Dream Shop - Old Shop Demolition finished. Demo photos added.

Best of luck Stacy...! Been there many years ago, bought a place, almost a year of back and forth with city officials and I got denied every time, ended selling the property for substantial markup, so in some way it all ended well... But no proper shop... Now I have my shop in a 5th floor in downtown Buenos Aires on what it was my office, weird, but I'm working!

Pablo
 
I am keeping very positive on this meeting in five days.

Yesterday's hurricane was supposedly our fourth highest flood level tide, and about two feet below the all time record (1000 year flood). The water came up the creek to just about a foot above the lower banks, which is about four feet below the upper banks and six feet below the shop ground level. I shot a laser beam across the street the other night and figured that the house over there would have about five or six feet of water in it before the grass outside the new shop was wet. I really don't know what the huge worry is and any need to raise it another 18", but if that makes them happy, I am fine with it.
 
Doesn't matter, but yes. The FEMA flood charts were written on stone charts by Moses and are sacred. It is blasphemy to say they are wrong. The CBPA is to protect the bay from runoff and contaminants. It isn't about flooding directly. I got the FEMA problem solved when I moved the site to the other side of the yard and out of the FEMA zone.. It is the CBPA that I am dealing with now. The fellow said it should be workable one way or another. I am going down Wednesday to get a few things clear with zoning before the Thursday morning meeting with the CBPA fellow. I want all the ducks in a row when the permit is re-submitted.
 
Well, the fellow came this morning at 7AM sharp. He was very nice and upbeat. As I had told him, even a 50 foot setback wouldn't work unless we make the shop 6 feet wide. He quickly realized that.

We did some measurements and the closest place to the stream edge was 36 feet. The other end was 38 feet, and the center was 40 feet (stream bends). We looked at moving the shop up the lot, but even that wouldn't be 50 feet on both ends. We talked about options, and he said we will have to go to the zoning board and ask for a hardship variance. He will approve it (assuming the board will go along) if I agree to tear down all my existing accessory buildings and plant a buffer zone along the creek. He is going to talk with his boss today and see if they can offer any other options.
The only existing building I care about is the woodshop. I really didn't want to move that into the hot shop, but can build a second walled off section like the grinding room if necessary.

I discovered something that is really crazy while talking with him. When we were looking at moving the shopo up the lot closer to the house, I said that I would take out the big old pine that sits where the corner of the shop would be. He said, "Oh, No, you can't cut that tree down, it is protected." I asked why and he said all trees and shrubs within 100 feet of the stream are protected and I need a permit to remove them. I planted every tree, bush, and shrub on my entire 1.5 acre lots except the old pines, but according to the CBPA, I would need a permit to remove any of them. Not a big deal, but it just goes to show how crazy these rules are.

A final option is one I came up with while sitting on the deck yesterday. I haven't taken any exact measurements but I think I could attach it to the house on the end by the greenhouse. I would have to move the greenhouse door to the side, and would lose the dining room window, but it should fit from the corner to the deck just right. This would make it an addition, and not an accessory building. That would mean the setbacks, wetlands, and all the other crap would not apply (it would also probably be 50 feet from the creek). It would also solve the power and water issues. The biggest problem is it will have to be built to housing code, not a detached garage code. That would probably cost 50% to 100% more tan now budgeted. I will talk with my builder and see what he thinks about that idea, but let's hope we can build it out back as planned.
 
GREAT NEWS!!!!
I just got off the phone with the friendly chap who came last Thursday. He went to his boss and said they should let me build the shop where I want it. The boss looked it all over and agreed that there was no need to waste time going before the board and getting a variance, when it was eventually the two of them who would have to approve or disapprove the project. They found a way to make it show on paper I was creating .023 acres of permeable ground then the .019 acres of impermeable ground the shop will cover. They will let me keep the existing forge and buildings on the side of the house, and I will only need to remove the woodshop, tractor shed, and the two 10X20 party tents I work and store stuff under. I will have to grade out the area where the woodshop was and plant four trees and some shrubs. They will even allow me to add 20 or 30 cubic yards of dirt to the cleared area to level it off and straighten out the upper stream bank as part of the "planting plan". This will actually be a good thing and create a 1/4 acre straight grassy yard from the deck to the street.

I will get the survey re-drawn, change the building plan to incorporate the changes the other fellows wanted ( raise the floor 18" above grade ad add the driveway) and resubmit it all.

This is turning out to be a really good day.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
GREAT NEWS!!!!
I just got off the phone with the friendly chap who came last Thursday. He went to his boss and said they should let me build the shop where I want it. The boss looked it all over and agreed that there was no need to waste time going before the board and getting a variance, when it was eventually the two of them who would have to approve or disapprove the project. They found a way to make it show on paper I was creating .023 acres of permeable ground then the .019 acres of impermeable ground the shop will cover. They will let me keep the existing forge and buildings on the side of the house, and I will only need to remove the woodshop, tractor shed, and the two 10X20 party tents I work and store stuff under. I will have to grade out the area where the woodshop was and plant four trees and some shrubs. They will even allow me to add 20 or 30 cubic yards of dirt to the cleared area to level it off and straighten out the upper stream bank as part of the "planting plan". This will actually be a good thing and create a 1/4 acre straight grassy yard from the deck to the street.

I will get the survey re-drawn, change the building plan to incorporate the changes the other fellows wanted ( raise the floor 18" above grade ad add the driveway) and resubmit it all.

This is turning out to be a really good day.
Click to expand...
Congrats! Now we don't have to get a rope.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Well, the fellow came this morning at 7AM sharp. He was very nice and upbeat. As I had told him, even a 50 foot setback wouldn't work unless we make the shop 6 feet wide. He quickly realized that.

We did some measurements and the closest place to the stream edge was 36 feet. The other end was 38 feet, and the center was 40 feet (stream bends). We looked at moving the shop up the lot, but even that wouldn't be 50 feet on both ends. We talked about options, and he said we will have to go to the zoning board and ask for a hardship variance. He will approve it (assuming the board will go along) if I agree to tear down all my existing accessory buildings and plant a buffer zone along the creek. He is going to talk with his boss today and see if they can offer any other options.
The only existing building I care about is the woodshop. I really didn't want to move that into the hot shop, but can build a second walled off section like the grinding room if necessary.

I discovered something that is really crazy while talking with him. When we were looking at moving the shopo up the lot closer to the house, I said that I would take out the big old pine that sits where the corner of the shop would be. He said, "Oh, No, you can't cut that tree down, it is protected." I asked why and he said all trees and shrubs within 100 feet of the stream are protected and I need a permit to remove them. I planted every tree, bush, and shrub on my entire 1.5 acre lots except the old pines, but according to the CBPA, I would need a permit to remove any of them. Not a big deal, but it just goes to show how crazy these rules are.

A final option is one I came up with while sitting on the deck yesterday. I haven't taken any exact measurements but I think I could attach it to the house on the end by the greenhouse. I would have to move the greenhouse door to the side, and would lose the dining room window, but it should fit from the corner to the deck just right. This would make it an addition, and not an accessory building. That would mean the setbacks, wetlands, and all the other crap would not apply (it would also probably be 50 feet from the creek). It would also solve the power and water issues. The biggest problem is it will have to be built to housing code, not a detached garage code. That would probably cost 50% to 100% more tan now budgeted. I will talk with my builder and see what he thinks about that idea, but let's hope we can build it out back as planned.
Click to expand...

It's amazing they even let you live on the property. To think you can do what you please on the King's land, the audacity!
 
Heemeyer may have felt he got even, but he also got dead. I will survive, persevere, and conquer. In the end I will sit in my new shop with some friends and pull the cork on a bottle of McAllan 30.

As Disraeli said, "Everything comes to he who waits."

More to the point is a comment made to me 50 years ago by a very wise man who never finished 6th grade, "The building/fire/health inspector is one of two things. He is either your best friend or your worst enemy. It is only you who will decide which he will be."
 
That is great news Stacy.
Hope things get put in place before these guys go somewhere else and you have a new inspector to deal with.
I agree with you though, you don't get far trying to fight this crowd.
Patience and civility get better results.
 
Maybe bring the Macallan to the meeting? Where's your "A" laddie? Dang spellcheck.
 
I've been following this thread with envy and hope. Seems to be going okay.

You are blessed to not live in the great stat of Illinois. I could elaborate but prefer not to.

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
Great news stacy
I was almost going to suggest you sell up and move over here to Ireland
I'm sitting in a house I built myself with no planning whatsoever
The G men eventually found me and made all kinds of noise but I eventually got it all sorted.
And that was for a two story house,when it comes to out buildings and sheds it's basically a free for all
 
Just got the email to come down and sign the mitigation agreement. I'll do that ASAP. Then I will get with the building permit folks and submit a new survey sheet and building plans with the changes they wanted. If all goes well, we should have a building permit in hand soon.

When I saw that email it was the most exciting thing I had seen since my girlfriend at age 16 took off her blouse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top