2 Car Garage Workshop Trouble

[Mike Cutler]

Nome

You need to get your permits in place for certain. Believe it or not, it sounds as if they're being pretty decent about it. You could have been hit with non conformance and code violation fines until such a time as either the permits were in place, and or the garage was restored to the originally permitted condition. Especially that wood stove.
Yes I have heard of garage/car requirement. It doesn't mean that the car has to actually be in the garage. It means that that the garage has not been modified in such a manner as to no longer allow the storage of a car. People will turn garages into spare bedrooms, In-Law apartments, entertainment centers, shops, etc. Thus pre-cluding the use of the garage.
The car issue sounds like a miscommunication. The Bldg inspector should have told the fire marshall that yes, you can still fit a car in the garage unless your modifications would require the removal of physical walls or barriers to fit the car in there.

The wood stove was a big red flag.

[Marion Smith]

I am going on what you said the neighbor complained about...The smoke.
I have to side with the neighbor here. Some folks are truly allergic to smoke. Others have respiratory issues that are severely affected by smoke. Still others just don't want the smell of your smoke getting into their home.
We have this issue here with one neighbor and his almost daily use of his fire ring. I am allergic, my wife has athsma. We had to go to great lengths sealing our house, including very expensive windows to try and keep the smoke out. It's also very irritating we cannot have our windows open in summer time. So, we have to run our AC all the time which adds to our budget unnecessarily.
Sorry to be a poopoo head.

[Wayne Jolly]

Out here in Californy, I have a 3-car garage shop that will not fit a car. Not even a Fiat. :-) I will have to admit, however, that I have not checked local ordinances for compliance. But my workbenches, assembly table, table saw, and router table are all mobile enough so that if necessary I COULD move my stuff around and squeeze in one car.

One thing I did do, though, was investigate putting in a wood burning stove. I even had one of the local building code come out to check. I cannot have a wood burning stove because with the way my house is laid out (a tri-level with bedrooms over the garage), I have no safe place to exhaust one. Every place I could put an exhaust exits either in (or near) a walkway or window.




Wayne

[Brett Luna]

My 2-car garage/shop still has room for one car. I can't get a permit from The Wife® for anything less.

[Earl McLain]

Nothing smells as good to me as a good wood fire. Nothing. But, in 12 years as a volunteer on a small rural FD--at least half of our structure fires have had either a wood burning stove or fireplace as the lead contributor. Often starts in the chimney. For that reason--i'll stick with my fire pit in the yard, which we use to roast hot dogs year round.

No disrespect on the wood stove or fireplace for others--just doesn't work for me.

Like Brett Luna, my 3 car garage has room to park 1 car from Halloween to Easter by order of the House Marshal!!

earl

[David Helm]

An efficient wood stove would not produce visible smoke. What are you burning in it? As you can see from my Avatar, there is a woodstove chimney. I only burn dry firewood and hardwood cutoffs. Never have visible smoke.

[Nome Fittizio]

Thanks for all the advice! I'll keep you posted on what happens. I've filled out the permits (stove, insulation, and electrical) now just waiting to hear back. If I could simply remove the wood stove and avoid having the fire marshal come I would.... but I think they would now still need to come and confirm I've removed it. So I'll try to keep the stove now, I think I installed it properly, I guess we'll find out. Of course looking back I should've just pulled the permits! Hind sight.....

[Steve Peterson]

Good luck with the city and with the annoying neighbor. At least the city should leave you alone once you finish the permit process.

We live in a community with regulations that at least one car must be able to park in the garage. Our garage is labeled as a 4 car garage. but we can only fit 2 cars. One stall is taken up by my woodworking stuff. The other side has a 16' door but there is a dumbwaiter sticking out right where the driver's door would open. There is not enough room to park 2 cars and still allow the doors to open.

Steve

[Alan Trout]

I am going on what you said the neighbor complained about...The smoke.
I have to side with the neighbor here. Some folks are truly allergic to smoke. Others have respiratory issues that are severely affected by smoke. Still others just don't want the smell of your smoke getting into their home.
We have this issue here with one neighbor and his almost daily use of his fire ring. I am allergic, my wife has athsma. We had to go to great lengths sealing our house, including very expensive windows to try and keep the smoke out. It's also very irritating we cannot have our windows open in summer time. So, we have to run our AC all the time which adds to our budget unnecessarily.

Sorry to be a poopoo head.

I live in the city and all my neighbors have turf grass yards. It is really irritating I have just spent 2 week so far recovering for a significant sinus surgery because I am so allergic to grass. My neighbors water their lawns so they grow, and worse yet they mow their lawns and use blowers. Most times of the year I just can't go outside because of the yard work going on around me. I really wish my neighbors would just let their lawns die off so I could enjoy my yard and house. I really wish the city would come and tell my neighbors that yards are no longer allowed and that it will make your neighbor very happy.

This sounds pretty ridiculous doesn't it? My point with all of this is my allergies are not my neighbors fault or their responsibility. Sometimes it sucks. I really did have a sinus surgery. It is the first time I have been able to breath through my nose in 47 years. I can actually smell stuff. However the surgery was miserable, extremely painful and expensive. I can understand and empathize with the position you and your wife are in. I have lived it every day of my adult life. But in your response you make your neighbor sound like the bad guy. He and his family have things that they enjoy doing and he and his family are legally utilizing their property as they enjoy. I just sucks that you and your wife are allergic to what your neighbors enjoy. Unfortunately you modify how you live, as you have done or you move.

Sorry, I am not trying to be a PooPoo head just pointing out there are other points of view.

[eugene thomas]

I am wondering what home owners insurance has to say about wood stove.. Better to find out now than and make sure have coverage.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Hi,

Long time lurker first time posting. Kind of a long post....

I ran into some trouble with my town today. I live in NJ. I have a 2 car garage which I converted into my wood shop.

[...]

So my question is, has anyone ever heard of a zoning violation that says you have to have space in a garage for a car?

I'm now waiting for the permits to go through, of course I had to fill out an application for the wood stove, and the insulation that I started doing, and then the inspector says I will need one for the sheet rock.... oh and of course an electrical permit since I had to move some outlets...... damn neighbors!!!

Peter

You guys are much luckier than myself...the toughest inspector is my own wife...No way to use our garage here. Fortunately I have a modest 120 sqr feet dedicated workshop, although I can use our garage as mounting area for a limited amount of time... better than nothing...

My sympathy to you.

All the best,

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

Nome


Yes I have heard of garage/car requirement. It doesn't mean that the car has to actually be in the garage. It means that that the garage has not been modified in such a manner as to no longer allow the storage of a car. People will turn garages into spare bedrooms, In-Law apartments, entertainment centers, shops, etc. Thus pre-cluding the use of the garage.
The car issue sounds like a miscommunication. The Bldg inspector should have told the fire marshall that yes, you can still fit a car in the garage unless your modifications would require the removal of physical walls or barriers to fit the car in there.

The wood stove was a big red flag.

+1--The code requirement is usually that there are no structural modifications to the garage preventing a person from parking a car in the space. Since packing the garage with junk is not a " structural modification", it does not count. But if you install walls in front of the garage doors or have 1000lb non-mobile pieces of equipment blocking both bays (for example 3hp cabinet saw and 12 inch jointer), then you are violating the code.

[Nome Fittizio]

+1--The code requirement is usually that there are no structural modifications to the garage preventing a person from parking a car in the space. Since packing the garage with junk is not a " structural modification", it does not count. But if you install walls in front of the garage doors or have 1000lb non-mobile pieces of equipment blocking both bays (for example 3hp cabinet saw and 12 inch jointer), then you are violating the code.

Ok, good to know. I'm not doing any structural modifications. All my bigger tools are to one side, I was planning on using the "open" space for a build table/work bench. But I'm leaving the area nice and open for the when the inspector comes

[Ray Newman]

See post #25, re. homeowner's insurance.

[Marion Smith]

I see your point, because everyone should use their property they way they enjoy to the extent their neighbors cannot enjoy theirs the way they want to enjoy. Makes perfect sense to me now. I didn't realize I was the unreasonable one all along! They load up the huge fire ring like a huge Jenga puzzle, light it with gasoline, sit there for maybe an hour or so, then go inside and leave it unattended to burn out. I see now how my point of view is irrelevant. Thanks so much for the enlightenment.