i havent done that

my old house:
I built a patio addition to my house. no permit, no inspection. house sold just fine. previous owner enclosed the carport and the back patio I doubt any permits were involved. he built a shed that violates city ordinance. it has been there over 40 years no one said boo about it.

my current house:
previous owners install 2 sheds on the side of the house that violate city ordinance. when we moved in we installed a shed that did not intentionally violate any ordinance mostly because I did not understand them. everything would have been fine except my asshole crazy neighbor (real name karen) reported me for it.

City came out and the following happened:
>guy walks past the 2 of my out of compliance sheds, past karens out of compliance shed, and another neighbors out of compliance shed doesn't say a word about them.
>looks at my $7000 shed and measures it.
>it is less than 120sf so does not need a permit
>it is to close to karens wall by 2 feet, and too close to the house by 3 feet.
>shed has to be moved. fuck me that it is in a perfect place on a slab.
>while I am searching for a shed mover they inform me my house is over 40% of the size of my lot and the shed has to go.
>by every calculation I cannot come up with this number it's more like 29%.
>finally figured out that they used the total square footage of the house which is 2 floors and not the foundation SF.
>politely create presentation and submit it...
>OOPS our bad never mind (idiot ASSHOLES).
>takes 6 months to wrangle the ONLY person in my state that can move sheds.
>cost $700 to move
>city comes out again.
>measures it again shed is still too close by 1 inch (lets it slide).
I chat the guy up and find out the following:
>they only enforce code (after a property is built) when someone complains.
>there are people (not city employees just assholes) that go around looking for, and reporting code violations.
I rid bikes in my neighborhood. I have the only in compliance shed pretty much anywhere.

>>2976207
so now what does code in my city say about sheds?
>if over 120sf they need a permit.
>if over 6 feet tall as measured from ground to just under the eve they must be a certain distance from any walls or fences.
>for each foot over 6 feet they have to be another foot away from walls or fences.
>they must be a certain distance from a house (10 feet I think) a patio pillar is considered part of the house.
>over a certain height or having a second floor (yes sheds with second floors exist) needs permit.
>over a certain SF that I am not going to look up needs to be attached to a foundation.
>You cannot have more than 2 sheds and I think the second shed has to be 6 feet tall or less.
>sheds cannot be right up against your house.

So the inspector ignored the 2 sheds built against the side of my house which were over 6 feet tall and too close to the neighbors house.

Ignored Karens over 6 ft tall shed that was right up against my wall and too close to her house.

Ignored the neighbors shed behind me that was over 6 foot tall and too close to 2 walls.

>>2976196
My grand mother wanted her carport enclosed to make more bedrooms. my uncle and aunt did the work. no permits. here are the things they did wrong:
>one wall was built floating off the foundation by 3 inches.
>sheet rock was put up in wrong orientation, and used 2 inch masking tape over the cracks covered in glue no plaster.
>who knows if the electrical wiring was done to code.
My brother now lives in the house and has since corrected the most egregious errors (he never got permits).

the same house and same people enclosed the back patio (over 40 years ago), and built a bathroom, kitchen, and laundry with no permits and no inspections. the house was subdivided so the back of the house could be rented out to an adopted family member. the enclose patio has a roof slope of maybe 1 degree. it has all sorts of issues but at this time has not collapsed and does not leak.

when my mother lived in the house she had the kitchen moved twice. the second kitchen removed, the second bathroom moved, and the laundry moved. this was done by contractors and I have no idea if permits were obtained. based on what I have seen I don't think there were any permits.

My mother had 3 sheds installed on her property all of them over 120sf she lived in a different city and I don't know what the ordinances are but I am pretty sure all 3 violate ordinance. 1 is wired for electricity and I did most of the internal wiring, insulation and sheetrock, I was in my 20's at the time. I got no permits and no inspections.

Since then one of the large sheds has been removed, and 2 small garden sheds installed in its place. all this work was done over a 50 year period. the house is a disaster, has termites, and if ever sold would probably be condemned or gutted, but 2 families of 2 adults and 3 children live in what was a 2 bedroom house, then was a 7 bedroom house, is now a 5.5 bedroom house with one bedroom crammed full of junk, and another one half crammed with junk.

>>2976211
3 people and 1 kid live in one bedroom (even though the kid has her own bedroom), 2 people in another, and 1 adult, and one child in another bedroom.

but the city does not care as long as the house appears to be in compliance from the outside.

>>2976196
Friend did, they tore his 200k structure down

He got so pissed he moved out of California

>>2976208
Build a hot pink tall skinny shed right in the middle of your backyard

>>2976208
Why not report Karen's out of compliance shed? Fight fire with fire.

>>2976196
> went to build a deck
> small backyard
> it’s a few inches too close to the back fence
> city rejected plans
> 10 years later city rezones
> some guy builds an entire two story house in backyard with about 1 foot of clearance in every direction
> alley way has a garage and bedroom with a balcony facing the alley
> my deck still illegal

>>2976196
>septic overflowing
>bad smells, solids, etc.
>You can rent a backhoe with just a driver's license
>dig several trenches downhill from septic tank
>fill them with loose bricks, stones, brush, waste lumber, and plastics
>cover with soil and spread grass seed
>septic now works fine
>sell house and move 2 years later

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Have you ever watched Clarkson's Farm? Funny show but also a perfect example of what walking a mile in someone's shoes can do to expand one's mind to the difficulties they face. In season two he ends up having a bunch of problems with the permitting council. This continues off and on through season four.

From my personal experience, I bought a house from some family members that was sold because of this. The owners wanted to expand the detached garage with an apartment so they could earn extra money. They wanted to do it as cheaply as possible so they didn't pull any permits. The land had been graded, dug out, and a slab foundation poured when the town caught wind and shut it down. They required the removal of the foundation and the hole be filled back up. The people spoke with a lawyer and were basically told they fucked up and they didn't have a legal leg to stand on. After everything settled down they applied for permits and they were denied. They had discussions with the town on this and were basically told they were on the shit list and they would never be granted a permit to do anything other than repairs. They spoke with their lawyer again and he confirmed that, yes, he had seen this before. He said he could get it overturned in the long run but it was going to take a bunch of time and money and they would have to do it for every batch of permits. They eventually just sold the place and moved into a nearby city. They had to make some upgrades to the place, mostly related to its substandard wiring, that required permits and inspections, that were magically not required just a decade before when they bought the place.

TL;DR Do *NOT* piss off the local authorities. Whether that means not doing a thing or not getting caught is up to you.

Just small shit. For example, I built a workbench and wired it with electric using a whip coming from a surface-mounted wall box. Might be to code, might not be, but it's not catching fire and I'll be damned if I had it permitted. If and when I sell the house I'll just disconnect it.

I was going to build a basic treehouse for my kids but since I planned to have one side supported on pillars I was told it would need to be permitted and inspected so I balled on it. Fully suspended by trees would have been fine, however. I couldn't be certain no neighbors would call the county if they perceived it as an eyesore.

>>2976250
>The owners wanted to expand the detached garage with an apartment so they could earn extra money.

I'm glad they got fucked. Slumlords allowed to jeetening to happen and deserve to be roped.

>>2976207
>>cost $700 to move
I had a solid kit-built shed that didn't have a foundation, it was just installed on risers made out of HVAC pads and pavers. Moving it only required renting a skid steer with forks, putting the forks under the shed, then using ratchet straps to tie the shed to the top of the load backrest.
Lifted the whole shed off the footings, measured the spacing of the footings, moved them to a new spot in the yard, drove the shed over there using my father in-law as a spotter for alignment over the footings (and to make sure I was going to clear the well head, then just lowered it down onto the new location for the footings.

Moving a shed anchored to or on an existing pad would be much more annoying, but probably would involve less equipment. Provided you're not having to remove an old part of the foundation to reach compliance.

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just build a shack inawoods

>>2976263
It was basically going to be a mother-in-law unit. They weren't going to be slumlords, they just didn't want to pay more than they had too. Building shit up to code isn't hard or expensive. Its just that most residential construction workers are the fucking scum of the trades and can't be trusted to put enough nails in a joist hanger let alone know what is up to code. That is why illiterate mexicans have taken all of those jobs.

The area was zoned for up to three units on every property. Many of the original homes had been torn down and triplexes erected. The detached garage was on the back of the lot and faced an alley. I eventually tore down the detached garage and put in a 2 unit apartment. I didn't live there, it was an income property.

Of course, I did it fully permitted. Having the same last name as the previous owners, I didn't want to risk anything if the town was keeping an eye on the property. I sold the place when I moved out of the area.

i added a carport to a garage by blasting 3 joist hangers into the garage door header and running 18 foot boards out to to tree chunks in tires filled with concrete. Sheathed it, then threw a tarp over it to make it appear more like a temporary vinyl carport.
8ish years later, its gotten re tarped and the house has been sold, but it still stands. basically did it in two intoxicated afternoons

>>2976196
new homeowner but ive redone some of my electric and plan on finishing my basement after my electric panel is replaced and inspected. I only care about inspections for major structural electric stuff desu. im not getting a permit to add lighting to my basement lol.

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>>2976352
>giving a fuck about any inspections
lol
lmfao even

>>2976224
200k in california is boxes WITH a tarp and he was probably blocking the sidewalk anyway.

>>2976363
i generally dont. but when youre fucking with shit that doesnt belong to you like gas or electric meters, youre just asking for trouble. most places only offer 1 supplier for either one of those and if you dont play by their rules youre SOL in most cases.

I had a 16'x22' shed built in my backyard this past October. I knew it would eventually be an issue if I didn't get a permit and besides the builder wanted to see the permit before they began work. Cost me about $250 for the permit in NY and setback requirements were 40 feet from rear of property and 20 feet from each side of property. It was a pain in the ass but worth it. Now I have room for pretty much anything in that thing.

>>2976196
I live rurally, there are no permits or code. Can't imagine buying a house where you're going to have your nuts crushed over bullshit.

>>2976391
You're still supposed to report your buildings to the county for taxes

>>2976264
mine is a tuff shed. it was built on some thing like 2x8 metal studs. I had no way to lift the edge on one side or to move it in any way.

The guy had some very interesting machine to lift the shed. he jacked it up and put it on what looked like heavy duty old fashioned metal roller skates. he moved it 2 feet one direction, then rotated the roller skates 90 degrees to move it the 3 feet in the other direction. I have time lapse video of the operation. no I won't post it.

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>>2976242
1. I was not 100% sure she reported me (at the time) though I have since learned almost every house within 2 or 3 houses from her has been reported to the city at least once, and everyone suspects her.
2. homey don't play those games.
3. she thinks radio waves make her feel bad and are crippling her. so I put up scary looking antennas. she freaked out and I had to get an injunction against harassment on her. she has not bothered me since. she now only lives in her house on the side far away from me.

>>2976243
you made the mistake of asking permission.

>need to replace water heater.
>nothing wrong with it, it is just 10 years old.
>city ordinance says:
if work is being done by a licensed contractor you don't need permit or inspection.
If done by home owner you do.
>challenge accepted.
>I replace water heater. no permit. no inspection (I've replaced many water heaters).
>no really mister city ordinance enforcer guy I lost the receipts and don't remember the name of the licensed contractor who replaced it.

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>>2976391
>Can't imagine buying a house where you're going to have your nuts crushed over bullshit.
When the nearest neighbor is far enough away that they can't hear gunshots or smell their pig pen, yeah, I wouldn't give a fuck either.

When you live in town and your neighbor decides to erect a 3 story tall redneck outhouse made out of pallets and roofing felt right on the property line you'll be happy to be able to put in a call to the local government Karen and have it taken down.

That is why we have urban areas and rural areas. To each their own.

>>2976243
this right here. my left neighbor has a burn pit in his backyard. right neighbor sells drugs out of his unpermitted garage. back neighbor is slumlord apartments that are 18 inches off the property line.
but the city wanted $10K to approve the permit for a 10x20 foot deck in my backyard. that's more than it cost to build the deck.

>>2976476
Bullshit, I'd gladly help my neighbor build that as long as they don't give a shit what I do. The problem with rural properties is that they're either isolated as fuck or they're anywhere near a developed area and the price is ridiculously inflated.

>>2976476
That is not an outhouse.
I’m not sure what it is though, but it looks like a watchtower.
Did crime go down in your neighbourhood recently with some unexplained hoodlems found dead in the street?

>>2976551
Its a picture form google. It is a kids playhouse. I used to have a picture of an actual three store meth tower someone posted here but I have lost it.

>>2976196
decades ago in a Real Estate mag in Santa Cruz, CA mountains about 1/2 the ads would say "Built with Permits!" or "newer guest house built with Permits", etc. They'd have periodic "Amnesty" to get legal with very few takers. Knew a carpenter who said if the NIMBYs would give him permits he'd build anyways.

Wealthy people build without permits all the time because they got lawyers on staff and they own the city govt.

You can do anything as "Emergency Repair" and no permit, if you got more clout than any local Karens.

>>2976461
Kek, that's even better than dragging the inspectors back out. Sorry your neighbor's a schizo.

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>>2976461
She just needs a good dicking. What's her number?

>>2976250
>TL;DR Do *NOT* piss off the local authorities
I once did some papers through a 3rd party and had been waiting for 3 months because they had refused them a couple of times for stupid reasons. so I went to have a little chat with them and told them I heard rumors that they received bribes and subtly suggested that I was going to denounce them with some other authority.
they looked at me in horror, called me by phone a couple of times and signed the papers the next day, right in front of me.

>>2976461
that sounds like my mom lmao
good on you for being able to handle her

>>2977928
>they
*city authority.
also, I hadn't heard shit, but it was obvious to me that they were getting bribes or something, because they allowed a big corporation build the entry road for a supermarket in the dumbest, most convoluted. even dangerous way, even though there were many other (obvious, but probably more expensive) entry paths.

>>2977931
Government is entirely parasitic, of course they were taking bribes or kickbacks, they all are

i have thought about doing a pole barn (way in the future) without talking to the city, i'll need one and my neighbor has one but outbuildings above 1 story & 600 sq ft are apparently against local code in our area. but then that's like $50k-100k wasted if a neighbor hates me and calls the city out to inspect. probably i need a variation or whatever they call it where you pay a grand or so and that allows you to ignore some subset of code.
certainly there are things where ignoring code and the city are worth but above a certain size of outbuilding or infraction it's not practical unless you're the kind of slimy rich business that already has an in with the council

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There are no zoning laws where I live.

Currently doing this. Lying by omission more like. If I was able to achieve my goals without power, or the power company didn’t require permits, I’d never involve the county in any capacity. Unfortunately my county permit office is extremely gay and retarded so I have to go through this whole fictional project scope to appease them. If I told them what I was actually doing they would make that process even harder. Paying extra money and deceiving them is the easier option.

>>2976292
Fun fact if you buy land up north in New Hampshire there WILL be a Ted shack on it
It may or may not be occupied

We do that here in the third world. What became of the sidewalk in front of our house is my room now.

>>2976196
Not exactly, but when I rebuilt my back porch I designed it not to need a permit. It's 1 inch closer to the ground than a deck that would require a permit, and it's technically not connected to the house.

>>2978216
When I bought the house there was an electrical outlet with no cover screwed to a tree in the back yard. The wiring ran underground without a conduit to the breaker box outside. It wasn't even romex. It was like telephone wire or some shit.

If I did unlicensed building i would not post about it online

>>2978249
it's ok to be a little bit paranoid about your posts, but, seriously, that's just too much. no state drone would monitor some pseudo-anonymous internet forum for shit like this. drugs and other crimes, yeah. but zoning violations?

>>2976207
I sure hope you decided to complain about Karen's shed for doing you the lovely favor of helping you meet code.

>>2976551
I regret to inform you that children unfortunately exist and people build playhouses for them sometimes

>>2976207
how old are you? 90?

I live innawoods, I just do whatever I want and no one cares or says anything

On the flip side, so does everyone else. The nearest neighbors have a pen of like 20 dogs that NEVER stfu

>>2978249
Most municipalities have diversity/nepotism hires for IT, I wouldn't worry about it.

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Guys the elites don't want you to know this but the sheds on your own property are free. You can buy the home and take them with you (you just FSBO between the buyer to avoid the gay baby inspector/city cuck). You can even build them and not pass inspection (Which they call a "violation" specifically because they can't call it "illegal").

>>2977915
If don't think she has a phone. hardline or cell.

>>2978434
see
>>2976461

Do you have a license, a permit, and an LLC for that job that the customer is going to offer you 40% of your bid? No wait, they'll let you finish then just not pay.

>>2978796
Must be their cousin that takes a job, asks for half the money up front, works half a day, then leaves to go "get a tool that he forgot at the shop," and never comes back.