for permits the second time also.

[Michael]

My post building that I had built by a reliable contractor was 38 X 36 and had a raised center portion to house a 5th wheel trailer was $35,000.00, the contractor did all the work on getting the permits, getting a excavator in to level the area and construct the building. This included a 60" sidewalk around one side and the back and a 20' approach in front.

Everything went smooth and start to finish after the permit was granted was 8 weeks. You can see more by my thread that I posted at this link, sure there was a giltch in the plan but it turned out to be a minor setback and only took 4 hours to correct.


http://www.mytractorforum.com/showth...highlight=shoe

I did tackle the painting and the electrical work

[Bigdeereman]

I agree, I would find a reputable contractor & meet with him to discuss what you are wanting to do & see if its feasible first. Then proceed with getting floor plans, secure financing, then do the permits.

[Small Fry]

Don't cut cost with 20yr roofing. You don't save much and in the long run it will cost more.

[Tractor-Holic]

Here,if you built a garage attached to the house,it would have to be sheetrocked on all walls and ceiling, with fire resistant sheet rock AND plastered over it,making it "airtight"..(thats how it was in '77 when our house was built anyway..)..plus your house insurance costs will go up,due to the added risk of a fire from a vehicle or equipment stored in it..

If you built one free standing,there are laws about setback from the house and other properties that must be followed..a building permit is required for any structure over 100 sq.feet ,or one with a permanent foundation..
They frown upon "tent" garages and truck bodies used as sheds,but so far haven't banned them--many towns close by have already though..those steel "carports" are gaining popularity over the "fabric" garages..

There WAS a really nice factory built steel building about a 1/4 mile up the road from our house,about 100 x 100 feet and 20' high..very nice looking building..but the contractor who erected it on the property he owned it sat on,figured he didn't "need" a building permit,guess he was friends with the inspector and thought he could get away with it..well,a neighbor across the street protested,said it was an eyesore and detracted from his property value,and the contractor was running his bussiness "illegally" in a residential zoned location --it ended up in court..
--after several years of feuding,the court decided in the neighbors favor,the building HAD to be taken down,and all the construction equipment the contractor parked outside in retaliation was ordered removed from the property as well,plus he was fined several tousands of dollars..(He had parked a junk Euclid and several dozers,etc in front of the building,declaring "if that "neighbor" wants an "eyesore",hows THIS?!)...the neighbor put his home on the market, and moved away only months after the building dissapeared !..
So,I wouldn't build anything here without following the codes and restrictions,especially now that the town is looking for ANY way to make money on these hard times..lately they have been cracking down on properties with a lot of clutter or unregistered vehicles,etc..