Maximum garage size/basement garage

[cdseven95]

So I submitted plans for a house 35x58 with a basement same size
Basement in the rear would be ground level and in the front the first floor would be level (hill)

house is only 2000 sq feet living space with 2000 sq feet garage/basement. Basement has plans for a single garage door and nothing else. So the "garage" would be 35x58 or about 2000 square feet

Guy at the town said "you cant have 50% of your square footage a garage" and that I needed to divide it garage/basement

I asked for clarification on the law .. He said he needed to do more research on this and would get back on it.

This is in NH

 

[astroracer]

It's a basement. If you don't call it a "garage" no one will care. And, to meet code, you will have to have at least a man door or 3 x 5 window for emergency ingress/egress. Frame for the garage door but put "patio doors" on the plans...
You will probably end up with posts down the center to support a steel beam under the floor joists. Engineered floor joists to span 35' will be cost prohibitive. I would be interested in cost when you price it out.
Mark

 

[73fxe]

Put a utility room and a bathroom in the basement. That will make it under 50% of the area.

 

[astroracer]

Put a utility room and a bathroom in the basement. That will make it under 50% of the area.

^This ^

 

[yeldogt]

What's code say about fire protection -- building a garage under living space is more difficult vs what was common years ago. It was unbelievable what I had to do in Philadelphia for one car. The houses with attached garages have had to have fire walls and fire doors separating the bonus room from the main house ... no bedrooms allowed above "garage space"

 

[ScottsGT]

It's because they can't tax garage square footage.

 

[astroracer]

That's why I would say it's just a "basement"... What they don't know won't cost you money... I would still use firewall on the ceiling, just to be safe, but you could do it afterward, as you can afford it.
Frame in the garage door opening and then build a temporary wall with a man door in it. That will stay in place until the move-in inspection. Swap for the garage door after you get moved in.
Mark

 

[Showkey]

More likely covenants because in that area they want the house to look "right". Bet they also have a rule about the size of the outbuildings too. They do not want a 2500 sqft home witha 8000 garage, shed, storage area or what ever.

 

[raferguson]

Be sure that you specify 5/8 fire rated drywall on the ceiling, and a fire rated door for the downstairs. Building a bedroom over a garage is not unusual, as I understand it.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/6-steps-to-adding-above-garage

The best strategy is probably to draw a dotted line on the prints, and say this half is garage, and the other half is basement storage. That way you don't lie on the prints.

As the one gentleman said, you will need to figure out the right size for the beam to support the house. Forget about a 35 foot span, it will be prohibitive in cost and size. This is not a complex engineering calculation, but you ought to have an engineer look at it. They might want an engineer to sign the drawings. Steel beams are good in that they are stiffer than wood trusses, size for size. I have steel beams holding up my addition, no problem, the weight is on three piers.

 

[2level]

You may be able to save a lot of money/taxes by using/designating as much garage square footage as possible. In my county, the garage square footage is tax assessed/valued between ~$10 and $15/square foot, while living space is ~$70-$250/sf.

OP, is your design 58 feet wide, or 58 deep?