Spring Banter

[mreaves]

13 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Very likely could just be overly courteous too. I will do it when walking the dog and passing people, not for any fear whatsoever but just out of respect.  I feel like I see it a lot when wandering around with the dog... both parties don't care or have any fear but each person is like "oh yeah, I was just doing it out of respect.  You ok with no mask?  Yeah me too, cool."

 

This is what I observe around here too.  When we were walking around the Waterfront and Church St. last weekend, it seemed like everyone was wearing a mask outside. I’m not sure if it was etiquette up there or just strictly following mask wearing. 

[Lava Rock]

Very likely could just be overly courteous too. I will do it when walking the dog and passing people, not for any fear whatsoever but just out of respect.  I feel like I see it a lot when wandering around with the dog... both parties don't care or have any fear but each person is like "oh yeah, I was just doing it out of respect.  You ok with no mask?  Yeah me too, cool."
 

Being courteous though makes them believe they can spread the virus from them to me. Works both ways. Just wish people had more common sense under conditions like that. Neither party is getting infected 30' apart going in opposite directions

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[TauntonBlizzard2013]

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

[mreaves]

12 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

Check the zoning regs in your town to make sure the location you plan on putting the shed meet setback requirements. In our area, there are different distances for different zones. There are usually requirements for how far from your property lines you can build stuff. You want to make sure you have all required permits because if you ever want to sell, an unpermitted structure could derail that. Whether your neighbors care or not. 

[weathafella]

24 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

Keep it >10 feet from the property line (or whatever the regulation is in your town) and just put it in.

[DavisStraight]

47 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

No, I put one in without a permit. It's not a big deal if the town inspector found out, it's not like you'd spend a night in jail.

[kdxken]

44 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

Waco

[weathafella]

I’m thinking that Phineas is enjoying the Baltimore/Boston series this weekend....

[HoarfrostHubb]

4 minutes ago, weathafella said:

I’m thinking that Phineas is enjoying the Baltimore/Boston series this weekend....

This team is historically bad

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

34 minutes ago, weathafella said:

Keep it >10 feet from the property line (or whatever the regulation is in your town) and just put it in.

 

18 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

No, I put one in without a permit. It's not a big deal if the town inspector found out, it's not like you'd spend a night in jail.

 

44 minutes ago, mreaves said:

Check the zoning regs in your town to make sure the location you plan on putting the shed meet setback requirements. In our area, there are different distances for different zones. There are usually requirements for how far from your property lines you can build stuff. You want to make sure you have all required permits because if you ever want to sell, an unpermitted structure could derail that. Whether your neighbors care or not. 

Thanks folks. It meets the front and side setback requirements. The backyard is woods and owned by the preserve I belong too. I am within a couple feet of that on the backside, so my worry is I’d need to apply for a variance, and then it becomes a huge issue.

 

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

18 minutes ago, kdxken said:

Waco

Uh?

[mreaves]

9 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

 

Thanks folks. It meets the front and side setback requirements. The backyard is woods and owned by the preserve I belong too. I am within a couple feet of that on the backside, so my worry is I’d need to apply for a variance, and then it becomes a huge issue.

 

I am the chair of my town’s Development Review Board. One of our duties is to review and grant variance requests. In VT, there are 5 questions an applicant must answer in order to receive a variance. Those are in state statute. The actual zoning regulations themselves vary from town to town. One of the questions basically asks if there is any other way you can do your project without requiring a variance. So, even though you may think you’d be ok with being up against the back property line, your best bet is to check the setback rules and comply if it’s at all possible. If there is a reason you can’t comply, such as severe topography or how your lot is shaped, then you’d qualify for a variance, at least here in Barre Town, VT. 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

I’ve done stuff with and without a permit. When I put the pool in I got one since the pool builder required it and you really want one with something that big.

I replaced a deck, front porch, partially finished my basement and did a hallway bathroom remodel without one. I did the master bath remodel with a permit and it was pretty worthless to do. I had a licensed plumber and electrician and spent money on permits. The second remodel I did everything DIY and didn’t bother. My dad is a retired plumber and building contractor and I can do all of it in my sleep to code anyway.

For a shed, I guess it depends on the town. Where I live they wouldn’t  care too much. Some towns they could be a hard ass. Also you could get a neighbor turn you in. I’ve seen that before. But if you get a permit, at some point they’ll raise your property taxes.

If you do it with no permit, just be sure to comply with all the setback rules and you’ll be ok if you get caught.

[mreaves]

4 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

I’ve done stuff with and without a permit. When I put the pool in I got one since the pool builder required it and you really want one with something that big.

I replaced a deck, front porch, partially finished my basement and did a hallway bathroom remodel without one. I did the master bath remodel with a permit and it was pretty worthless to do. I had a licensed plumber and electrician and spent money on permits. The second remodel I did everything DIY and didn’t bother. My dad is a retired plumber and building contractor and I can do all of it in my sleep to code anyway.

For a shed, I guess it depends on the town. Where I live they would care too much. Some towns they could be a hard ass. Also you could get a neighbor turn you in. I’ve seen that before. But if you get a permit, at some point they’ll raise your property taxes.

In my town, I don’t need any permits for inside work or if am just replacing an existing deck. I do need a building permit for new construction but as long as it complies with zoning regs, it’s pretty straight forward. 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

26 minutes ago, mreaves said:

In my town, I don’t need any permits for inside work or if am just replacing an existing deck. I do need a building permit for new construction but as long as it complies with zoning regs, it’s pretty straight forward. 

That’s the way it should be. Any remodel down to studs needs a permit. I ran a couple new circuits from the basement up to the bathroom for a heated floor, and an electronic shower valve. Plus I converted a single lavatory to a double.  But like I said, the second one I did on my own and basically did the same thing. 

Guy next door just had a landscaper put in a thick stone retaining wall in his back yard to put an above ground pool on. That things built so solid it will be there after he’s gone and buried. Guy next door to him started hollering at him because he didn’t get a permit. In Massachusetts any retaining wall over 4 feet needs a permit. His wall is right at 4 feet at the highest point. Hopefully the guy won’t turn him in. That neighbor is a real know it all a-hole anyway. I wouldn’t put it past him. 

[DavisStraight]

Some towns don't need a permit for a shed unless it a certain size, one town I know you only need a permit if its over 100 sf.

[HoarfrostHubb]

2 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

Some towns don't need a permit for a shed unless it a certain size, one town I know you only need a permit if its over 100 sf.

I think in my town we have that limit.  You still need to keep it within the setbacks though. 

[STILL N OF PIKE]

The Red Sox are doing about as well as I anticipated 

60-65 win team . Really bad .

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

1 hour ago, HoarfrostHubb said:

I think in my town we have that limit.  You still need to keep it within the setbacks though. 

Yeah, it seems a lot of towns are like that. TAN doesn’t require a formal permit for anything under 200 square feet, but they do want zoning sign off for everything.

Well see. I really don’t want to invite the headache of having someone come out if they decided to do that.

Looks like the penalty may be 3x the normal fee for doing something without a permit.

[HoarfrostHubb]

1 hour ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

The Red Sox are doing about as well as I anticipated 

60-65 win team . Really bad .

I figured 72-75 but you may be right

[HoarfrostHubb]

Good night to view the ISS from a lot of SNE around 8:10PM tonight

[WhitinsvilleWX]

4 minutes ago, HoarfrostHubb said:

I figured 72-75 but you may be right

I was hoping for .500, but I have my doubts.They looked god awful this weekend. Cora’s a decent manager but he hasn’t got much.

[NorEastermass128]

21 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

I was hoping for .500, but I have my doubts.They looked god awful this weekend. Cora’s a decent manager but he hasn’t got much.

So bad. 

[PhineasC]

Easter out on a relative’s deck this evening in MD. Warm and spring-like. 

[PhineasC]

2 hours ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

The Red Sox are doing about as well as I anticipated 

60-65 win team . Really bad .

The orioles will go wire-to-wire this season. 
 

LOL

[bch2014]

2 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Easter out on a relative’s deck this evening in MD. Warm and spring-like. 

Is the maskless side of the family ;)? 

[wokeupthisam]

6 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Anyone here put in a shed without a permit? The shed is small and doesn’t require any sort of building permits or anything, but they want you to send them a fee with a design of where the shed will go, so they can give you “sign off”

I like to do things by the rules, but it seems to be opening up a can of worms. 
 

Additionally, I live on a private street and the shed will sit on my rear property line, and the land behind it is owned by the preserve I belong to, not the town or anyone else.

My neighbors are aware and don’t care.

Should I bother?

Faced the same situation in a new suburban subdivision.  Decided against the variance route, and the permit - it was a 12x16 I built myself.  Put it on cinder block supports.  Never had an issue, town re-appraised on a routine schedule and just added the shed to the property tax.  Sold the house and never had an issue.  I got advice from a neighboring town building inspector who I knew personally:  if the shed isn't permanently anchored to a foundation, it could always be moved (dragged) to comply if there was a forced issue.  Went with that and worked out great. 

[PhineasC]

8 minutes ago, bch2014 said:

Is the maskless side of the family ;)? 

Yes, it is, actually. Wife's side.  

Was really a nice day. Very little COVID talk.

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

1 hour ago, wokeupthisam said:

Faced the same situation in a new suburban subdivision.  Decided against the variance route, and the permit - it was a 12x16 I built myself.  Put it on cinder block supports.  Never had an issue, town re-appraised on a routine schedule and just added the shed to the property tax.  Sold the house and never had an issue.  I got advice from a neighboring town building inspector who I knew personally:  if the shed isn't permanently anchored to a foundation, it could always be moved (dragged) to comply if there was a forced issue.  Went with that and worked out great. 

Thanks, I have a couple months to sit on it. The only reason I’m hesitant is because I’d be asking for a variance to place the shed basically on my rear property line.

As I believe it was mreaves who pointed out, my yard is in fact odd shaped, the rear line runs on an angle, so basically anywhere I put it out back, one corner of the shed is going to be close to the property line, unless I angle the shed to face in a totally different direction from my house, which would look kind of ridiculous.

It won’t be permanent... 120 square feet and I believe it will sit on blocks... so yes, if it had to be, I think it could be dragged a few feet in some direction.

[MJO812]

Any more snow ?