Another Shed Thread (homestead, roof, foundation, drain)

[jean_ji]

Another new shed thread here and a long one. . We started this process two years ago thinking we wanted a two and a half bay garage. After getting quotes for a utilitarian block and stucco structure for $65-70k, we decided we weren’t going that way.

In the mean time, the county changed rules on outbuildings in unincorporated areas after a few behemoth metal garages were put up. Now garages/outbuildings cannot be taller than the house or larger than 50% of the home’s square footage. Under 150 sq ft they can be any color/material. Over 150-300 sq ft they have to look similar to the house: same color but a different roof material is okay. Over 300 sq ft they have to be made of the same building material, so that brought us back to block and stucco again.

We decided we didn’t need a larger structure and were not putting a ton of money into it. The county rule change helped. We just wanted a structure to house our garden/yard tools and fit a 76 Mini in. We decided on an 18x16 metal shed with some insulation and with the one roof side extending into a carport. That kept us under the 300 sq ft. rules, the carport didn’t count. We put money down on a shed in September of last year. There will be no formal driveway, there are two side we could use since it’s a corner lot, but a driveway requires a culvert and the permit is $300. FL may have no income tax, but they make up for it in other ways, at least our county does.

When we started we had a mortgage on our home and owned an adjacent lot where we wanted to put a shed/garage. There were a few issues and unclear rules (i.e. different county officials told us conflicting things) about building on an adjacent lot not combined with the primary property and with the bank in the middle of it with the mortgage. We paid off the small mortgage and combined the properties to make it easier and have it all homesteaded for tax purposes and this all took time.

The county had to approve the engineering plans. We are in FL and it has to meet hurricane standards. The county did a site visit and approved the permit with the stipulation we put gutters on to have water run away from the property line of our neighbors. We had a 18x28 cement foundation poured for the shed and carport. This required another inspection for the rebar and framing before the pour. Termite treatment had to be applied to the site and a sticker put on the permit in the yard before the pour also.

With Covid, this took months for the permitting alone. Next came supply chain delays with the shed coming out of Georgia. The crew lead (three men) knocked on the door at 7:30 this morning. They had the shed parts on a large bed trailer that they can’t get back to where the site is, so it will be $200 to carry it all back there. It’s a lot of materials, windows, two garage doors, door etc., and it’s bumpy terrain, I don’t have an issue with that and am happy not to have them damage trees that were planted before we thought about a shed.

Sorry for the long saga, it’s been a long process, So now to see how it will look and to find out how big or small it will be. I’ll post some pics of the progress.

[jean_ji]

Framing was done yesterday with windows, door and roll down garage door being done today. Some of the roof pieces were cut short, so new ones are coming tomorrow along with a panel garage door being installed. The crew is down for the week doing two other structures along with ours.

This is the view from the house looking at the carport


This is looking toward the house

[jean_ji]

Almost finished, a panel garage door is being installed on Saturday. An electrician is coming next week to give an estimate for a hook up and a gutter estimate will be done also. Our permit had a stipulation that a gutter/downspout be put in to drain away from the property line.

After the garage door is in, we’ll seal the cement. We don’t know if we should paint the cement after sealing or if that will make it too slippery. Inside the garage has a smooth finish and under the carport (the installers called it a lean-to) the cement has a broom finish.

After that, more moving dirt and landscaping the area, or at least planting something to hold the sand.
I’m pleased that it doesn’t look quite as utilitarians as I expected.

[jean_ji]

The view from the crossroad at the corner of our property. The lot the shed is on was covered with invasive Brazilian Pepper trees that was impenetrable. We had it cleared mechanically three years ago. I’ve planted over 20 native trees and shrubs since, which made it impossible to bring in the truck with the shed parts. Oops.



A different view of the lot before it was cleared, this was during summer. Now is our dry season so all the undergrowth is not as vigorous as it is during summer with our rains. It was a full time job keeping the Brazilian Pepper from encroaching on our home lot, it’s a real problem in SWFL.