Submitted plans to the HOA

[Thomas Crawford]

Wish me luck, feedback guaranteed with 10 business days.

16'x32'


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4441/37211418451_bd355e086f_b.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Sounds like a, um...plan!! (looks like a nice one, too)

[Brian Henderson]

There are reasons I would never live under a HOA.

[Larry Foster]

There are reasons I would never live under a HOA.

Took the words right out of my mouth

[Malcolm McLeod]

Good luck. So long as it meets the rules, can't imagine they'd object.

Great thing about HOA's - - if you read the rules, then everyone knows what to expect... including you, the neighbors, the people 2 streets over, the guy who wants a wrecking yard in his driveway, the lady who wants to put a double-wide in her front yard, even the guy who wants a motocross track in his backyard. Its especially helpful to read them before you purchase.

[Frederick Skelly]

Good luck. So long as it meets the rules, can't imagine they'd object.

Great thing about HOA's - - if you read the rules, then everyone knows what to expect... including you, the neighbors, the people 2 streets over, the guy who wants a wrecking yard in his driveway, the lady who wants to put a double-wide in her front yard, even the guy who wants a motocross track in his backyard. Its especially helpful to read them before you purchase.

+1. Yeah, there's pro's and con's about HOAs. Personally, I favor them for the reasons Malcolm mentions, if their restrictions seem reasonable to me. I've seen places where they arent though. They made a buddy of mine repaint his house because he tweaked the color just a little and he didnt precoordinate with the HOA. That still seems moronic to me - I mean, you're stuck with whatever color the builder used, forever? Really? (He talked to a lawyer who warned him that judges usually side with the HOA because deed restrictions are a kind of contract.)

So read them before you buy there and decide if they are tolerable for you. If not, just don't buy there.

Tom: Nice shop. Hope they approve! I'm envious.

Fred

[Malcolm McLeod]

... decide if they are tolerable for you. If not, just don't buy there. ...

My boss thought HOAs to be intolerable, so he bought in an un-restricted area. Just after move-in, his neighbor set to work in (the neighbor's) rather large backyard with a bulldozer. The neighbor installed just the best 1/4 mile illuminated motocross track you have ever seen!! My boss assures me there is NOTHING like the smell of 2-stoke exhaust at 2AM! ....The noise is just a bonus. Careful how free and unfettered a life you wish for.;) Here ends hijack.

Tom, we built a 16X24 shop for my dad, and he always regretted not going just a bit bigger. He had a fairly well equipped shop, but even 4' longer would have been huge in his estimation. I don't know what your tool inventory looks like, but 16x32 of well organized space is certainly enviable. Are you contracting the build, or going to DIY it?

Again, good luck, good building, and keep us updated.

[Jerome Sidley]

I would cut down on the windows as they take up wall space, I wish I had more. Use skylights if you can better light.

[Bill Adamsen]

There is a good example of an alternative solution on this video. Frank Howarth describes the process of designing and building his shop. It is a long but rather amazing video. The light source is a continuous belt of polycarbonate panels between the flat shed roof and the walls. It is exceptionally innovative and functional, and addresses the balance of light and wall space.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3_VCOJMaivgcGqPCTePLBA

[Thomas Crawford]

So full story I thought I was applying for an "outbuilding" - but our HOA defines that as a shed that is technically moveable. Under the outbuilding code I was asking for a waiver of the height and proximity to my neighbors fence (5' instead of 10'). Amazingly I got a reply today that said the building looks really nice but that it was not an outbuilding. But I could reapply to build it as a permanent structure and they would approve. No waiver to the setback of 10', which isn't a huge deal just cuts down on my garden space. The other change is I have to do a brick exterior.

I'm going to try to DIY some percentage of it. Definitely contract out the concrete slab and now the brickwork, never done masonry for a structure like that and pouring concrete sucks. Probably will contract out the roof and just do installed trusses, mainly because I'm not sure I could coordinate 4-5 people to come over at once and I would be the only one with some experience at this. Otherwise I will do the framing, windows, electrical and the plumbing aside from connecting to the main and drain. Might need a sump pump because I think it is uphill.

Interior still in planning phase but definitely hardwood flooring. Considering pine T&G for the walls as well.

[Thomas Crawford]

I would cut down on the windows as they take up wall space, I wish I had more. Use skylights if you can better light.

My Roubo will take up most of the space on one side of the door. I love natural light too much to give up the windows, and they are all north-facing so nice indirect light.

[Jim Becker]

You'll want to look into brick veneer which will preserve the look of real brick (because it is real brick) with potentially a lower cost point. The HOA is wise to delineate movable/non-permanent outbuildings from permanent structures and that doesn't seem to be a barrier for you based on your comments.

[William Shelley]

Good luck. So long as it meets the rules, can't imagine they'd object.

Great thing about HOA's - - if you read the rules, then everyone knows what to expect... including you, the neighbors, the people 2 streets over, the guy who wants a wrecking yard in his driveway, the lady who wants to put a double-wide in her front yard, even the guy who wants a motocross track in his backyard. Its especially helpful to read them before you purchase.

I get what you're saying, but in almost all areas, all of those things you mentioned are ALREADY outlawed by zoning laws or noise ordinance laws, etc. HOAs are awful, if you GAVE me a house in an HOA free and clear, I would burn it to the ground and walk away just to spite all the pretentious neighbors.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I get what you're saying, but in almost all areas, all of those things you mentioned are ALREADY outlawed by zoning laws or noise ordinance laws, etc. HOAs are awful, if you GAVE me a house in an HOA free and clear, I would burn it to the ground and walk away just to spite all the pretentious neighbors.

Not surprising. It's easy to destroy that in which we have nothing invested.

I'd probably pretentiously donate the house to a charity. :)

[Peter Aeschliman]

Thomas,

Sounds like you have a fairly reasonable HOA. Glad you're able to find a workable compromise!

Good luck with your project.

Peter

[Frederick Skelly]

I get what you're saying, but in almost all areas, all of those things you mentioned are ALREADY outlawed by zoning laws or noise ordinance laws, etc.

Depends on where you live, I guess. An older neighborhood where my buddy lives has no HOA or rules. A guy built a very large pole building in his yard. It really looks out of place. His neighbors went nuts, but the city said there was nothing to be done. It's been there several years. He keeps a number of old cars in it.

[Brian Henderson]

Depends on where you live, I guess. An older neighborhood where my buddy lives has no HOA or rules. A guy built a very large pole building in his yard. It really looks out of place. His neighbors went nuts, but the city said there was nothing to be done. It's been there several years. He keeps a number of old cars in it.

My neighborhood has no HOA or rules either, I can do whatever I want to do and nobody can do a thing about it. I would never, ever, ever live anywhere with an HOA. It was on my very short list of things my realtor was told to avoid like the plague.

[Mel Fulks]

"Out building " has several definitions. Old one was a building placed well outside the formal plan , which was often comprised of several buildings symmetrically placed to present a pleasing ,impressive view. I would not be surprised to find that some of the associations use their own definitions to try to over rule local law.

[Jim Becker]

Folks, we all clearly have opinions on the value of HOAs, but the fact remains that the OP lives in an HOA community and that's not going to change. His thread is about his new shop, so perhaps we can best support him by moving on from the 'good vs bad' of HOAs and just help him with his planning as the project progresses. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Jim
Forum Moderator

[Roger Feeley]

We live in an area with no hoa but we are in an historic district and we have an historical architectural review board. We built a new structure on a property with an 1860 home and the process went very well. I attribute most of that to our proactive approach. We went before zoning and HARB very early in the design phase while it was easy to make changes. They were thrilled to help us thread the needles. They were used to people approaching them as an afterthought and then realizing that they had violated some ordinance.