When we bought the house, there was a shed or outbuilding in the back corner of our property that I have been using for a workshop and place to store gardening tools and stuff.
The roof began leaking in one corner a couple of years ago, so I covered it with a tarp, but I can see that this section of of the shed is rotting out. I won't know until I can remove the tarp and dig into it whether it's fixable or not. Construction is not my strong point, but I can manage some things.
The shed is almost directly up against the back and northside property lines, so if I were to do things properly, I might not be able to set a new structure there, but that is where I'd prefer to have it. By town ordinances, existing structures (that were there before the current building codes) can be repaired and maintained, but not fully replaced without a permit, and then I'd fall into the restrictions governing how close to a property line I can place something.
There is a loohole for portable buildings, however. I'd have to look into it further, but I don't think that portable means that it has to actually be on wheels, so long as there is no foundation and it could theoretically be picked up and moved. I'd have to look into that further, so there might not even be a problem with replacing the building altogether.
I need to do something about it before next winter. As I see it, my options would depend in part on the specifics of our town building code and ordinances, but I am fairly certain that I can repair the building without going through any hoops at all. If I find that it is repairable, then it will probably be something that I can manage myself, given that there's nothing fancy about it - it's a big box, with a door, built on a frame enclosed by plywood.
Of course, the term "repairable" might leave some room for debate. Can I "repair" a building by replacing the frame, the floor, the walls, the roof, and maybe some better foundation blocks on it, as long as I keep the same door? There's nothing wrong with the door.
If I have to replace it, I'd kind of like to enlarge it a little bit.
As I see them, my options would include...
The roof began leaking in one corner a couple of years ago, so I covered it with a tarp, but I can see that this section of of the shed is rotting out. I won't know until I can remove the tarp and dig into it whether it's fixable or not. Construction is not my strong point, but I can manage some things.
The shed is almost directly up against the back and northside property lines, so if I were to do things properly, I might not be able to set a new structure there, but that is where I'd prefer to have it. By town ordinances, existing structures (that were there before the current building codes) can be repaired and maintained, but not fully replaced without a permit, and then I'd fall into the restrictions governing how close to a property line I can place something.
There is a loohole for portable buildings, however. I'd have to look into it further, but I don't think that portable means that it has to actually be on wheels, so long as there is no foundation and it could theoretically be picked up and moved. I'd have to look into that further, so there might not even be a problem with replacing the building altogether.
I need to do something about it before next winter. As I see it, my options would depend in part on the specifics of our town building code and ordinances, but I am fairly certain that I can repair the building without going through any hoops at all. If I find that it is repairable, then it will probably be something that I can manage myself, given that there's nothing fancy about it - it's a big box, with a door, built on a frame enclosed by plywood.
Of course, the term "repairable" might leave some room for debate. Can I "repair" a building by replacing the frame, the floor, the walls, the roof, and maybe some better foundation blocks on it, as long as I keep the same door? There's nothing wrong with the door.
If I have to replace it, I'd kind of like to enlarge it a little bit.
As I see them, my options would include...
- Taking the easy route and buying a pre-built shed from the Amish or another supplier and have it moved onto some concrete blocks. That might solve the portable question, given that it would have been moved here and is not placed on a permanent foundation. However, these sheds aren't so cheap anymore. I will have to estimate the cost of the lumber and materials to gain a better idea as to how much - if anything - I might save by doing it myself.
- Given that this is not a big town and code enforcement is largely dependent on neighbors complaining when someone does something they don't like, I could build a new building, maybe a little larger than the existing building, and paint it the same colors as the existing building, and the chances are good that no one will notice or care, as it abuts a defunct railroad bed in the back and a closed former taxi stand to the north.
- I could research the building codes and maybe find that I wouldn't have to do anything surreptitiously, and not have to worry about any of the above. However, I am hesitant about talking to code enforcement about it because not only is he a dick, but he is literally named Richard, and while he's out here, he's likely to start complaining about other things, such as the fact that they don't have any building plans on file for our house. We won that debate once before but won't necessarily win a second time. We won it last time by complaining to the town manager, who told him to lay off, but we have another town manager now. However, I don't think I'd actually have to talk to the guy in order to look at the building codes. In another life, I was a code enforcement officer and building code inspector, so I can read that stuff.
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My husband built two of the sheds, and one we bought from the amish about 10 years ago. The two he built are around 35 and 40 years old. They are still very nice looking and sturdy sheds today. (Lumber was much better quality and cheaper years ago) All the sheds have Vinyl siding and windows. One shed holds wood and miscellaneous items, the other is my husband’s wood working shop which is the only one with power connected to it, and it has a little porch on it also. The other is the garden shed that houses the lawn mower, lawn related stuff, and other junk. I think two sheds are 14x20 and the other is 12x16.