Build or farm out my expansion?

[1930artdeco]

So on the side of my garage is a wood pile/shed/overhang. I would like to expand my garage by turning that area into a wood/electrical shop. The roof is there along with corner supports and a few others. It has a dirt floor and some power.

Question is this: would be easier to farm out the expansion (walls essentially) or can I frame it up and make the walls? The slab, electrical will get farmed out. If I have plans I can follow them as there won’t be anything fancy going on. No windows -just a door into the garage-no weird trusses or anything. I will just use it for wood working and small electrical repairs.

I am pretty handy and since the overall frame is already set I am thinking it might be ‘easy’ for me to do it and then sun out the concrete and electrical. What else am I missing?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[loganb]

You're in CA, what's local authority and permit requirement rules? With seismic requirements I'm guessing at a minimum to get your permit you'll need drawings that are stamped/sealed by a design professional

 

[NUTTSGT]

Unless local codes/ ordinances say otherwise, I would do it myself. The more you can do, the more you can get for your money.

 

[firebirdparts]

Considering these walls don't hold up the structure, I would think you kinda can't go wrong. But certainly the AHJ could be pretty dedicated to tyranny. They're going to require whatever they require.

 

[billconner]

I wouldn't hesitate to do this work, but I'm completing a solo 28 x 32 build. It's about you're comfort level with this kind of work.

 

[Garcky]

I did a similar project many years ago. The fixer-upper house I bought had a 14' x 16' glassed-in porch/patio on the back. It was built poorly, but had a roof that shared roofing material from the house. The roof was OK, but the slab floor was done as patchwork, and was way too poor to use. So, I bought a 20-foot long 4x12 beam, and used a couple of 6x6 timbers and screw jacks to raise the low end of the roofline. I very carefully braced the two support posts. Then, I demolished the walls and the concrete. I poured and finished a slab, complete with footings, myself, and then built a standard stick frame structure and lowered the roof back onto the frame when it was done. I finished the rest to match the rest of the house, which had a stucco exterior. Drywall interior.

I will admit that I did not pull a permit for any of it, and wrote it off as "repairs" to an existing structure. I did document the project with before and after photos and photos of everything as I went, just in case.

I was nervous about having that roof jacked up with no support, but I had the slab in and framed walls up within 10 days, and was very careful. I worked on my own entirely, except for one very experienced friend who helped me screed the concrete pour. It all worked out. When we sold the house, there were some questions, but the building department OKed the build as "repairs," and let it pass without a permit after the fact. Since there was a structure there that had been included in the taxes for decades and since I had improved it to be up to code, they were kind enough to let it go. I was very careful to make sure everything I did was up to code, though, and showed all of the photos as evidence. I did have to pay a penalty for not pulling a permit, but I skated on that one, for sure.

I'm not saying you should take that route, but that's what I did.

 

[nadogail]

Repairs and Remodels are often used to avoid being required to get variances.