10x12

[matthewsx]

As it turns out I can legally convert my garage to living space so I think it makes sense to build it out as such and rent it. First step will be to move the shop to the backyard. I can legally build 120 sqft of shed without a permit and have a buddy with most of the material I need to do it. It'll probably be pole barn style construction with leaving the existing 1' x 1' pavers in place for a floor.

Any thoughts on things to do and/or avoid?

Thanks,

John

 

[erikmannie]

We have a 10’ x 20’ shed here. The girls store their stuff in it. Around here, you can have as many 10’ x 20’ sheds as you want.

Ours has a single rollup door, and it looks like a little house. It has a nice little window, and the paint matches the house. It is quite tall. It is insulated, and finished with drywall, texture and interior paint. It also has it’s own little concrete foundation. The roofing matches the house, too.

 

[Aukai]

I would question the pavers, unless it's a temporary structure, or the machines are not real heavy. In my mind the machine vibrations my settle/crack the pavers. You know the foundation though.....

 

[C-Bag]

For me it's about not only the pavers settling but also moisture coming up through them. I've contemplated that here and the best choice is a 20' Seatrain or truck body. Either one would be in the $2,000 range and because they are temporary here there are no regs. And they don't seem to have the moisture and floor probs. There's also the fact everything has gone mushy because of the tiny house/granny unit regs last year and it all about what your neighbors would object to. I've seen some really tight nice setups in a container but I sure like my garage and seeing what's happening out front.

 

[matthewsx]

I like the garage too, and if money weren't tight I would probably rather build a granny unit/ADU in the back. There are several factors complicating this though. One is that my lot is pretty small, just big enough for my 3bd/2ba manufactured home and a small backyard so placing a container is a no go without a crane.

I do have a 20' enclosed trailer that I could park in the driveway (no regs against it like in Santa Rosa AFAIK) but I don't feel like that's a long term solution.

Another issue is my wife is pretty sensitive to any fumes or odors coming from the shop so having an outbuilding is an advantage there.

What I should probably do though is go get the trailer since it needs to be cleaned out anyway and will be useful for hauling material if I decide to build. Selling it could also help fund the project and save me $45/mo although that's not too big a concern. With all the stuff going on and our ultimate location still up in the air I guess I ought to forgo the rental income right now and focus on getting rid of stuff I don't need instead.

If I do decide to build a shop in the back it should probably be built to the same standard you need for an ADU so it could be converted in the future.

John

 

[DavidR8]

Not that it likely helps John but in my last house I got major run-around from my municipality when I wanted to build my 12'x16' shop. They wanted full-blown architectural drawings with perspectives etc.
I looked closely at the bylaw and found I could have 8'x12' accessory outbuildings without permits. So I built two of them. End to end. Made them exactly as though they were two separate structures. Problem solved.

 

[RJSakowski]

I would think that a pole barn shed in northern Michigan would be a three season shop at best. Summer heat and humidity would add to the problems.

 

[C-Bag]

Everybody's situation is different. One of our criteria when we bought this place was RV parking because of my little open equipment trailer. So they had a RV here with access. The lot is an odd shape because it's on a cul de sac but it lends itself nicely to a shop in the rear. Right now there's the old original 8x10 shed and a 6x10 shed that was originally a tent shed that I skinned with corregated tin. I like it much better than 8x10 because it's taller. I personally like working outside whenever possible and here and I'm sure Santa Cruz it's just too nice to be cooped up inside 99% of the time. When I say outside I mean covered with open sides. My original idea was a container with roll up doors and patio and like one of the folding RV covers where I could roll the machines outside easily. My garage faces south and everything except the lathe is on castors so I usually roll everything into the 18' garage doorway and have at ye. But I've also contemplated a similar setup to David's where it would be 2 or 3 tin 8x12 sheds along the back fence. That compartmentalizing would be great as the machine shop, wood/powdercoat shop could all be separate. All on a common brick patio. My problem is I have no help and too many other projects.

 

[Nutfarmer]

Do you really want a tenant living in your home ? It could work,but I wouldn't want any of the five tenant i have living any where around me. My peace and quiet is worth more than the income. If you do rent it out be very selective . Renter are easy to come by ,but hard to make leave . Good luck.

 

[matthewsx]

Well, I drove to Fernley and back today to get the trailer. Figured I better do it before there are more restrictions on movement since I have the time to go through it now and may end up selling it if this virus lasts for months. It also has lots of tools that I need to figure out what to do with.

The shop I'm contemplating is in Santa Cruz not Elk Rapids, I already have a shop there in our garage but it's unclear now when I might be able to get back there. I also have the remnants of my business to deal with there.

I had a great talk with an old friend who's a retired landscape architect. Real high end stuff for rich people so she's super familiar with things like getting variances for pool cabanas. She had some good ideas about building a foundation that could serve as the basis for a shop but later be converted to a granny flat.

I do know what you mean about tenants Nutfarmer. In the long run this place might end up being rented out and the granny unit would serve as our beach getaway. Too many questions to answer before I can make any moves so I'll concentrate on getting rid of stuff I don't need before moving forward on this....

John