|
| Author |
Message |
mrbob
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 05:09pm
Reply
Anything over 200sqft and I need to get the building department involved. They follow the International Residential Code. I’m a detail-oriented kind of guy, but that document is huge.
Where should I even start? I can’t figure out what sort of building my cabin will be (no plumbing, possibly no electric, just a place for me to go hang out).
Those of you who built to the IRC, how did you navigate it and where did you start?
|
|
ICC
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 05:56pm - Edited by: ICC
Reply
Quoting: mrbob Those of you who built to the IRC, how did you navigate it and where did you start?
Years of construction on projects designed and built to code as a state licensed contractor.
The IRC is not a textbook to be used as a learning tool as much as it is a rule book. Start with chapter three. Chapter three lays out information that is pertinent to design. The next half dozen or so chapters are each dedicated to a major component such as foundation, floors etc.
Decide on the floor plan, single floor vs two story and then start with the foundation. You should ask the building dept. whether or not they will approve a pier and beam foundation if you are thinking of using that type. If you have looked at chapter four you may have noticed pier and beam is absent. That is because the pier and beam foundation has no prescriptive design. They are allowed by code under the catch-all of being designed "in accordance with accepted engineering practice". That usually means a plan with an engineers stamp; an engineer licensed in your state.
|
|
mrbob
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 06:18pm
Reply
Quoting: ICC If you have looked at chapter four you may have noticed pier and beam is absent
I did have a read and notice that...
Quoting: ICC They are allowed by code under the catch-all of being designed "in accordance with accepted engineering practice". That usually means a plan with an engineers stamp; an engineer licensed in your state.
That sounds like it will cost the money I was trying to save in the first place with a pier and beam foundation.
Thanks for the pointers! I'll try starting at chapter 3 and move along slowly. Not sure how far I'll make it. I half expect to settle on a smaller cabin so I don't have to go through this process.
|
|
Nobadays
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 06:23pm
Reply
This is from some township's code book -so some of it can be ignored but it does address IRC REGS. - but it looks like the IRC allows garden sheds to be built without foundations.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.hainesporttownship.c om/construction-zoning/files/garden-type-utility-sheds-clarification&ved=2ahUKEwiIuKW o45bhAhVLKKwKHY2qA90QFjAKegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1Utzc9qgr0ttiZKtFRBMQn
Do some GOOGLING I think you will find some shed plans that are designed within code.
|
|
rockies
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 06:54pm
Reply
Go to your local building department and ask if they have any guide books for small accessory buildings and what is allowed in your area. If they don't have one they can tell you what drawings you'll need and what's allowed.
|
|
ICC
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 07:00pm
Reply
Yeah, ask what the bldg dept will allow as a shed. Sheds don't need fancy foundations as a rule, but anything other than a shed brings in a whole other set of rules.
|
|
mrbob
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 07:03pm - Edited by: mrbob
Reply
Building department gets involved on structure over 200... is there a classification for sheds over 200 in the IRC?
|
|
ICC
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 08:26pm
Reply
No. Nothing in the IRC that is directly aimed at sheds. The IRC mainly addresses one or two family habitable buildings. Requirements for sheds that need permits can have rules that vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The local officials are the best source for what will be allowed and what will not.
|
|
|
mrbob
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 08:53pm
Reply
Quoting: ICC No. Nothing in the IRC that is directly aimed at sheds. The IRC mainly addresses one or two family habitable buildings.
I still plan on sitting down with the IRC, but what is the definition of "one family habitable building"? I mean, if I put a couch, desk, and wood stove in there (I imagine wood stove would need a permit, but that's straight-forward, I was just inspected for a pellet stove self-install). No plumbing. Maybe electric.
At what point does a building go from a shed to a habitable building?
|
|
toyota_mdt_tech
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 09:23pm
Reply
Quoting: mrbob Where should I even start?
Are you living/sleeping in it? Or is it storage?
Storage, just typical construction, ie studs 16" OC, if its lived in, its going to be heated? Then it needs to comply with insulation for the area. So do you use 2X6 for walls? Joist spans 16" and size depends on span. Roof, same deal, insulation, spans etc, others in. Area snow loads.
Get a plan drawn up, they will aid the DIY'r ie
Get the plans arroved, build a dried in shell, then sign off on framing and then move to the next hurdles, ie mechanicals, electrical, sheeting inside, caulking, porch landing, railings.
|
|
ICC
Member
|
# Posted: 22 Mar 2019 09:36pm
Reply
My states permit application has the following statement---
WHEN BUILDING PERMITS ARE NOT REQUIRED
(New Mexico Residential Code 105.1)
A building permit shall not be required for the following:
1. One story detached accessory buildings used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed 200 square feet."
There is no direct mention of what habitable is, but if the proposed structure does not meet the statement above a permit is needed.
As I understand it, the IRC also does not actually define what is habitable except for the statement that a habitable room must have at least 70 sq ft of floor space along with the height requirements and a minimum dimension of 7 feet in any horizontal direction. There is more mentioned about what a habitable room must have, than what makes a shed become a habitable building. The inclusion of cooking or sleeping provisions will trigger it to be classed habitable, as will plumbing. As soon as it becomes classed as habitable then there must be heating that meets code as well as minimum insulation, etc.
|
|
Lippy667
Member
|
# Posted: 3 May 2019 04:34pm
Reply
I know I am a little late, but I am also in the early planning stages and just went through this run around with the local building department of residential vs. habitable cabin/shed. They (county building dept. in MI) basically said if you sleep in it, it is habitable and it has to be built to the Michigan Building Code (MBC), which is just the IBC with region specific details in there (i.e. wind/snow load tables, etc..). So if you sleep in it, the 200 sg ft doesn't even matter, needs to be to residential.
Now, I really didn't want to follow all those rules for a cabin, as I just want one open floor space with a loft (MBC requires separate bedrooms of specific sizes like ICC mentions, bathrooms, kitchen areas, etc....). So i dug down into the local township ordinances, and found that private hunting/fishing cabins are exempt. I will still need a building permit, and need to have a structurally sound building, but none of the residential restrictions like room sizes/insulation, stairways, etc... Mechanical, plumbing, heating, etc.. are still required, but I probably won't have any of that being off grid. Maybe heating, but that will be awhile, first the shell. Now I can build a glorified wooden tent, as long I build the frame to basic construction standards.
Anyway, check all your local codes. I had to dig deep, even after I was originally told by zoning they wouldn't allow it. After I found the private cabin part (one sentence, buried in the agricultural/forestry sections) I sent that back to them and the local zoning woman, who was very nice, said since a private cabin is exempt they cannot deny my permit. I am allowed to build what I want, as long as I don't spend more than 30 consecutive days, and cannot use it as a residence (or rent it out). Therefore, not considered habitable/residential anymore. And if the local twp approves my cabin plan, the county building department can only deny it if it is structurally unfit.
Lots of times even the local officials don't know all the details in the codes. Always good to look into it yourself and see what you can find. But be nice to the authorities even if they are wrong. Nothing can make building harder than a pissed off inspector.
|
|
|
