Joining Multiple Garages After Inspection

[Popeye.]

My zoning only allows for accessory structures up to 500 sq ft with a 15ft height limit. I'd (obviously) like to go larger, so I was thinking of joining 2 accessory structures together after I get the final inspection. Build them both on the same slab, knock down the two center walls, and then join the roof lines. Going for finished dimensions of 25'x40'.

Has anyone done something similar? Does anyone have any recommendations or other suggestions on how to achieve this?

 

[bbbarracuda]

Might want to investigate what the penalty might be when you get caught.
Some places don’t appreciate creativity in going around the rules.

 

[HPRifleman]

It sounds like you have a plan of what to do after the final inspection. What is your plan after your neighbor complains to your local building department and they inform you that you are in violation of zoning ordinances?

 

[Innovate1]

Sounds like you are likely to get in hot water trying to do that. How about connecting it to the house? Most places don't have as restrictive of codes for attached garages.

 

[Bucko]

All it takes is one nosey neighbor and you would have a tough time playing dumb. If they are sharing the same slab could you have a covered area connected to each side like a breezeway, then put some double doors on each building and make more of a hallway type connection that is not so obvious and easy to remove if you sell. The open ends could be fenced/gated and the semi-open areas be for storage or a little patio/bar area on one side.

I kinda like having separate areas. My shop is 2600sq' and is basically a big 2 car on each side with an RV section in the middle. The previous owner walled off one side and that is what he and I use for woodworking. I am actually going to divide the other 2 car in half front to back and then divide the side near wall again from side to side. This way I have a separate mini garage for lawn care and a storage room in the back corner. When an area is completely open you soon find alot of wasted space in my opinion. A dividing wall can have shelving or cabinets on both sides. It also allows for a more sterile environment when you need it. Having sawdust all over everything can become a pain.

 

[LB-1911]

My zoning only allows for accessory structures up to 500 sq ft with a 15ft height limit. I'd (obviously) like to go larger, so I was thinking of joining 2 accessory structures together after I get the final inspection. Build them both on the same slab, knock down the two center walls, and then join the roof lines. Going for finished dimensions of 25'x40'.

Has anyone done something similar? Does anyone have any recommendations or other suggestions on how to achieve this?

The AHJ would more than likely catch the slab dimension and question it.

What is the percentage of impervious surface allowed?

 

[PassnThru]

I would think that the zoning law was based on your lot size - it usually is. Have you even asked if two 500 square foot structures would be allowed?

 

[MadMechMaster]

How is that height to be measured? It's not always peak to ground. A storage loft could be helpful.

 

[Stuart in MN]

My zoning only allows for accessory structures up to 500 sq ft with a 15ft height limit.

Find out if that limit is 500 square feet per accessory structure, or 500 square feet total for all accessory structures. I suspect it's the latter, and they're not going to let you build multiple buildings to start with.

 

[Popeye.]

Thank you for your feedback. The garage(s) would be set in the far back corner of my property, with very limited view from the street. I have a good relationship with my neighbors and I'd likely show them the plans before starting to submit for permits to have that conversation beforehand.

I asked the county about square footage, and they said building multiple 500 sq ft structures is allowed as long as 2/3 of the rear "backyard" is left uncovered.

Building an attached garage is not out of the question, though, my lot is pretty narrow so its difficult to make it fit properly. Would prefer to have it in the back away from the house.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

All the rules state is what they will allow without any further questions/review. Prepare a short presentation (with pictures, sketches, measurements) of what you want to build and go through what is commonly referred to as a varience process.
Some areas there is a charge for this. For me it was 1 simple meeting (about 15 minutes) with the couty board and the 75ft setback was reduced to approximately 2 ft for my situation.

 

[05snopro440]

All the rules state is what they will allow without any further questions/review. Prepare a short presentation (with pictures, sketches, measurements) of what you want to build and go through what is commonly referred to as a varience process.
Some areas there is a charge for this. For me it was 1 simple meeting (about 15 minutes) with the couty board and the 75ft setback was reduced to approximately 2 ft for my situation.

Exactly. Going around zoning and doing your own thing often doesn't go well, it's best to do it right from the start.

A neighbor of one of my coworkers did something like this. He was building a massive garage in his back yard, which blocked the sun from his neighbour's yard and took up way too much of the lot. He had permits to build something, but not anywhere near what he did. It was fully constructed and wrapped and shingled with windows and doors installed but not sided when the inspectors popped by and stopped construction. In the end he had to tear it all down and they revoked all permits for him to build anything there.

 

[racecougar]

Thank you for your feedback. The garage(s) would be set in the far back corner of my property, with very limited view from the street. I have a good relationship with my neighbors and I'd likely show them the plans before starting to submit for permits to have that conversation beforehand.

Many counties use aerial/satellite imagery to search for code violations just like this on a regular basis. Hiding what you're wanting to do from street view is likely not going to be enough. File for a variance.

 

[luvtheheat]

I'm in very early stage of planning my garage. I'm required to have a 10' side setback from my neighbors. Since I'm going to be pushing that very closely on the side with the new detached garage, I had a land survey done ($2K). The side I'm building on, the neighbor put up a fence before I bought this house. Turns out the fence was built an inch on his side of the property line, so now I know just where my 10' setback needs to be.

In the "no good deed goes unpunished" category, I "lost" about 5 feet of what I thought was my land on the other side of my house. Of course it was never really "mine", I just thought it was. Never a fence on that property line. LOL

My advice, never try to get around permits, setbacks, CCRs, etc. As mentioned above by someone else, you could have a VERY expensive problem down the road.

I didn't like paying $2k for the survey but would really hate spending $$$ building the garage and finding out it's too close to the line.

 

[Popeye.]

A neighbor of one of my coworkers did something like this. He was building a massive garage in his back yard, which blocked the sun from his neighbour's yard and took up way too much of the lot. He had permits to build something, but not anywhere near what he did. It was fully constructed and wrapped and shingled with windows and doors installed but not sided when the inspectors popped by and stopped construction. In the end he had to tear it all down and they revoked all permits for him to build anything there.

Yikes. That sounds terrible.

When I asked my builder about applying for a variance, he said to not bother. His experience has been, they will take your $$, and ultimately tell you no after months of waiting for a decision. I still think it may be the best route to avoid issues down the road...

FWIW my builder has done multiple garages joined together similarly in my same county. He suggested the idea.

 

[My Old Tools]

Many counties use aerial/satellite imagery to search for code violations just like this on a regular basis. Hiding what you're wanting to do from street view is likely not going to be enough. File for a variance.

Yep, almost all do. We are in a private gated area. Appraisers can't get in, but they found my new shop in a couple of months and knew the square footage. They couldn't tell how it was built so it went down as a pole barn instead of a nice shop.

 

[DadsTools]

Don't want to be a buzz-kill, but I think there's an issue that's being danced around. It seems the main theme here is, "how can I break the law and not get caught?" That's exactly how a criminal thinks.

I live in an agricultural zoning, but it's almost kind of of a suburban setting. In other words, most of the agricultural activity is more like 'playing' at farming but not full-blown farming or livestock. So I've seen numerous instances where folks have pushed the envelope and have always got flagged for it. My next-door neighbor decided to put in a small pig sty. Of course, it was on a location as far away from his own house it could be (I wonder why), but right up against the fence of his neighbor in the back. Yep, it stank. Screw the neighbor, right? Well, the county got called, and they decided to cite him for every violation they could find on his property. They threw the book at him. He ended up buying a real agricultural 10-acre property in an adjacent town where it was realistically feasible in the eyes of any reasonable person to have the kind of operation he wanted. He left a few cows on the pasture just so he could continue to collect his tax discount (more cheater mentality), and rented out the house.

I think the thing that needs to be considered is why are the specific zone restrictions in place there to begin with? I know in my area, looking at the neighborhood makes it very plain why our zoning restrictions are in place. I suspect if one looked around at the OP's neighborhood, it would be quite apparent why his restrictions exist. The neighbors bought their properties with the understanding of the restrictions, and have every right to expect those restrictions to be maintained and enforced. And no, if someone reports a violation, they're not the bad guy--that's like the criminal blaming the cops for being busted and the judge for sentencing them instead of accepting the responsibility for their own actions. The neighbor isn't the bad guy--the violator is. What a novel idea.

So IMO, the overarching criteria here should not be what you can get away with, but in doing the right thing for everyone concerned. The law probably has not changed since the property was bought, so there's no surprise being sprung on anyone. Obey the law and stop thinking about how to cheat.

 

[mcbane]

Why not look into the variance process. Especially if neighbors are willing to sign letters of support, it may be possible to do the structure you want legally.

 

[05snopro440]

Yikes. That sounds terrible.

When I asked my builder about applying for a variance, he said to not bother. His experience has been, they will take your $$, and ultimately tell you no after months of waiting for a decision. I still think it may be the best route to avoid issues down the road...

FWIW my builder has done multiple garages joined together similarly in my same county. He suggested the idea.

My contractor who filled an old dugout on my property had done ponds and dugouts on many rural properties in my area and told me he didn't think I needed a permit. Turned out that I did.

If your contractor explicitly knows the rules and is suggesting going around them, that's not his call to make and I wouldn't put much stake in that opinion. At the end of the day, the property owner (you) is ultimately responsible for any blowback from building a building that isn't legal, not the contractor. It's also your responsibility to make sure that your contractor knows he needs to follow code.

Contractors don't like variance processes because they slow the process and don't let them do whatever they want.

 

[CraigStu]

Just do what is legal and live w/ it. 20 yrs ago I built a small deck using free material from a neighbor who tore his down. Never even thought about a permit. Neighbor called county and a guy came out. My deck was fine but too much land was now covered. We had previously put 4-5 inches of gravel along side the garage 12'wide x 20 deep to store our boat on a trailer. That was considered impermeable by the county. It cost a LOT more to remove the gravel, haul it away, and put down top soli in it's place than the deck had cost. That was my lesson and I didn't even know I was illegal until after the fact.

 

[cvairwerks]

FWIW my builder has done multiple garages joined together similarly in my same county. He suggested the idea.

Ask him to guarantee in writing, that until you no longer own the property, that he will take the legal and financial hits if the county comes after you.

 

[steve308]

You will get caught!

 

[rktinc]

So glad I live in hillbilly hell and no one cares what I do...

 

[CraigStu]

So glad I live in hillbilly hell and no one cares what I do...

There have been several times I wished I lived in hillbilly hell. Overall I suppose all the regulations mostly make sense but every time I drive past a new home build and see that short wall of black plastic the builder is forced to install all around the site I think that may be the dumbest reg ever. And I wonder how much money is wasted in every year on that ****.

 

[racecougar]

There have been several times I wished I lived in hillbilly hell. Overall I suppose all the regulations mostly make sense but every time I drive past a new home build and see that short wall of black plastic the builder is forced to install all around the site I think that may be the dumbest reg ever. And I wonder how much money is wasted in every year on that ****.

Silt fencing? It might not make much sense on a level lot, but it sure does on hilly areas that see hard rains.

 

[RPH]

Silt fencing? It might not make much sense on a level lot, but it sure does on hilly areas that see hard rains.

Most of the silt fences here around construction sites tend to gather more construction debris than silt. I guess some folk feel their trash should be somebody else’s problem. Keep the trash on site and make it easy to clean up. Help keep the neighborhood clean.