Township building codes.

[Larry Edgerton]

God luck. There are three townships around here that I will not bid a job in if it requires permitting. I can't bid and make money because their rules are so arbitrary.

[George Yetka]

I would say lightning. If it is Ok to have a wooden one attached they must be afraid of lighting striking it and setting the house on fire. Tell them youll put a nice big ground rod on it.

[Brian Elfert]

You usually can't get a variance unless there is a reason not of your making that makes something not work. If you can't place the gazebo ten feet away because it send up in the neighbor's yard that might be a reason to grant a variance. They might not grant a variance if you simply want it closer than ten feet and there is space to put it at ten feet.

A friend of mine rebuilt his two car garage that was within five or ten feet of the property line. He was required to use drywall on the exterior of the property line side underneath the siding. I don't think he needed a variance since the existing garage was in the same location.

[Jim Becker]

A friend of mine rebuilt his two car garage that was within five or ten feet of the property line. He was required to use drywall on the exterior of the property line side underneath the siding. I don't think he needed a variance since the existing garage was in the same location.

There is often dispensation for garages relative to side-setbacks compared to residential accessory buildings and other structures and that likely stems from the very real fact that driveways, themselves, are often close to the line. Our jurisdiction requires 15' side-setbacks for all structures except garages. Garages require a minimum 5' side-setback. And yes, like-for-like, including setbacks is often approved for same footprint replacements with some restrictions and requirements. But again, zoning is "local".

[Rob Luter]

God luck. There are three townships around here that I will not bid a job in if it requires permitting. I can't bid and make money because their rules are so arbitrary.

Puzzled....

I work with building and code officials all the time. To a man (or woman) they would all rather have the codes conversation on the front end of the permitting process than on the back end. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had at the behest of panicked customers that installed windows and or doors that were not code compliant with respect to structural or thermal ratings.

Michigan adopted the 2015 IRC/IBC/IECC with amendments. It's the responsibility of the contractor to know this and understand them in the context of the project. In most areas knowing the code landscape is a prerequisite for gaining and maintaining professional license.

Are you saying that the building officials in these townships just make it up as they go along, of just selectively enforce the things that they want to?

I'm reminded of an old adage I learned coming up in the Building Products Industry: The difference between God and a Building Inspector is that God does not believe he's a Building Inspector.

[Larry Edgerton]

Puzzled....

I work with building and code officials all the time. To a man (or woman) they would all rather have the codes conversation on the front end of the permitting process than on the back end. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had at the behest of panicked customers that installed windows and or doors that were not code compliant with respect to structural or thermal ratings.

Michigan adopted the 2015 IRC/IBC/IECC with amendments. It's the responsibility of the contractor to know this and understand them in the context of the project. In most areas knowing the code landscape is a prerequisite for gaining and maintaining professional license.

Are you saying that the building officials in these townships just make it up as they go along, of just selectively enforce the things that they want to?

Twice I had plans approved by the county/state for new homes and the township stepped in and said you can't do that. One was a replacement for an existing house and the plans called for it to actually be 10 feet farther away from the lake than the original. They stopped the project and the homeowners decided they did not want the house if they had to put it back as far as the township demanded. The irony was that the head jerk for the township lived three houses down and his house was closer to the lake than the original. Small people with a bit of power.

Now by this time I had over 100 hrs in the bid and permits, getting all the subs arranged, and wasted my subs time which I hate to do. Life is too short to deal with these kinds of people. I was never short of work, so I just blow those places off.