Reading the BC Hydro rules it looks like meters can be placed on garages.
I'll take a photo this afternoon and mark it up to show what I'm considering...ever so slightly.
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Shop If I had a million+ dollars, I'd build a...
- Thread starter DavidR8
- Start date
Shop
I'll take a photo this afternoon and mark it up to show what I'm considering...ever so slightly.
Is building up going to accomplish what you need or is this just a stop gap? What would you do with a second story?
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This is the front of the garage. Please excuse the crappy editing.
My idea is to extend the left side bay about 8 ft.
To try and break up up what might look really boxy and also tie into the look of the house I'd add a gable roof over the existing garage and then a smaller gable over the extension.
Barely visible are the cable (bottom wire) and the power (upper wire.)
Here's another shot of the roof showing the power and cable lines.
The challenge here is that getting 12ft of clearance between the new roof deck and the power would be very difficult as the mast on the house is power line now is almost level with where the line is on the pole. So the only option would be to move the meter to the front left side of the garage and then feed to the house.
There's a gas line running down the left side of the garage so trenching to get from the garage to the house could be tricky. I don't recall what separation is required between power and gas services.
Edit: looks like same trench is fine with 300mm of separation.
This would be a big undertaking, the vast majority of which I'd have to contract out. As a WAG it would likely run $20,000+. The floor space gain would be pretty minor; under 80 sq ft and the potential for some attic storage because I'd keep the existing 2x8 roof trusses as the bottom chord of new rafters. I'd also get a fully insulated shop whereas right now I don't have ceiling insulation.
The "easy button" is just to build the extension and not fuss with the roof. Same 80 sq ft floor space gain. Less cost. Potentially looks like crap.
The easier button is to get a Bike Barn for the moto and get it out of the garage. I had one of these before and they are really slick.
Also an 80 sq ft floor space gain as I'd reclaim the area where the moto is parked now and the full 20'x20' garage would be shop area. Smart money says this is the way to go.
My idea is to extend the left side bay about 8 ft.
To try and break up up what might look really boxy and also tie into the look of the house I'd add a gable roof over the existing garage and then a smaller gable over the extension.
Barely visible are the cable (bottom wire) and the power (upper wire.)
Here's another shot of the roof showing the power and cable lines.
The challenge here is that getting 12ft of clearance between the new roof deck and the power would be very difficult as the mast on the house is power line now is almost level with where the line is on the pole. So the only option would be to move the meter to the front left side of the garage and then feed to the house.
There's a gas line running down the left side of the garage so trenching to get from the garage to the house could be tricky. I don't recall what separation is required between power and gas services.
Edit: looks like same trench is fine with 300mm of separation.
This would be a big undertaking, the vast majority of which I'd have to contract out. As a WAG it would likely run $20,000+. The floor space gain would be pretty minor; under 80 sq ft and the potential for some attic storage because I'd keep the existing 2x8 roof trusses as the bottom chord of new rafters. I'd also get a fully insulated shop whereas right now I don't have ceiling insulation.
The "easy button" is just to build the extension and not fuss with the roof. Same 80 sq ft floor space gain. Less cost. Potentially looks like crap.
The easier button is to get a Bike Barn for the moto and get it out of the garage. I had one of these before and they are really slick.
Also an 80 sq ft floor space gain as I'd reclaim the area where the moto is parked now and the full 20'x20' garage would be shop area. Smart money says this is the way to go.
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Perhaps Grandfathered is the term to use here. There is a newer provincial statute that states that if the 'government'' improves a road through someone's property and the owner doesn't complain then it automatically becomes government property. However the rule isn't retroactive. So although they have run a road on my land, it was done to access other farm land and so is in public use but the public doesn't own it.
In fact before we knew this, the municipality and people had no trouble parking on our lot and creating deep wet ruts during the spring. Destroyed a lawnmower when it hit a dip.
When we had the land surveyed, it was the surveyor who discovered the history of the lot and that it still belonged to us and filed it so without contest. So we put in a few rocks to prevent people from parking. Initially even the municipality didn't know that it wasn't their land. Until I pointed out the title. At that point they backed off and stopped complaining that the rocks were too close to the road. Especially since I compromised and put them in line with the sign that was there. Hard to say I'm too close when there sign was just as close to the edge. We originally thought our property line was where the stakes with pink tape were.
Looks much better now. At least when I mow it. At the moment the Boston ferns have taken over but this is what it looked like just after all the landscaping.
The two rocks just past the stop sign on the gravel there were displaced a while back by a drunk going a very high speed. Quite possible it would have gone over the grass into the house just behind the trees since there is a gap there. But the two boulders, one moved 3 feet, ended up stopping the car which was high centered on top of it. Insurance paid to put the rocks back which we then moved a bit closer to the road.
So yes. It's ours. But set backs and fence heights still apply. Just not as far away from the road edge...
Oh and we don't have people driving on our lawn anymore. No more deep ruts from donuts etc. There was an upside down car further up the hill a couple of years ago. She skidded, hit one of the boulders which luckily turned and flipper her upside down with zero injuries - no airbag. Had the boulder not done that she would have straight gone head on into a very large tree. Potentially life threatening injuries.
Ah. Found the pictures of the girls car parked in our yard up the hill. The back end against the tree finally stopped the movement. As a result because they'd been flipped 180 degrees around all their body energy was absorbed by the seat back and headrest rather than the seatbelt and perhaps steering wheel. Even the back of the car wasn't that badly damaged by then. The rock was moved a considerable distance.
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Tom O
Ultra Member
I’d make the addition 12‘ and slope it to tie it in.
When I had the garage redone I had another peak put on for the video cams to raise them up.
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Doesn't look like you have much more height than I have. Mine measures at 7'2"
I think the interior wall height is 94". I recall when I sheeted the interior I had to take 2" off the length of every sheet. I continually wondered why it was built to that height.
As in bring it forward a full twelve feet instead of eight?
That's a distinct possibility. If we leave it flat (99.9% likely) we will turn it into a green roof.
Internet search turns up 92 and 5/8" for "stud length' 2x4. Studs used to be 1 5/8" thick but over time that's decreased to 1 1/2". Anyway, top and bottom plate plus stud is 1/16" under 96". With 1.5" stud width it drops to 95 5/8".
So I'm going to guess that somewhere on your house is a reference line where they poured the foundation for the house or the slab for the garage/carport at a tad too tall or too short. To maintain an even roof line the compromise was to shorten each stud.
Or maybe they discovered bedrock under where the garage slab went and cost of taking a couple inches off that were way higher than shortening the studs.
My carport slab which should at the least be level with the lower foundation or even 4" lower so you step down into the carport. Instead you step up into the carport or walk uphill from the main door to the carport with an elevation change of 4".
SomeGuy
Hobbyist
Don't forget double top plates...92 5/8" stud + 4.5" of top/bottoms = 97 1/8"...take 1/2" for ceiling sheeting gives you 96 5/8" roughly. The 5/8" wiggle room is there to account for variations where things aren't perfectly square or are bowed.
Why the interior ceiling height is 94" though is a puzzle.
Do they always use double top plates?
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
Not in Ontario, could be a western thing
Former Member
Guest
My house in Ontario has double top plates. I seem to recall exterior walls required them.
SomeGuy
Hobbyist
Double top plates are required by code for any load bearing walls, at least here in Ontario they are.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
That’s a new one for me, must be new code
SomeGuy
Hobbyist
Not new, it's in the 1992 building code act...there are some exceptions though, basically if you land any load right on the studs.
See 9.23.11.3
SomeGuy
Hobbyist
Double sill plates is very uncommon.