Having built a few sheds, tips for those in the US:
1) Most areas allow 120-150 sqft as max size with no permit. thats usually interior dimensions so if you want it all you have to buy longer lumber and cut down to maximize interior.
2) Counties usually do not allow any interior water or electrical wiring w/o inspection. So exterior solar and battery box and extension cord run in to power stuff.
3) If you buy something pre-built, make sure they built on 16” on center or some other standard otherwise you will be hand cutting every piece of insulation.
4) Metal roofing is pretty cheap at Home Depot, but right now you have to order a minimum number of sheets (I wanted 14’ sheets, but at qty of 10, twice what I needed, so bought shorter lengths)
5) Many items I had to special order two years are stocked at HW stores. For example, Techshield OSB which has a foil face is cheap and dramatically decreases interior heat transfer in walls and attic
6) Watch YT videos on deck building and framing. There are many good examples. A flat deck is half the battle. Much of this can be done alone with practice but you really should have help for rafters, roofing and ceiling plywood. It’s easy to get injured trying to handle 1/2-3/4” plywood 12 feet up.
Well, YMMV. I looked into permit-free structures in one California county. 1. 120 ft^2 max, outside dimensions. 2. No electricity > 30VDC. 3. No plumbing. 4. No wood-burning appliances.
You could still squeeze an office or studio into something like that. But it is easy to trip over a code-requirement that needs a permit.
I've been trying to find codes on the 100-150sqft foot shed no permit rules for various counties but can't always find it. Tried looking for the state level code (MI) to no avail. Have any tips for finding that info.? I'm also wondering what penalties I could face if I just went ahead and did it anyways (no intention of selling property), but that likely varies county by county.
Search for planning and zoning on small structures or sheds, cabins by County. I searched on Emmet with "Emmet County Building code small structure" and second link is a pdf. If they aren't indexed well, you have to look through their complete building code info and search on small or accessory structures.
Man, that’s restrictive. I can build up to 100m2 here, external area, up to three stories, no permits or inspections.
Can vouch that roofing is hard damn work - but perfectly possible to do solo - our roof is tiny, only 70m2, but still took me about ten days from ceiling boards to tiles on. It would have been a lot easier with a helper.
Portugal, in a very depopulated rural area. Per building. There are some restrictions around use (can’t be a permanent residence without a permit). So far we’ve only put up a single 45m2 cabin, but have plans for a few bits and bobs, spread over ~10ha. Building out our own power and water grids, vermiculture sewage treatment where needed. Their attitude is “it’s your land, you do what you want”.
1) Most areas allow 120-150 sqft as max size with no permit. thats usually interior dimensions so if you want it all you have to buy longer lumber and cut down to maximize interior. 2) Counties usually do not allow any interior water or electrical wiring w/o inspection. So exterior solar and battery box and extension cord run in to power stuff. 3) If you buy something pre-built, make sure they built on 16” on center or some other standard otherwise you will be hand cutting every piece of insulation. 4) Metal roofing is pretty cheap at Home Depot, but right now you have to order a minimum number of sheets (I wanted 14’ sheets, but at qty of 10, twice what I needed, so bought shorter lengths) 5) Many items I had to special order two years are stocked at HW stores. For example, Techshield OSB which has a foil face is cheap and dramatically decreases interior heat transfer in walls and attic 6) Watch YT videos on deck building and framing. There are many good examples. A flat deck is half the battle. Much of this can be done alone with practice but you really should have help for rafters, roofing and ceiling plywood. It’s easy to get injured trying to handle 1/2-3/4” plywood 12 feet up.