Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm in the Town of Hempstead. I am in the process of preparing to submit a permit for some large work being done to my home. In my yard I have a small greenhouse I built, its made from 2x4s, windows, with a corrugated roof. Its certainly not a traditional build so probably wouldnt pass any sort of permitting even i tried. Its not on a foundation, just sitting on gravel. Its about 6ft by 6ft by 7ft tall. Its kinda sorta improperly about 1 foot from the property line too.
I've read plenty on this forum about whether a certain size shed needs a permit or not. And its not entirely clear, however this shed is over 52 cubic feet, so i think by that code it does. But my question is ... when is a shed not a shed? to me, since its not on foundation of any sort, its a piece of furniture.
Another thought... there was a small shed (roughly similar size) in a different area of the yard - it collapsed so I removed it. I dont know if that one was permitted, but it has been on the surveys forever.
I need to get a survey done for the other work. Do I need to have this resolved prior to the survey? Am i ok to discuss this issue openly with the surveyor I hire?
I think these are my options...
1) i can move it off site, and i assume i'd need to have it gone until the entire project and inspections are done (?)
2) i can try to um, store it ... such as inside my detached garage, but that will be a challenge
3) i can move it where the old shed used to be
4) just move it from the property line
5) do nothing.
Moving it anywhere wont be easy, but its possible.
Is there a need for the inspector to look/go in the yard? I say leave it for now. Worst case you gotta take it down or move it, which it sounds like you're prepared to do anyway, so...
I'm in the Town of Hempstead. I am in the process of preparing to submit a permit for some large work being done to my home. In my yard I have a small greenhouse I built, its made from 2x4s, windows, with a corrugated roof. Its certainly not a traditional build so probably wouldnt pass any sort of permitting even i tried. Its not on a foundation, just sitting on gravel. Its about 6ft by 6ft by 7ft tall. Its kinda sorta improperly about 1 foot from the property line too.
I've read plenty on this forum about whether a certain size shed needs a permit or not. And its not entirely clear, however this shed is over 52 cubic feet, so i think by that code it does. But my question is ... when is a shed not a shed? to me, since its not on foundation of any sort, its a piece of furniture.
Another thought... there was a small shed (roughly similar size) in a different area of the yard - it collapsed so I removed it. I dont know if that one was permitted, but it has been on the surveys forever.
I need to get a survey done for the other work. Do I need to have this resolved prior to the survey? Am i ok to discuss this issue openly with the surveyor I hire?
I think these are my options...
1) i can move it off site, and i assume i'd need to have it gone until the entire project and inspections are done (?)
2) i can try to um, store it ... such as inside my detached garage, but that will be a challenge
3) i can move it where the old shed used to be
4) just move it from the property line
5) do nothing.
Moving it anywhere wont be easy, but its possible.
Is there a need for the inspector to look/go in the yard? I say leave it for now. Worst case you gotta take it down or move it, which it sounds like you're prepared to do anyway, so...
I was thinking that I open up issues given that I'm about to get a survey done, so i am concerned the surveyor will mark it. The work being done is a pretty substantial extension, so i definitely believe the inspector will be in the yard. Would they just tell me that it needs to come down or am i at risk of a fine?
Actually not a metal roof, its that corrugated translucent plastic type of roofing. That said - its a sloped roof that slopes away from the southern exposure so the roof really doesnt transmit much light anyhow. Thats usually a good thing because heat mitigation is always an issue for greenhouses as soon as it warms up. It can get to 120 degrees in there really quickly.
I'd post a pic but this site wont let me do it just yet as a newb.
I was thinking that I open up issues given that I'm about to get a survey done, so i am concerned the surveyor will mark it. The work being done is a pretty substantial extension, so i definitely believe the inspector will be in the yard. Would they just tell me that it needs to come down or am i at risk of a fine?
Screw ' em. You said no foundation.
Therefore, not a structure. It's portable.
Like a tent. If they say something just grab a corner and lift it up a bit. See? Not a permanent structure.
IMHO, the answer to the question of whether the surveyor will include it is probably Yes -- unless someone is there to do the "see, it's not attached, basically it's just a giant coldframe" thing while he is taking measurements.
When we lived in the Town of Islip in the 1980s I had a 6x10 greenhouse on the back patio for about 10 years. It sat on pressure treated railroad ties which in turn just sat on the concrete patio. Never bothered with a permit for it but it got damaged bigtime by a particularly nasty nor'easter during the late 90s, so we finally took it down. So it was gone before the house was put on the market. I honestly don't know if I'd have chosen to keep it in place if it had still been there though; can of worms, probably.
Jstyles, I know what you mean about the heat buildup. Mine was on an east facing patio so it only got sun for a half day but in the summer months it was brutal. Even worse was that it lost a ton of heat in the winter; I actually covered the roof with a tarp on the outside and bubble wrap on the inside from Nov 1st through April 1st. It was single glazed (all glass) and so I was essentially burning money trying to keep it at a 50F minimum for orchids. Finally gave up and converted it into an alpine house. Alpines loved it in there and I didn't need to worry about heat gain or loss.
I got clarification from the surveyor they said " Regardless of material, if it could not easily be moved it would be located as a structure." ... so there's your answer. Its a few hundred pounds so... it will be marked. I got that answer a few days ago so I took it down this weekend, disassembled relatively easily in a few hours, probably caused some permanent injury to my back.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
