Two sheds look as one

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This might sound like a crazy idea but hear me out!

In my municipality I am only allowed up to 108sqft, max height 13ft measured between the eves and the ridge. Now to avoid building permits, possible property tax increase I was thinking why not try to build 2 sheds, keep them separate but try and design it so it doesn't look like 2 cookie cutter sheds side by side.

I have a corner lot and a good size side yard which is where the sheds will be going. I was thinking to build one shed to the max allowed dimensions and as tall as I can make it without it looking awkward with a gable roof. Then right besides it (but not connected) build a smaller shed with a single sloped roof going up and stopping under the eves of the first one (sloping away from the first shed). Give it a "wood shed storage" look.

Thoughts? Any other suggestions.

Below is the best example I could find on google that shows what I am talking about. The scale and sizes of the two sheds is NOT what I'm after but you get the idea.

 

[jonjon1]

I would just pull the permit lol,
But it sounds like if you are hell bent on not, your idea can work..

Something to consider though, check your local codes, some have strict rules about qty of sheds, how close they can be together, etc...

A friend of mine built 2 sheds and then connected them with 1 roof, not to get past a town coe or anything like that just because he wanted that design, he has 2 shed say 10x16 and then he has 10ft between them covered by the common roof, so he can pull his tractor under that roof and other stuff he can keep outside but still have cover...

 

[bczygan]

Check your zoning rules very carefully.

Some places allow more than one accessory building. Some don't define a limit and you are only limited by minimum distances between buildings, maximum back yard coverage, maximum lot hard surface coverage, setbacks, easements etc.

Attachment to the house changes rules and heights that apply.

Sometimes, to get what you want and need, a permit is necessary, and worth going through the hassle for.

The midpoint of roof slope rule you have, allows some inventive thinking. A mansard or gambrel roof, with the eave at a much lower elevation, allows a much higher peak. Say a 4' eave, would give a 22' peak. Might look funny, but think of the volume! Even with an 8' eave, you can have an 18' peak. With a slab, you can get 2 stories. My brother built a shed just like that with ladder access to the second story.

Check rules for how square footage is calculate. Possible you can add lean to roofs on one or more sides with paving under them, to increase outside covered storage.

Camouflage....

Have you seen the shed hidden under a woodpile? How about a workshop disguised as an aboveground pool and deck?

Can you have trailers parked in the yard? They can act as sheds as well. Probably have to be properly plated and registered, but an enclosed one of good size can do a lot for storage and even work space.

 

[bczygan]

You could always add a basement to it.

Or build entirely underground.

Cities use Google Earth and drones to check for assessments. Some search social media. Does yours?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Make sure that's not 108 square feet total allowed - otherwise a person could fill up their yard with dozens of 108 square feet sheds, and that's probably not what they intended.

 

[brouser01]

...drones to check for assessments. Some search social media. Does yours?

What cities have the resources/staff/"bandwidth" to do this these days? I believe most cities do not have the "man power" to enforce a fraction of the existing laws/regulations they have.

I say, build it they way you want. Try not to live life based on what-ifs & stuff that may never happen.

 

[scissorman]

What cities have the resources/staff/"bandwidth" to do this these days? I believe most cities do not have the "man power" to enforce a fraction of the existing laws/regulations they have.

I say, build it they way you want. Try not to live life based on what-ifs & stuff that may never happen.

MANY cities do this. A code inspector going to a house to check up on the status of a pulled permit WILL keep his/her eyes open for other "projects" in the neighborhood and or other visible buildings and then check up on them when back at the office to see if they are "legal" (permitted) and if not you WILL be getting a visit or a letter in the mail from the city building inspector.

 

[brouser01]

I don't think this is as common as people think. The only person I have ever known to get one of these letters was a friend who was lifting his garage an entire floor up. He set the unit back in its original footprint and that was that no inspector no city fine or hearing. I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I just have never witnessed it. Specifically, how many people have you known personally that building unpermitted bit them in the ***?

 

[FullRaceMerc]

My father went thru a similar situation years ago. He was building an unpermitted shed & a neighbor called the building dept. The inspector was okay with the quality of the work, seemed to think it was no big deal, but since someone had called it had to be torn down.

The inspector suggested the 2 smaller sheds, under the size requirements for the area. Which is what my dad built. As hammer noises started up the neighbor called again. The inspector came back out & he & my dad had a good visit. The sheds stayed.

The 2 separate spaces probably worked out better for his purposes anyway. 2 cookie cutter sheds fit well on his property. They run down the side at the back, so from the front you only see the first shed. He left some space between them & eventually tied the roofs together so he has an outdoor covered space for his bikes. My dad, in his 70s, still likes to ride a bike.

 

[scissorman]

brouser01, not sure what state you live in but i'm in California and that should sum it all up for you.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

brouser01, not sure what state you live in but i'm in California and that should sum it all up for you.

Me too. It can be pretty extreme around here. Neighbors calling on neighbors. Contractors who didn't get a job calling on others. We have gotten jobs where someone else started without a permit, got caught, & needed someone to run it thru the inspection process. We even have one local city where the Fire Department cruises neighborhoods & calls the building dept when something doesn't look right.

We went to look at a job to bid in that city. We weren't doing any work yet, so we didn't buy that city license yet. We had in previous years when we had jobs there. But they saw the commercial plates on the truck & ticketed us for doing work without a license. We were there to see the job so we could prepare the bid. No work was being done. They could walk thru & see that. But we got the ticket anyway. We fought it & lost in that local town. So we took it to the next level up & won. We are still having trouble getting a refund on the fines that we had to pay in advance to be able dispute it.

I guess it all depends on your local city/county. Some areas it pays to understand the laws & build in line with them. Most cities around here are pretty good about answering questions in advance if you walk into the building dept. Some might even have pre-approved plans for typical outbuildings that you can use.

 

[brouser01]

My friend that lifted his garage is actually in CA. Out of all the unpermitted work that you personally know of how many have actually been "caught"? I still don't feel as though it is as common as people think or say.
I definitely understand people do get caught though, I am not disputing that at all.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I don't think it is all that common. But it can be a real pain when it does happen. Right off I can think of 5 times where I am personally aware of someone being caught, but that's been over a 35 year span.

 

[Basstracker34]

My father went thru a similar situation years ago. He was building an unpermitted shed & a neighbor called the building dept. The inspector was okay with the quality of the work, seemed to think it was no big deal, but since someone had called it had to be torn down.

That's what our building inspector told me too. They wouldn't go after someone for building an unpermited shed. Just too costly for doing it. As long as no one complains about it.

But if someone(including building inspector) notified city to complain about a shed that had no permit the city is forced to investigate(use lawyer) regardless of any cost.

I had to pull a permit to build a shed on an existing concrete pad where a shed had already been for 10 years before I bought the house. Previous homeowner took shed with them when they lost house to foreclosure. City inspector was an *** to me about that concrete pad's location(shed wall would be too close to lot line) and wouldn't grandfather it in. Had to extend the concrete pad 3' further away from lot line to allow a 12x12 shed. It's not even near the actual "lot line" but what they reference as the allowed buildable line which is so many feet from lot line. Corner lot.

 

[brouser01]

I have heard that some cities every handful of years will offer a "no fine turn your unpermitted project in" program. Basically if it's up to code you pay a low permit fee then it's legal. Ultimately this is a fundraiser for the city.
OP, build it up to and beyond code, make sure it doesn't "stand out", don't run power tools too early or too late, be a good neighbor, and enjoy.

 

[SteveCh]

In my rural county, the inspectors become inspired to go out and check for un-permitted building of any sort every ten or fifteen years. If and when they find something someone has built or added on to, they figure out about how long ago the property owner did it or had it done, then they fine and back-tax you to that point. It can be painful. And, yes, I know of three people in my circle of acquaintances who've paid the price. Once the county had an aerial photo survey done [airplane, not a drone] and then followed up any "suspicious" sign of bldg. in the photos. They "got" me because I'd added to a deck, but I was able to show them my original bldg. permit drawings from about 30 yr. ago showing that I had intended to do it but hadn't gotten around to it, but had paid the permit fees and etc., so they let me off.

But a friend built a large shed in the trees next to his house, and he did all sorts of things to hide it from the road drive-by view. However, the airplane photo caught the roof between the tree leaves and he was hammered hard with fines and taxes.

At least around here, one is taking a real risk of paying a lot more after the fact than just going through the pain of inspections and permits up front.

 

[6768rogues]

Also check to make sure that the municipality does not have a distance separation required between buildings. Some places consider buildings within the distance separation to be one building.

 

[kd3pc]

What cities have the resources/staff/"bandwidth" to do this these days? I believe most cities do not have the "man power" to enforce a fraction of the existing laws/regulations they have.

I say, build it they way you want. Try not to live life based on what-ifs & stuff that may never happen.

Many jurisdictions just wait for the neighborhood busybody, disgruntled neighbor, etc to call.

Northern VA is crazy with inspectors.

VA Waterfront towns, cities and counties - PAY people to visit every marina, dock and pier to look at boat transoms and hailing port to determine if taxes are current, and if not chase them down. They look for registration numbers and correct stickers as well.

 

[KPSquared]

Just get a permit and pay the tax... It's not gonna do that much to your property value. What some guys won't do to save a penny... At least crunch all the numbers before giving up on one big shed...

 

[JerryB]

I'll risk jumping in here:

First, the inconvenience of having two buildings, each with outside entrances, closely adjoining exterior walls and overlapping roofs is not a solution I would like. And, if you do that, it is pretty permanent or costly to change.

As others have written, many building and tax departments spend lots of time looking for these types of situations, and apply penalties ranging from fines to tearing down the offending structure. Another gotcha is the requirement in many jurisdictions and by lenders that properties being sold are examined for permits and code violations. You could run into a problem years from now that would either cost you or force you to teardown the structures.

IMHO, doing what you are suggesting just to avoid spending a little to get a permit for the building you really want is non-productive. The cost of the double walls and roofing will probably make up the savings you make in not getting a permit for a single building!

 

[METALMOVER]

Are you building this yourself?

 

[fteufert]

A permit is the down payment for a lifetime of additional property taxes.

Read the zoning carefully, and build accordingly. My replacement garage for one that burned down raised my property taxes 15% due to antiquated assessment calculations.

If I had to do it again, I would have built differently, to the letter of the law, which would have favored me.

As for a shed, I can build less than 220 square feet without a permit or tax increase, as long as it has no foundation. My property is all ledge, and my shed has some mortar holding a precast cement post holder supporting it.

Live and learn, those who find the gray area pay far less taxes than us honest people.

 

[METALMOVER]

I actually ended up liking my inspectors, made sure everything that was done, was done correct, and actually congratulated me when I was done. If your having it built, use them to your advantage. There gust guys doing there job.

Goodluck MM

 

[adblink]

Thanks for all the replies. I too have talked to people who have been caught and have had to take it down. So regardless what I decide to do, it will be within what I am allowed to do. Honestly its not just about saving money, its the fact that getting a permit and trying to come up with my own drawings is intimidating. This is my first home, been here 2years. Haven't done something like this before.

I won't be building it alone. My father and brother in law will be helping me. They built their own home and other incredibly huge garages similar to what I have seen on here. I'm not worried about building it, I'm worried about getting it legal and the hoops you have to jump through to make it happen.

 

[worianxun]

The only person I have ever known to get one of these letters was a friend who was lifting his garage an entire floor up.

 

[brouser01]

The only person I have ever known to get one of these letters was a friend who was lifting his garage an entire floor up.

What is the attached pic of?