Putting a basement under my garage (& back yard) ?

[MagKarl]

Sounds like you have a great plan, please keep us informed and take us along for the ride. I'm in!

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

There are several 2 and 3 million dollar houses on my street. Our house isn't out of sync with the rest of the properties. Middling, actually.

I think and I've been told by several people that this project especially adds value to an inner city property.

A very interesting project, especially since I am contemplating putting a full basement under a 1880's 2-story colonial that has a partial basement/partial crawl space cellar.

The one thing that is curious to me, is that this very high end property, and its' 2-3 million dollar neighbors are in what is referred to as an "inner city property." In all the "inner cities" that I've been in, the properties looked quite different, and in most of them, the whole block could be bought for a fraction of that. Around here, those buildings are in the (wealthier ) suburbs. No wonder the OP doesn't want to disclose his location.

In any event, a very interesting thread.





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[sublimate]

The one thing that is curious to me, is that this very high end property, and its' 2-3 million dollar neighbors are in what is referred to as an "inner city property." In all the "inner cities" that I've been in, the properties looked quite different, and in most of them, the whole block could be bought for a fraction of that. Around here, those buildings are in the (wealthier ) suburbs.

There's a little town in your state and not too far from you called "Manhattan" where the inner city blocks and the buildings are worth a bit more than out in the 'burbs. You should check it out if you're down that way.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

Okay, no problem. I didn't know the OP was in NYC. ....but that is an exception to most cities.





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[mikefromme]

Another little behind the scenes episode was when the city declared the planter along the street illegal and was about to order me to remove it. Which would have been great because removing the planter would have meant removing the trees, which would have mean the garage could have been moved off the lot. The mover wanted only an extra $1500 to move it off the lot versus just lifting it.

However, when I showed the city that the tree roots were in the illegal planter, they hesitated. And then they found the improperly filed permit that was used for the planter (and the illegal fence) in the first place. So all was well again.

But for a week the whole plan was in limbo while we straightened things out with the city. When I say the whole plan, it even involved whether I would buy a skid steer because if the planter was removed and the trees were gone and we moved the garage, we could use a decent sized excavator instead of the skid steer.

But then there is the issue of the slope and the retaining wall we want to build in the front yard !

Did I mention we need to move the gas line ? Actually, that isn't a problem, but we haven't figured out how to supply the house with gas while we are doing the project. And we have the same problem with the electrical feed - its right where we are excavating.

All in all, I'm probably spending 20 hours a week right now on design and planning issues. Luckily, thus far everything has had a reasonable and economical solution, but the path to that solution certainly isn't linear.

So why wouldn't you just remove the planter and trees? Moving the garage out of the Way makes for an exponentially easier project.

 

[someguy11]

So why wouldn't you just remove the planter and trees? Moving the garage out of the Way makes for an exponentially easier project.

The city owns the trees and has a huge fine for damaging or removing a tree. Its to keep developers from destroying the character of the area.

 

[someguy11]

I got a quote on the concrete and its cheaper than I originally estimated. $180/yard versus $250. The designer is calling for a bit more concrete than we originally planned, 10" roofs versus 8 inch roofs, so that offsets it a bit, but there is still some cost saving here. My original estimate called for 100 yards, now I think we'll need 110 yards or so.

Another behind the scenes event was the land surveyor messed up a few things on the legal land survey that was supplied by the builder when I bought the house. Its part of what caused the issue with the planter.

I contacted the surveyor to fix up and reissue the survey document. I mentioned to him that I needed elevations for the conceptual permit. This was just about 2 weeks ago. He got back to me today. He wants $550 to shoot some simple elevations. I have since bought my laser level and I shot those same elevations and many more in a couple hours this past weekend. Ie, the laser level has almost paid for itself, on those few shots alone.

Not only that, but that laser level is going to get lots of work when we are in the construction and landscaping phases. Its pretty much indispensable.

 

[someguy11]

I'm actually a bit fatigued from working on this project. Its all the calls and meetings and explaining things and problem solving and worrying. The real problem is that its all talk. It will be so nice when we can finally start actually doing something.

The landscape designer came up with a slightly different idea for the front yard than I was expecting. It might involve a lot less dirt work. Should that plan be accepted, I might build out the front yard this summer so that next summer we don't have the both yards in shambles.

I'm still dealing on Bobcats. The owner of the local A300 can't part with it until October at the earliest. That is a chance I can't take, so I'm looking elsewhere.

 

[duneslider]

Fun project, man lots of haters though. I have neighbors who have hand dug basements under their houses, one 5 gallon bucket at a time.

This isn't as big of a deal as many are making it out to be. I plan to add a basement under my garage in a few years when I do a remodel and will have the roof off anyway. Of course, my garage was originally poured with full depth walls so it makes it a little easier.

Glad I happened upon this thread, should be awesome when it is done.

 

[someguy11]

I just bought a really nice but used skid steer bucket. But I don't own a skid steer ! My son thinks this is hilarious. LOL.

My wife doesn't know what to think of all this, but she's seen me through big projects before, so she is OK. She is really looking forward to the landscaping and wants the bedroom back that is now my office.

Present status is the SE is doing the last revisions on the drawings and waiting for the city to schedule the pre application meeting.

 

[Strouty]

What if the skidsteer you buy comes with the same bucket?

 

[someguy11]

There are several answers to this question. Its another one of those behind the scenes things.

1) I've got my purchase short listed to 2 particular skid steers. I'm waiting for one of them to finish an inspection by a Bobcat dealer. Neither comes with a bucket. The seller has found me a bucket for one of them, but I'll probably decline it, depending on how much he wants for the bucket when we complete our dealing.

2) I have to haul a ton of dirt out of the basement hole in the Bobcat bucket. I'll also be loading trucks with the Bobcat and the bigger the load I get in the bucket, the fewer cycles I'll need.

A standard 76" A300 bucket is about 18 cubic feet heaped. They are very low along the back side. People weld sideboards on them to increase the capacity. I want a bucket that is considerably larger than the standard bucket.

3) Concrete pumps are ridiculously expensive. $100+ an hour, $450 minimum charge. We may very well have to excavate, form and pour the basement in small sections due to soil stability concerns. I don't want to be paying a concrete pump $450 every time we need to pour something.

So... I purchased a genuine Cat 78 inch "light material and snow" bucket. It holds 1 cubic yard struck and is built very rugged.

http://www.cat.com/en_IN/products/n...r-loader/light-material-buckets/17829192.html

The bucket I purchased is just like new and came with a spare cutting edge. None of the paint is even worn, though the cutting edge is. The previous owner wore the cutting edge scraping ice with it. I paid $800 for the bucket.

An A300 is rated to handle 3,000 pounds in the bucket. I'm not saying that I'm going to be heaping the new bucket up and hauling out more than that, but I want as much of a full load in the A300 bucket as I can get coming out of the hole each time. It would be great if I averaged a full yard on each cycle, but we'll see how it goes.

Even if the new bucket isn't practical for dirt, it will work pretty well for hauling concrete into the hole. With some careful driving, we can probably put 1/2 to 3/4 yard in the bucket and not spill much. Even if we only use it to haul the concrete from the truck to pour the footings, it will be half paid by saving 1 concrete pump episode and I'm sure I can always sell it for nearly what I paid for it.

I'll probably add teeth to my bucket, but I'll see how it works weight and load wise first.

FWIW, my friend has an A300 and he thinks it should come standard with an 84" bucket, so I'm not going out on a limb buying this bucket.

The one thing I am concerned about is being able to see the cutting edge when I'm using it. The back of the bucket is pretty high. A bucket with a lower back would be better visibility wise.

 

[someguy11]

MY BIGGEST FEARS

My biggest fear is that we start excavating and we get down a ways and it starts raining and our hole becomes a mud pit. We'd pump it out of course, but it would still be a nightmare, especially since we are doing this in the fall when the days are cooler and there would be less drying in a day.

2015 is supposed to an el Nino year. Cross your fingers !

I'm not sure what we would do if it rained and got mucky. This whole plan revolves around the Bobcat being able to move the dirt in an efficient manner and get up and down the ramp.

I think a good backup plan would be to rent a mini excavator and have it slop the muck into a pile located on semi dry ground in the basement and still have the Bobcat take it out.

Another option might be to wait until the material froze lightly and take it out semi frozen.

Worst case would be having to abandon the project and let it sit over winter, pump it out in the spring and resume when it dried out.

 

[someguy11]

Oops, wrong bucket. Here is the right one.

http://www.cat.com/en_IN/products/n...r-loader/light-material-buckets/17829192.html

 

[AndyCBR]

Just throwing something out there.

The track based machines may be out of budget but are worth a look for your application. We own several bobcats including a t300 and the performance and stability of the rubber tracks puts the wheeled based machines to shame.. Additionally, since you are trying to use the machine for digging the additional tractive force the tracks can put to the ground will be helpful at the bucket.

The resale value is good also. One other point is if you get any rainfall (you most certainly will sooner or later) the track machine will be able to climb wet grades the wheeled machine can't.. This may translate into a day you can work instead of being shut down.

Whatever machine you get do check the lift height. Non high lift models have difficulty loading trucks with tall side boards.

Something to think about.

Good luck with the project.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[someguy11]

A few points.

1) An A300 will run circles around a track loader in good (dry) conditions. A tracked loader would take at least 50% longer due to lower running speed and decreased maneuverability.

2) A track loader is much more expensive to rent or operate due to the cost of the wear on the tracks.

3) An A300 is going to be much gentler on the ramp (if its dry) than a conventional skid steer or a tracked machine. Remember, we'll be literally going up and down that ramp 1000 times.

4) One of the things people overlook with tracked machines is ground clearance. The wheel loaders usually have better ground clearance. My friend bought a new JD 323D and is very non impressed with the ground clearance. It also has the standard narrow tracks on it and he is very unhappy with how it performs in wet conditions.

Bottom line, if its wet, we may need a good tracked machine. If its dry, the A300 is the machine of choice.

FWIW, we could always throw a set of over the wheels tracks on an A300 to help it out in soft conditions.

 

[duneslider]

I am not an excavator or a bobcat expert but I see a lot of guys in my area putting tracks over their wheeled bobcats in the wet months here. Not sure how good those work, but might be an option?

 

[someguy11]

I am not an excavator or a bobcat expert but I see a lot of guys in my area putting tracks over their wheeled bobcats in the wet months here. Not sure how good those work, but might be an option?

I think its a good option. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

 

[AndyCBR]

I was offering some suggestions but ultimately it is your project and money so you can do what you wish.

You seem to speak from a position of authority and experience so I am uncertain if you really want advice or if this is some type of elaborate troll.

Regardless, I'll respond to your comments below.

Again, buy whatever pleases you but please don't state your opinions as fact.

1) An A300 will run circles around a track loader in good (dry) conditions. A tracked loader would take at least 50% longer due to lower running speed and decreased maneuverability.

Not sure where you came up with this. On dry ground all three bobcat machines in the same size will have similar cycle times. I would venture to guess if one was loading a truck the track machine would be quicker because you can raise the load and turn simultaneously without all of the "teeter totter" action the wheel machines are famous for. This stability also comes into play when traversing as you can safely raise the load higher and not worry about tipping fore or aft under acceleration or braking. Additionally on wet ground the tracked machine will blow away the wheeled machines that are trying to traverse in their own deepening ruts.

2) A track loader is much more expensive to rent or operate due to the cost of the wear on the tracks.

I will agree that they are more expensive to purchase and maintain. "Much more" is a relative term but I wouldn't consider them an order of magnitude more in maintenance and purchase.

If you are serious about getting work done in inclement conditions there is no substitute.

3) An A300 is going to be much gentler on the ramp (if its dry) than a conventional skid steer or a tracked machine. Remember, we'll be literally going up and down that ramp 1000 times.

You are correct about the articulating machine being gentler than a traditional skid steer but you are wrong about the tracked machine. The tracked system spreads the load over a large area and you don't end up with a rutted up mess like a wheeled machine. The all wheel steer machine is definitely a step in the right direction from a traditional tire skid steer but it is still a rolling wheel and acts as such.

4) One of the things people overlook with tracked machines is ground clearance. The wheel loaders usually have better ground clearance. My friend bought a new JD 323D and is very non impressed with the ground clearance. It also has the standard narrow tracks on it and he is very unhappy with how it performs in wet conditions.

Tracked machines don't need the ground clearance because they don't continually dig narrow ruts that get deeper every cycle. They spread their weight out over a larger area and have a lower psi when traveling. That is the whole point of a track system. I have lost count of the number of wheeled skid steers we have had to pull out and I can count on one hand the number of tracked machines. They are superior in any kind of wet conditions.

Bottom line, if its wet, we may need a good tracked machine. If its dry, the A300 is the machine of choice.

FWIW, we could always throw a set of over the wheels tracks on an A300 to help it out in soft conditions.

I think you underestimate the value of working in wet conditions.

I also mentioned how much better they are at digging into a pile and that is understated. The tracks increased area transmit much more forward force to the bucket than the wheels can put to the ground. The tracked machine can almost perform light dozer work because it can push so well and stays flat on the ground while doing so (not wheelying up like a wheeled machine).

We also had a machine with the add on tracks and I wouldn't recommend them. It simply puts too much load on the drive train and the machine will not run properly with them on.

 

[someguy11]

I don't want to argue the tracked versus wheeled debate. My friend has an A300 and a JD 323D. When the ground is dry, the tracked 323 sits and the A300 is working.

Its going to cost $2100 to get the gas line and meter moved. Its the same cost no matter where we put it within about 10 feet of the property line.

We haven't figured out how we are going to supply gas to the house during construction. The gas line is buried right where we are going to excavate.

The only appliances we have that run on gas are the boiler and the fireplaces. One option might be to convert the boiler to run on propane and park a propane tank on the lawn.

The gas company is looking at other options.

 

[someguy11]

I just bought an A300. I won't see it for a week or so.

 

[Tdoriot]

Having moved thousands of yards of material with our two Bobcats, they are indeed amazing machines. However, add water and you are quickly in an entirely new dynamic. If you are bare tire only you won't make it up much of a ramp in the mud. We use grouser tracks and they work well, except they dig at the mud till the undercarriage drags. Then your screwed again till you dig that out. If it's dry, you might have a fighting chance, mud will kill you. As far as moving concrete, you pretty much need to back down with full buckets or you end up dumping half of it on the ground. Much depends on the soil type. Some hardpan can't be dug with any efficiency with anything but an excavator. Our best success on a project similar to yours was taking the cage of our TB135 and digging under the building, passing the dirt to the Bobcat. Our big advantage was very low ramp, since this job had a daylight exposure. Our dirt disposal area was up a hill. We had to build a transit road with a geotextile fabric and about 8" of gravel. That was quite a few loads of gravel. We still had rutting issues wherever we had to turn. I really hope that this undertaking gets legs. I just hope that all of the advice from those of us that have been there and done that helps. You'll find that your cycle times will be waaaaaay longer than you think, if possible at all. Do not try this in the rainy season. Mud, bank instability, shoring, traction, and wildly escalating costs will become your worst nightmare!

 

[Diesel Dan]

Does bobcat even off tracts for the A300 since it has steer wheels?

Also, since it turns does that make it a steer-steer instead of a skid-steer??

 

[snorky18]

We aren't going to move for the next 20 years anyway. Famous last words ?

^^Nah, those may not be the famous last words.

Ground water: is not a problem, though the floor may actually be below the elevation of the sewer line and thus I may need a sewage lift pump. I'm working with a designer and he says it not a big deal.

^^Now THOSE sounds like famous last words.

If the says it's not a big deal because he's done a lot of work in your area, knows local water elevation table eleveations, sub-surface conditions, etc, then maybe that's OK. But if it were me, I'd want to know WHY he says it's a not a big deal. Lack of a technical justifcation=it's not necessairly OK, and could be a big smelly long term problem.

If you're below the sanirtary sewer line, then you may also be below the storm line, and you may also be below water table - depends on where you are and what's under your specific lawn.

Overall, sounds like it would be a sweet project, but you better have a huge amount of contingency cash and patience (and preferably construction management experience as well) available before you embark on it.

 

[someguy11]

Does bobcat even off tracts for the A300 since it has steer wheels?

Also, since it turns does that make it a steer-steer instead of a skid-steer??

The a300 has 2 modes of operation. All wheel steer or conventional skid steer. To use tracks you put it in skid steer mode.

Fit wise its just like a s300, except it uses different axles, which makes it a bit wider.

Its a pretty innovative machine.

 

[Diesel Dan]

The a300 has 2 modes of operation.

Dual mode, now that is interesting!

 

[KDXSR5]

This is an intriguing build. Please keep the updates coming! Pics of the new toy?

 

[rieferman]

Great thread. Despite some of the vocal naysayers in this thread, my impression is that the OP is capable of major project work, and willing to tackle complex problems with his mind and the help of professionals. I'm rooting for you!

Also, to those that have been providing constructive advice and brainstorms (without the negativity) thanks for the thought provoking reading!

 

[ishiboo]

A300's primary advantage is on turf and concrete. For your needs, the all wheel steer is worthless, added complexity and cost.

A snow/light materials bucket was useless. You're digging with it, you'll want and need a HD lo pro/dirt bucket. With teeth. Hopefully you will wise up and realize that a concrete pump is WELL worth the money. If not, concrete is not a light material so the bucket is still useless. You can fill it 1/3rd full for concrete, sure, but you can't make up for the lost digging capacity from having the long back/width.

Water management is going to be a huge deal. It may come down to you having to put base down (a lot of gravel) on the ramp and portions of the floor that are dug, plus trenches/pumps/etc. to be able to keep rolling if it rains. Given what sounds like a small exposed area, you may just have to tarp/tent the whole darn thing.

Rent an excavator for even a day to do whatever you can before you have to switch to the skid steer, it will be 5X as fast. A mini hoe might be the way to go when you get down anyway. If you have anywhere that rents conveyors it would be worth it, but they are definitely hard to find.

All in all, if the money is there this will be a VERY interesting project to watch!

 

[someguy11]

There are a lot of unknowns about how this project is going to unfold.

I bought the a300 because it is a versatile all round maxhine. If tbe conditions are right it can probably do the project by itself. If conditions get bad I'll suppliment it with an excavator or tracked skid steer. Not a big deal to rent those for a week or two of excavation.

A concrete pump is $450 every time it comes on site. If I can save even 1 concrete pump setup, Ive half paid for the oversize bucket. Ill be probably buy a regular bucket as well. Im probably going to try renting out the a300 for a year or so, the big bucket will also get used in snow season.

A300s are pretty reliable. I didnt pay a huge premium for aws over an s300. The a300 is better in mud than the s300 because the wheels keep pulling even when steering and its better at wiggling in certain conditions.

It looks like we might do the front yard patio immediately. If so, it will be a good trial run to see how everything works.

I also have a couple interesting mods planned for the big bucket.

 

[someguy11]

Its been a really frustrating time the last couple weeks.

I've been waiting for the city to assign a planning adviser to my project for over 2 weeks. I still have not got one nor have I been given a pre application meeting date.

My A300 is slowly making its way to me. The trucking company is consolidating partial loads to make a full load. Somehow the load it was supposed to be on became full and thus we wait while various loads are picked up and consolidated.

It took our landscape designer a long time to generate plans for our property. And we have some issues with what she has suggested. So we need another meeting with her, which won't happen until next week.

I was hoping that we had the landscaping plans finalized, the A300 was delivered and the meeting with the city was done by this time.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I'm curious, have you talked with your neighbor's insurance company yet? This construction will be taking over some of their property since the structures are so close and may require cribbing and such on their side of the property line. That makes it a liability and that neighbor may be forced to pay higher premiums during this period. That, along with the loss of use of the area affected are financial issues the neighbor may come to you later for compensation. It would be a very good notion to get a lawyer involved just to protect yourself from a lawsuit a year down the road after everything is done.

You have certainly big ideas and for such a concentrated small space for a lot, it will be interesting to see what happens.

I tried checking into this in my city, but they flat out said no since any extension of livable space under the yard or outside the existing foundation had to be soil that percolated and drained. Putting an enclosed space under the yard was considered the same as if you had paved it over and did not allow the minimum draining required by city code for the space. I have a larger lot than yours and I couldn't do it. Not an option for my city location. You appear to have a much more lenient group to work with.

 

[someguy11]

I've been communicating my plans to my neighbors. They seem fine with everything. I have a good relationship with them.

The city has a statement about keeping water on a property. I'm not worried as there is a line of big spruce trees along the side. I plan to run the water off the back yard bunker roof to the root area of those trees. I don't care if a bit of water sits there from time to time. The trees will **** it up pretty quick. They need the water.

 

[Strouty]

A concrete pump is $450 every time it comes on site. If I can save even 1 concrete pump setup, Ive half paid for the oversize bucket. Ill be probably buy a regular bucket as well. Im probably going to try renting out the a300 for a year or so, the big bucket will also get used in snow season.

I also have a couple interesting mods planned for the big bucket.

There is no replacement for a pump. If you can use the A300 for the footers that would be a big help, but I would not plan on using it for the walls and if you go radiant in the floor, you can forget about that too.

Also holding a yard of concrete is not like dirt, your entrance ramp will probably mean you can only get ⅔ of a yard unless you make the bucket a lot larger. Going down the ramp backwards will help as well.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

I've been communicating my plans to my neighbors. They seem fine with everything. I have a good relationship with them.

The city has a statement about keeping water on a property. I'm not worried as there is a line of big spruce trees along the side. I plan to run the water off the back yard bunker roof to the root area of those trees. I don't care if a bit of water sits there from time to time. The trees will **** it up pretty quick. They need the water.

Your neighbors now are fine with this. When they go to sell and learn their property is worth less or is harder to market, that might change. Or a new owner of the property has problems. A simple document drawn up now acknowledging all of this will avoid very costly problems later. Think of it as insurance.

Speaking of insurance, I did mention your neighbor's insurance for a reason. They may not know if their insurance company will be okay with this or not. It is something that I had to check with for my own project work as my insurance company could have dropped me entirely had I not mentioned the work being done next door to my property.

Again, being proactive now can save headaches later.

 

[someguy11]

A simple document drawn up now acknowledging all of this will avoid very costly problems later.

What ? I cannot begin to imagine what said document would say or how it would be worded. And what neighbor in his right mind would ever sign a document like that ?

And how exactly would the document save me money in the future ? You aren't allowed to mitigate damages, except in very special cases. When something happens, damages get calculated and they are what they are.

Its my lot. I'm allowed to do what I want on it, within the city's guidelines. If his property value goes down, so be it. Is he going to give me a piece of the pie if it goes up ? I don't think so.

Speaking of insurance, I did mention your neighbor's insurance for a reason. They may not know if their insurance company will be okay with this or not. It is something that I had to check with for my own project work as my insurance company could have dropped me entirely had I not mentioned the work being done next door to my property.

If something I do damages my neighbors property, I invite my neighbor to make a claim and we'll settle it, with or without MY insurance taking care of it. There is no way my neighbors insurance company needs to be notified or concerned that I am doing a project on my property, even if there is spillover onto my neighbors property.

 

[coldh2o]

If something I do damages my neighbors property, I invite my neighbor to make a claim and we'll settle it, with or without MY insurance taking care of it. There is no way my neighbors insurance company needs to be notified or concerned that I am doing a project on my property, even if there is spillover onto my neighbors property.

Exactly what I was thinking. Your neighbour has no control over what you do on your property, hence his insurance company can't penalize him for your activities.

Maybe Vegaman was talking about getting a new policy in light of pre-existing conditions? Certainly an insurance company would rightfully be concerned about a neighbour's activity if it was existing, ie. trying to get a policy with a nuclear power plant next door.

 

[someguy11]

Looks like we are going to get our permits !

I managed to squeeze myself into the last available slot with my assigned city planner today.

I told her about the project on the phone. She was skeptical and mentioned that they had approved a similar project a few years back and it became a bit of an issue around the neighborhood.

We started with the plans then proceeded to pictures of the property then to the site plan and then to the landscaping plan.

It turns out she really likes the project because it adds functionality to the property in an unobtrusive way, its being done on a reasonable scale, the engineering looks sound and we have considered all the factors.

What sold her was the landscaping plan and the fact that we are covering the roof with grass and putting various plants around the rest of the yard.

The City has no problem with projects like this when they don't end up being an eyesore and something they regret approving. She could see from the planter that we refurbished last year and the state of our property that wasn't going to be the case with this project and thus it was an easy sell.

We still need the conceptual permit, but only for one easement. The existing garage is already a fully sized building, height wise. Its 15' from the garage floor to the peak of the roof. When we put it on the grade beam to handle the water issues, it will be an oversized building, height wise and thus we need an easement for that.

She assured me there is no grounds not to grant the easement, its a sure thing, though they still have to go through the formalities.

She fully understood why we wanted to put the garage up on a grade beam. It sits too low in the yard and that prevents us from landscaping for proper drainage. We can't just raise the garage floor because then it would be too high relative to the alley. So that leaves us 2 options... either cut the garage walls down by a foot and reattach footers to them or apply for an easement for an over height building.

I'm going to apply for the easement. I'll have 10 foot ceilings and 9 foot garage doors as a bonus.

We need to make a couple small changes to the drawings. I need to gather a ton of supporting documents that go with the conceptual permit application. I hope to submit it on Monday.

There shouldn't be any problem having a building permit for September 1st.

My A300 should be here on Wednesday.

 

[HeadsUp]

Congrats! Found your thread last week. Very interesting read. Good for you not listening to the naysayers.

Look forward to pictures of your progress.

 

[ez-duzit]

...We still need the conceptual permit, but only for one easement. The existing garage is already a fully sized building, height wise. Its 15' from the garage floor to the peak of the roof. When we put it on the grade beam to handle the water issues, it will be an oversized building, height wise and thus we need an easement for that.

She assured me there is no grounds not to grant the easement
...apply for an easement for an over height building.

I'm going to apply for the easement...

Don't you mean variance?

"easement--...a right to cross or otherwise use someone else's land for a specified purpose."