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Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

imkylelambert.com

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Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#201

Post by walrus01 »

For anyone thinking of building like a 12x14 size back yard shed/office for year round ues, look long and hard and do the math on the cost difference in using 2x4 for the exterior wall framing vs 2x6 (like a real house). Lots of cheap shed plans default to 2x4, unfortunately.

Compared to the total cost of the project, using 2x6 and correspondingly thicker standard pink fiberglass insulation (R-13 to R-15 for a 3.5" cavity vs R-19 to R-21 for a 5.5" cavity) the cost difference is not a lot.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#202

Post by mapontosevenths »

copperx wrote: post #179
bombcar wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I visited a friend's apartment and he was going on and on about how everyone around him seems to be getting exploding dogs, so I think the key is to live by yourself in a house separated from others. But down that path lies a cabin innawoods.

This is correct. There needs to be some outside air in between you and people, not just a wall.

A moat would also be nice.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#203

Post by briHass »

pwg wrote: post #192
ApolloFortyNine wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my state they require: >160 hours of education/vocational training and 2 years’ verifiable experience in the trade To get the license to install minisplits (two years experience generally means working an apprenticeship). It's no wonder install costs are so much in the US. And as you've experienced, they're hardly rocket science to install. The 160 hours training would be more than enough, I'm not sure why 2 years…

Unless your state is very unusual that is the requirement for installing them for other people as a tradesman. In most states if you are DIY for yourself all you legally need are the electrical permits for the wiring hookup (which for DIY don't require that "apprenticeship").

You also need an EPA 608 Type 2 license, though minisplits have been skirting around that for some time.

Easy to test for, though I'm not sure if you can do it for free like skillcat used to offer.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#204

Post by syspec »

copperx wrote: post #105
ryandrake wrote: post #3

For work-from-home, I can't emphasize enough how much of a game changer it is to have a physically separate building for your work, especially if you have a family with kids and noise and pets and things. Working from a spare bedroom, even one without a bed / outfitted as an office, is just not my thing. Even if your family "knows the rules" and let you work in peace. It subjectively still "feels like you're home". W…

It's smarter (and cheaper!) to live by yourself because your entire house is distraction-free.

Even better, avoid making my friends so you won't receive pesky texts asking you to hangout.

In fact, probably better to just put your desk in the bathroom for maximum efficiency!

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#205

Post by rootusrootus »

ghaff wrote: post #185
rootusrootus wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AFAIK the biggest risk is disclosure. Some states (Oregon for sure) explicitly require the seller to disclose unpermitted work. It's part of the standard forms you fill out with your realtor when making the listing. They won't stop you from selling the house as-is but some buyers will walk, some will demand you get it permitted, most will at least want a real inspection done. Getting as-built work permitted after the…

Home inspections are pretty normal when you buy a property. I have no idea what work on my >200 year-old house was permitted. While the latest batch was, I'm guessing a great deal wasn't. But I don't actually know. And, if you're buying a >200 year old house, you know that along with a lot of other things.

Inspections are common but mostly just a surface examination. They cannot, for example, inspect electrical wiring. They can recommend you hire an electrical inspector.

I just sold a 120 year old house. “I don’t know” is a valid answer to the disclosure requirement but it better be true.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#206

Post by toast0 »

zie wrote: post #175
cucumber3732842 wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>You can even do a fully enclosed, And then lose all the regulatory benefit of whatever shed exemption you're trying to use, get absolutely screwed on regulatory compliance and code whatnot that you're leveraging by having it be a detached outbuilding. And then get sneered at by HN when you say the rules as they apply to your situation are stupid.

you might get screwed on regulatory compliance, it just depends on your local govt and how much they want to screw you. It's got to suck to do the inspectors job. Having to keep up with whatever the code creators come up with, while also getting abused by every home owner and contractor in the area because they hate X,Y or Z. While trying to dodge political leverage from elected officials trying to get whatever pet m…

> It's got to suck to do the inspectors job. Having to keep up with whatever the code creators come up with, while also getting abused by every home owner and contractor in the area because they hate X,Y or Z.

Permit inspectors are basically unaccountable. There's no requirement that what you sign off meets code or that you'll sign off if it meets code.

As a builder, best thing is if you can fix whatever needs fixing while the inspector is there. If not, there's a non-zero chance you get a different inspector for the reinspection who likes it the way the first inspector said you couldn't do it.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#207

Post by DANmode »

kslambert wrote: post #128

Author here. Thanks for the comments everyone! There are many comments on the price point. I would like to comment on one thing. "$20k is too much" I agree $20k is an investment. Could I have done it for cheaper? Absolutely. Would a DIY shell been cheaper? Would doing more of the work myself have been cheaper? Could I have saved by putting in the smaller stock windows and not having a skylight? Of course! But I am a…

$20k is too little.

Thank you for the cool post.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#208

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

quickthrowman wrote: post #167
bellowsgulch wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> I’m not even a commercial builder. A bag of Portland cement concrete is $5/bag. You don’t need to pay $2k for such a small foundation. An 8x10 6” slab has 1.5 cubic yards of concrete. Making concrete takes more than a bag of Portland cement, you also need gravel, sand, a mixer, a wood frame, a source of water, shovels, floats, et cetera. If you want rebar, add in steel and rebar tools and wire. You could frame up t…

It isn't easy but you can economize with 4" in the middle. It will still be a lot of concrete to mix up if not using a truck. Fiberglass rebar is easier to wrangle for a DIY job as well.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#209

Post by pimlottc »

dowonseo wrote: post #197

I like that CO2 detector. I wonder if I could build one cheaply as a DIY project by buying and attaching the sensor to Raspberry Pi?

CO2 sensors are not all created equal. The price of a good one is a large chunk of the cost of the device.

Re: Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown

#210

Post by mettamage »

ryandrake wrote: post #3

For work-from-home, I can't emphasize enough how much of a game changer it is to have a physically separate building for your work, especially if you have a family with kids and noise and pets and things. Working from a spare bedroom, even one without a bed / outfitted as an office, is just not my thing. Even if your family "knows the rules" and let you work in peace. It subjectively still "feels like you're home". W…

> "get into work mindset."

I have multiple Spotify playlists for this. What's neat is that I also listen to them for fun, but they also allow me to get into a work mindset.

So for me it's more of a mental walk.

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