Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my house is facing the south of the garage).

What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like these:

http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo...012-140406.jpg

or

http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...8-150x150..jpg

why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my house, its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is working to block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that is why I need to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.

My question, who will do that to me? Fence companies or contractors? because it is not only fence, it is building concrete base and also to make sure the grade of the garage ground is graded to let the water goes away from my home.

Any help would be very much appreciate it. Thanks

"leza wang" wrote in message
...
Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that
goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other
wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to
build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it
beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely
demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the
garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L
shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my
house is facing the south of the garage).

--------------------------------

Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear
down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded from
EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.

Pico Rico wrote:
"leza wang" wrote in message
...
Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that
goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other
wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to
build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it
beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely
demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the
garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L
shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my
house is facing the south of the garage).

--------------------------------

Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear
down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded from
EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.


Hi,
Also insurance coverage whether OP does it self or hires some one.
Unexpected damage to some thing can occur. Demolishing is not hard,
clean up after is, LOL!

On 07/06/2014 05:35 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:

Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear
down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded
from
EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.


Hi,
Also insurance coverage whether OP does it self or hires some one.
Unexpected damage to some thing can occur. Demolishing is not hard,
clean up after is, LOL!



I'd just call a general construction contractor.


BTW: I have never had a garage but my home insurance has no way to
exclude the insurance I am paying on "addition structures".

On Sunday, July 6, 2014 6:16:08 PM UTC-4, Pico Rico wrote:
"leza wang" wrote in message

...

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall

anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that

goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other

wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to

build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it

beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely

demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the

garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L

shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my

house is facing the south of the garage).



--------------------------------



Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear

down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded from

EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.


+1

And I'd also look into the ordinances covering fences. In many places,
you wouldn't be allowed to put up one of those wire type fences on a
residential property. If I was the neighbor, I sure wouldn't want to look
at it.

With regard to the existing garage blocking and diverting rainwater runoff
from getting to the property, I'd be careful about that aspect too. If the
garage is really doing that, it's an odd situation. But if it is, along the
lines of Pico's comments, once you tear it down, you then have to deal with
existing ordinances, codes, etc that govern what you build instead. Most
residential places today have codes that cover what you can and can't do
with regard to blocking runoff, diverting it, etc. She should make sure
she isn't going to create a big problem for herself. And if the garage is
going to go, it's probably better to deal with the runoff issue correctly
and install a nice fence, rather than try to use an ugly fence to block water.

leza wang posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall anytime.
The roof has 2 big holes and it is too old. The center wood bar that goes
horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other
wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not
to build a new one because building a new one is costly and I cannot
afford it.
Beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely
demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the
garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L
shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my
house is facing the south of the garage).

What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like these:


http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo..._area_fencing_
012-140406.jpg

Ugly and probably not permitted by gov't.


or

http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...mara-file-078-
150x150.jpg

Not as bad but still bad.

why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my house,
its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is working to
block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that is why I need
to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.

My question, who will do that to me? Fence companies or contractors?
because it is not only fence, it is building concrete base and also to
make
sure the grade of the garage ground is graded to let the water goes away
from my home.

Any help would be very much appreciate it. Thanks

---------------------------------------------------------
This message has been cleaned by MessageCleaner.exe v2.17
http://www.RoundhillSoftware.com/Mes...aner?HFMdqUjAW
---------------------------------------------------------

I would have a fencing or landscape contractor put the proper drainage
system in when installing the fence. See other posts about keeping the
garage, you may have no choice.

You may be able to place a earthen berm on your side of the fence to direct
the water to where you want.

Again, the concrete blocks are ugly...


--
Tekkie

trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, July 6, 2014 6:16:08 PM UTC-4, Pico Rico wrote:
"leza wang" wrote in message

...

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall

anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that

goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other

wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to

build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it

beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely

demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the

garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L

shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my

house is facing the south of the garage).



--------------------------------



Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear

down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded from

EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.


+1

And I'd also look into the ordinances covering fences. In many places,
you wouldn't be allowed to put up one of those wire type fences on a
residential property. If I was the neighbor, I sure wouldn't want to look
at it.

Hi,
Are you talking about chain link fence? It is very popular in my
neighborhood being on the ridge looking down to river valley and
looking far away to the Rockies. We don't want to block our views.
It is legal here up to 6 ft. height.

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:30:19 PM UTC-4, Tony Hwang wrote:
trader_4 wrote:

On Sunday, July 6, 2014 6:16:08 PM UTC-4, Pico Rico wrote:

"leza wang" wrote in message



...



Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall



anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar that



goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other



wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not to



build a new one because building a new one is costly and I can not effort it



beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely



demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the



garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L



shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my



house is facing the south of the garage).







--------------------------------







Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear



down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded from



EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.





+1



And I'd also look into the ordinances covering fences. In many places,

you wouldn't be allowed to put up one of those wire type fences on a

residential property. If I was the neighbor, I sure wouldn't want to look

at it.



Hi,

Are you talking about chain link fence? It is very popular in my

neighborhood being on the ridge looking down to river valley and

looking far away to the Rockies. We don't want to block our views.

It is legal here up to 6 ft. height.

I was talking about the ugly fence in the first pic in her original post.
Second one isn't so great either.

Tekkie® wrote:
leza wang posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall anytime.
The roof has 2 big holes and it is too old. The center wood bar that goes
horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put some other
wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this garage and not
to build a new one because building a new one is costly and I cannot
afford it.
Beside that my home is an older home so the new buyer will most likely
demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the
garage which is stand alone separate from the home and build a fence (L
shape fence to give privacy from the north and east sides neighbors - my
house is facing the south of the garage).

What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like these:


http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo..._area_fencing_
012-140406.jpg

Ugly and probably not permitted by gov't.


or

http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...mara-file-078-
150x150.jpg

Not as bad but still bad.

why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my house,
its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is working to
block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that is why I need
to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.

My question, who will do that to me? Fence companies or contractors?
because it is not only fence, it is building concrete base and also to
make
sure the grade of the garage ground is graded to let the water goes away
from my home.

Any help would be very much appreciate it. Thanks

---------------------------------------------------------
This message has been cleaned by MessageCleaner.exe v2.17
http://www.RoundhillSoftware.com/Mes...aner?HFMdqUjAW
---------------------------------------------------------

I would have a fencing or landscape contractor put the proper drainage
system in when installing the fence. See other posts about keeping the
garage, you may have no choice.

You may be able to place a earthen berm on your side of the fence to direct
the water to where you want.

Again, the concrete blocks are ugly...


Hmm,
Trying to block water flowing down the slope with any means is stupid
dumb idea. Water needs good drainage by several different methods.
It is mind boggling OP's house seems to have all the unusual oddities.

"Pico Rico" wrote in message
...

"leza wang" wrote in message
...
Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar
that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put
some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this
garage and not to build a new one because building a new one is costly
and I can not effort it beside that my home is an older home so the new
buyer will most likely demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was
thinking to demolish the garage which is stand alone separate from the
home and build a fence (L shape fence to give privacy from the north and
east sides neighbors - my house is facing the south of the garage).

Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear
down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded
from EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.

I agree that just tearing down the existing garage may mean that you or
future owners won't be permitted to put up a new garage at a later date some
time in the future. So that is something to think about. Repairing the
existing garage is usually allowed and would let future owners have a garage
as a selling feature.

Tony Hwang typed:

leza wang posted for all of us...
What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence . . ,
. . . ,
why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my
house, its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now
is working to block the rain water from coming to my house
directly, that is why I need to build the base of the fence from
concrete blocks.

Trying to block water flowing down the slope with any means is stupid
dumb idea.

Not necessarily, in my opinion.

From past posts, I recall that the OP had problems with water flowing toward
the back of the house and coming into the basement window(s). She was going
to do some regrading to help prevent that. And, the garage in the back may
now be helping to redirect water to the two sides of the house: 1) toward a
common driveway/access road that is next to her house and then down in the
driveway to the street in front of her house; and, 2) toward the other side
of her house (between her house and the one next door) to also run down
between the two houses toward the street in front.

Leza,

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood
bar that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to
put some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish
this garage and not to build a new one

Does your garage have a good concrete foundation/floor? Are the walls in
good shape?

If so, I would just take the flat roof off and build a sloped roof to
replace it. There's no reason to demolish the entire building if it just
has a bad roof. Even if you don't use it for your car, outbuildings make
great storage, workshops, etc. That extra space will be very valuable to
future owners, even if you don't want it.

What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like
these:
http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo..._area_fencing_
012-140406.jpg
or
http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...a-file-078-150
x150.jpg
why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my
house, its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is
working to block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that
is why I need to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.

You really have two seperate issues you need to handle.

First, you need to build a retaining wall to hold back the slope from your
neighbors property. Be sure to install drainage pipe behind the wall, and
route it where it can drain away from your house. The easiest solution
would be something like precast concrete wall blocks, but there are many
other options for retaining walls. It depends on the look you want and how
high it needs to be. Here's some photos of the retaining walls I built for
our property (I'm just getting ready to build another section this summer):

http://www.watsondiy.com/2008wall.htm

http://www.watsondiy.com/2009wall.htm

Second, you can build whatever kind of fence you want above the retaining
wall. If you build post supports into your retaining wall, you could even
put the fence directly on top of the wall. Personally, I would set it back
from the wall a bit, but that's just me.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:44:26 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

Leza,

Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood
bar that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to
put some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish
this garage and not to build a new one

Does your garage have a good concrete foundation/floor? Are the walls in
good shape?

If so, I would just take the flat roof off and build a sloped roof to
replace it. There's no reason to demolish the entire building if it just
has a bad roof. Even if you don't use it for your car, outbuildings make
great storage, workshops, etc. That extra space will be very valuable to
future owners, even if you don't want it.

What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like
these:
http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo..._area_fencing_
012-140406.jpg
or
http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...a-file-078-150
x150.jpg
why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my
house, its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is
working to block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that
is why I need to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.

You really have two seperate issues you need to handle.

First, you need to build a retaining wall to hold back the slope from your
neighbors property. Be sure to install drainage pipe behind the wall, and
route it where it can drain away from your house. The easiest solution
would be something like precast concrete wall blocks, but there are many
other options for retaining walls. It depends on the look you want and how
high it needs to be. Here's some photos of the retaining walls I built for
our property (I'm just getting ready to build another section this summer):

http://www.watsondiy.com/2008wall.htm

http://www.watsondiy.com/2009wall.htm

Second, you can build whatever kind of fence you want above the retaining
wall. If you build post supports into your retaining wall, you could even
put the fence directly on top of the wall. Personally, I would set it back
from the wall a bit, but that's just me.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com


Block up the roof, tear down one wall and replace it. Then do the same
for the other side. Then the same for the back, then the front. Then
drop the old roof and put up a new truss roof, and put on new siding
and shingles.

Or tear off the roof, drop one wall and rebuild, drop another wall
and rebuild, keep on untill you can put on a new roof. It is all
repairs - so in many cases a building permit is not even required.

wrote in message
...
Block up the roof, tear down one wall and replace it. Then do the same
for the other side. Then the same for the back, then the front. Then
drop the old roof and put up a new truss roof, and put on new siding
and shingles.

Or tear off the roof, drop one wall and rebuild, drop another wall
and rebuild, keep on untill you can put on a new roof. It is all
repairs - so in many cases a building permit is not even required.

Sort of like a restraunt did around here. They could not get a permit to
tear the old one down and build a new larger one, so they built a new one by
modifying the old one and then throwing the old one out the windows and
doors of the new one.

On Thursday, July 10, 2014 7:08:44 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:44:26 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband

wrote:



Leza,



Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall

anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood

bar that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to

put some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish

this garage and not to build a new one



Does your garage have a good concrete foundation/floor? Are the walls in

good shape?



If so, I would just take the flat roof off and build a sloped roof to

replace it. There's no reason to demolish the entire building if it just

has a bad roof. Even if you don't use it for your car, outbuildings make

great storage, workshops, etc. That extra space will be very valuable to

future owners, even if you don't want it.



What i want is to put half concrete half wire type of fence like

these:

http://www.siffordsojournal.com/uplo..._area_fencing_

012-140406.jpg

or

http://www.abbeylawn.net/wp-content/...a-file-078-150

x150.jpg

why I want half concrete, because the neighbor in the north of my

house, its land is higher than mine and the garage side right now is

working to block the rain water from coming to my house directly, that

is why I need to build the base of the fence from concrete blocks.



You really have two seperate issues you need to handle.



First, you need to build a retaining wall to hold back the slope from your

neighbors property. Be sure to install drainage pipe behind the wall, and

route it where it can drain away from your house. The easiest solution

would be something like precast concrete wall blocks, but there are many

other options for retaining walls. It depends on the look you want and how

high it needs to be. Here's some photos of the retaining walls I built for

our property (I'm just getting ready to build another section this summer):



http://www.watsondiy.com/2008wall.htm



http://www.watsondiy.com/2009wall.htm



Second, you can build whatever kind of fence you want above the retaining

wall. If you build post supports into your retaining wall, you could even

put the fence directly on top of the wall. Personally, I would set it back

from the wall a bit, but that's just me.



Anthony Watson

www.mountainsoftware.com

www.watsondiy.com





Block up the roof, tear down one wall and replace it. Then do the same

for the other side. Then the same for the back, then the front. Then

drop the old roof and put up a new truss roof, and put on new siding

and shingles.



Or tear off the roof, drop one wall and rebuild, drop another wall

and rebuild, keep on untill you can put on a new roof. It is all

repairs - so in many cases a building permit is not even required.

You would certainly need a building permit here in NJ. When you're
replacing walls, roofs, etc it's not a repair. You need a permit to
re-shingle a roof.

I'd also point out that I wouldn't do the above without knowing what
the condition of the foundation is, or if there is even a foundation
at all.

It is all repairs - so in many cases a building permit
is not even required.

You would certainly need a building permit here in NJ. When you're
replacing walls, roofs, etc it's not a repair. You need a permit to
re-shingle a roof.

If I remember correctly, here in SW Washington state we need a permit any
time the cost of the work exceeds $1000. I don't know what time frame that
covers. I suppose you could drag it out over time replacing small sections
at a time, but I don't see the point. It's not that hard to get a building
permit, and it's nice to have a second opinion from the inspector to ensure
everything is being built correctly. Work done without a permit could
affect your home owner insurance or the resale value of your home.

The one exception to the $1000 rule is outbuildings under 100 sq/ft can be
built without a permit, assuming all other regulations are followed
(setbacks from property lines, etc.).

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Fri, 11 Jul 2014 15:53:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

It is all repairs - so in many cases a building permit
is not even required.

You would certainly need a building permit here in NJ. When you're
replacing walls, roofs, etc it's not a repair. You need a permit to
re-shingle a roof.

If I remember correctly, here in SW Washington state we need a permit any
time the cost of the work exceeds $1000. I don't know what time frame that
covers. I suppose you could drag it out over time replacing small sections
at a time, but I don't see the point. It's not that hard to get a building
permit, and it's nice to have a second opinion from the inspector to ensure
everything is being built correctly. Work done without a permit could
affect your home owner insurance or the resale value of your home.

The one exception to the $1000 rule is outbuildings under 100 sq/ft can be
built without a permit, assuming all other regulations are followed
(setbacks from property lines, etc.).

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com
Arround here you would likely be laughed at if you applied for a
permit to reshingle a roof.

You would certainly need a building permit here in NJ.
You need a permit to re-shingle a roof.

Around here you would likely be laughed at if you applied for a
permit to reshingle a roof.

I looked up the requirements for building permits here in my county:

http://www.clark.wa.gov/development/...g/remodel.html

Apparently, we're supposed to get permits for reshingling roofs, replacing
windows or siding, or even replacing a toilet or sink. That said, I
seriously doubt the majority of homeowners get permits for these basic
repairs. It's probably more of an issue for contractors doing work for
other people.

On the other hand, it looks like they increased the size of outbuildings
without permits from 100 sq/ft to 200 sq/ft.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Saturday, July 12, 2014 2:00:32 AM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote:
You would certainly need a building permit here in NJ.

You need a permit to re-shingle a roof.



Around here you would likely be laughed at if you applied for a

permit to reshingle a roof.



I looked up the requirements for building permits here in my county:



http://www.clark.wa.gov/development/...g/remodel.html



Apparently, we're supposed to get permits for reshingling roofs, replacing

windows or siding, or even replacing a toilet or sink. That said, I

seriously doubt the majority of homeowners get permits for these basic

repairs. It's probably more of an issue for contractors doing work for

other people.



On the other hand, it looks like they increased the size of outbuildings

without permits from 100 sq/ft to 200 sq/ft.



Anthony Watson

www.mountainsoftware.com

www.watsondiy.com

It's similar here in NJ. And I agree, a typical homeowner DIY is not
going to get a permit for a lot of stuff. But what you can get away
with is determined by a number of factors, like:

inside or outside?
how obvious? (re-shingle roof or replace window in back)
effect on neighbors, either because of what it is or noise, etc
neigbors ****ed off?

I know a guy who built a huge shed with a finished interior, electric
and heating without a permit. It was on a lot that had excellent
visibility from the road. And his house is not far from the
municipal complex, so presumably inspectors of all kinds go by his
house frequently. That took balls, but he got away with it.

In the case of tearing down/rebuilding a garge in a urban area in Canada,
with nieghbors right on top of her,
if it were me, I'd proceed with caution. I'd make sure I understood
what happens if it's torn down, eg is it permissible to build another
one, or is it possibly gone forever and what that does to property
value. And if I was rebuilding it, I'd comply with any necessary
permits.

On 7/12/2014 9:11 AM, trader_4 wrote:


In the case of tearing down/rebuilding a garge in a urban area in Canada,
with nieghbors right on top of her,
if it were me, I'd proceed with caution. I'd make sure I understood
what happens if it's torn down, eg is it permissible to build another
one, or is it possibly gone forever and what that does to property
value. And if I was rebuilding it, I'd comply with any necessary
permits.


In our town, building a deck needs a permit, but repairing one does not.
A complete tear down and rebuild is not a repair.

To build a house with septic system you need 2 acres of land. Older
homes on smaller plots are grandfathered. I know someone that wants to
tear down and build bigger and better. Not allowed, but he can put on a
2500 sq. ft. addition and later tear down the original section.

On Saturday, July 12, 2014 10:26:28 AM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 7/12/2014 9:11 AM, trader_4 wrote:





In the case of tearing down/rebuilding a garge in a urban area in Canada,

with nieghbors right on top of her,

if it were me, I'd proceed with caution. I'd make sure I understood

what happens if it's torn down, eg is it permissible to build another

one, or is it possibly gone forever and what that does to property

value. And if I was rebuilding it, I'd comply with any necessary

permits.





In our town, building a deck needs a permit, but repairing one does not.

A complete tear down and rebuild is not a repair.



A friend of mine had a neighbor here that put up a deck without a permit.
The inspector happened to be going by (or maybe somebody ratted him out)
and he got caught. He wound up having to rip it out and redo it. Not sure
the exact reason. Usually as long as it's conforming and done to code,
or can be brought up to code, they let you continue. I suspect he had
some issues, eg incorrect footings, header board attachement.

Doesn't sound too smart compared to paying a $50 permit fee. And
again, your probability of getting away with it depends on how visible
it is, if your neighbors are ****ed off, etc.



To build a house with septic system you need 2 acres of land. Older

homes on smaller plots are grandfathered. I know someone that wants to

tear down and build bigger and better. Not allowed, but he can put on a

2500 sq. ft. addition and later tear down the original section.

A lot of that creative stuff goes on here on the water at the shore.

In ,
leza wang typed:
Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to
fall anytime. The roof has 2 big holes and it is too old. The center
wood bar that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I
managed to put some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to
demolish this garage and not to build a new one because building a
new one is costly and I can not effort it beside that my home is an
older home so the new buyer will most likely demolish it and build a
new one. Anyway, I was thinking to demolish the garage which is stand
alone separate from the home and build a fence . . . ,

To All, regarding the permit discussion etc:

The OP (Leza) didn't mention anything about getting or not getting a permit,
and I suspect that she would just get one if needed depending on what she
decides to do. For example, she recently had an entire new roof put on her
house, from the rafters up -- meaning all new plywood decking and then a new
roof on top of that. She either did or did not get a permit for that, but
my guess is that she did since a contractor did the job. (And, just as an
aside, I wonder if she or the contractor thought to include adding
insulation and venting between the rafters since it is a sloped roof where
the sheetrock on the bottom side of the rafters about 2/3 of the way up is
the ceiling for the upstairs rooms. That would have been a good opportunity
to do that if no existing insulation was already there.).

What the OP did mention is that she doesn't want to rebuild a new garage
because she cannot afford the cost of doing that right now. (Again, permits
were not a question that came up, but even just a tear-down -- a
demolition -- often requires a permit in many locations.)

The OP also talked about the "center wood bar that goes horizontally to hold
the roof" being broken. My guess is that, depending on exactly what is
there (a few photos would help), she may be able to just "sister" one or two
new joists along the sides of the existing broken joist to keep the existing
roof up, and then repair or replace the flat roof that is on top. I think
that may even cost less than the cost of tearing down and removing the whole
building. And, if she did that, she wouldn't have to worry about building a
new fence or about doing a tear-down and later losing the opportunity to put
up a replacement garage (either her or a new owner).

So, my vote is see if a repair to the existing garage can be done and skip
the tear-down and new fence idea.

It's similar here in NJ. And I agree, a typical homeowner DIY is not
going to get a permit for a lot of stuff. But what you can get away
with is determined by a number of factors

I'm probably not going to get a permit for projects where the permit costs
more than the repair. Fixing sinks, replacing toilets or water heaters,
adding an electrical outlet, etc.

I did reshingle our roof last summer without a permit. I wasn't aware one
was needed at the time. Oops, my bad. In any case, I completely tore off
the old roof and went way above and beyond what basic code requires. I was
doing it to fix a leak and wanted to be darn sure it wasn't going to leak
again.

Generally though, I try to get permits for any major work. But, I'm really
hoping I won't be doing major projects like that any time soon.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 03:19:00 -0400, "TomR" wrote:

"Pico Rico" wrote in message
...

"leza wang" wrote in message
...
Hi I have an old flat roof garage which I think its roof going to fall
anytime. The roof has 2 big hols and it is too old. The center wood bar
that goes horizontally to hold the roof is broken and I managed to put
some other wood to hold it meanwhile. I am thinking to demolish this
garage and not to build a new one because building a new one is costly
and I can not effort it beside that my home is an older home so the new
buyer will most likely demolish it and build a new one. Anyway, I was
thinking to demolish the garage which is stand alone separate from the
home and build a fence (L shape fence to give privacy from the north and
east sides neighbors - my house is facing the south of the garage).

Depending on the nature of your subdivision and zoning laws, if you tear
down your garage without replacing it right away, you may be precluded
from EVER replacing the garage. You better look into this.

I agree that just tearing down the existing garage may mean that you or
future owners won't be permitted to put up a new garage at a later date some
time in the future. So that is something to think about. Repairing the
existing garage is usually allowed and would let future owners have a garage
as a selling feature.

Maybe it's not so hard to repair as the OP thinks. First the center
beam needs to be "sistered", at leat until it is replaced. Without
knowing more, I don't know if sistering is enough, or if it has to be
replaced. Sistering is temporairly jacking up (with jacks made for this
purpose) the two pieces of the broken beam until they are in line with
each other and the origiinal height, and using machine bolts (I assume)
to attach a similar beam right next to it that spans the break, so that
when the jacks are removed, the structure is sound again. Then patch
the holes in the roof, And the OP wouldn't need a fence and the
run-off water situation would remain as it is, and the OP would have a
garage too. I wish I had space for a garage.