I was considering doing something similar this spring, but instead of trenching my yard I was considering solar and just a small mesh network to get to the corner of my backyard, maybe 300 feet from the house. My thought was that it would be an office and reading area. Perhaps a place to nap away from the kiddo as well :)
I Built a Shed (2020)
211–220 of 323 posts
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#212Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Not that anything about this shed is built to code This is why we can't have nice, or at least affordable but slightly less than perfect, things. I would also note that, while I'm sure everyone's right about the rules in Santa Cruz, this is jurisdiction specific. In the UK, if your shed is less than 15m^2 and is not used as living accomodation, no building regulations apply, and you can build it with screws, nails,…
This is why we can't have nice, or at least affordable but slightly less than perfect, things. I really enjoyed reading the article just as someone who likes writing and reading. It was very engaging and I enjoyed the process he went through from having an idea to finally committing to it and I especially liked him commenting on things like choosing materials that fit in his car. I also really am enjoying the comment…
> So this is a real issue and I'm reminded of the fact that after racist White people burned down "Black Wall Street" they then began interfering with the rebuilding by trying to pass more stringent fire safety codes
This 100% has nothing to do with it. Screws aren’t even the easy, cheap, or fast option for construction. Everyone defaults to nails anyway because they’re the cheap, fast, easy, and correct option for framing.
Building a code-compliant small structure is basically trivial these days. The information is readily available from so many different sources that you have to ignore them all and choose to improvise your own thing, such as using screws instead of framing nails in a framing nailer, to get things done.
Many of the code violations in this build are just common sense problems, like putting high voltage wiring in a pipe with low-voltage wiring.
> People in the know are often comfortably well off. They have no problem with saying "Well, pay the few extra bucks to do it right." and the result is some people are sleeping in the streets and it falls on deaf ears when you try to draw those connections.
Construction workers are well-versed in building to code. It’s definitely not causing housing shortages or even remotely related to it. Code isn’t causing houses to not be built, and abolishing building code wouldn’t increase the rate of construction.
Zoning, on the other hand, is a huge problem.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#213Would you be interested in purchasing this partially pre-build and delivered to you? (pre-painted, Including windows, door, insulation, electrical and Ethernet wiring, fire-proof compliance, able to resist heavy rain) Six elements total, clickable into each other. Assembly time under one hour.
The point is to build it yourself
For some. For others it isn't.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#214Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Did you do extra-preparation on the extra room that is now available to you? E.g. foaming walls or door to have the same level of sound separation? Which direction of sound separation is more important to you, incoming sound (not being disturbed) or outgoing sound (not disturbing sleeping people with your work)?
I am not particularly noise sensitive, so the amount of sound separation you get just by being in a separate room is usually enough for me. The shed has excellent noise separation, however, which occasionally has been useful in letting friends work there for a while.
How do you handle something highly noise sensitive like baby crying in another room while being on a Zoom call?
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#215I am planning on building what is essentially a tiny house for my shoffice. Basically I want something that also includes a bed and a shower/bathroom. My biggest concern is whether I will need to pull permits for this project and/or if I need a foundation or if I can get away with a gravel pad + railroad ties as the base. Tying into house plumbing and power is going to be the trick I guess.
At minimum, you should swing by (virtually these days, but in past years, you could go in person) your local building enforcement office. I suspect that as soon as you add electrical or plumbing, you need permits and inspections, as it’s no longer a shed.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#216Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
> Not that anything about this shed is built to code This is why we can't have nice, or at least affordable but slightly less than perfect, things. I would also note that, while I'm sure everyone's right about the rules in Santa Cruz, this is jurisdiction specific. In the UK, if your shed is less than 15m^2 and is not used as living accomodation, no building regulations apply, and you can build it with screws, nails,…
> In the UK, if your shed is less than 15m^2 and is not used as living accomodation, no building regulations apply, and you can build it with screws, nails, or corrugated cardboard and PVA glue if you're so inclined.
In many US locations you aren't required to pull a permit and get inspections for sheds below a certain square footage either.
But that's not a free pass to build an unsafe structure. Using (non-structural) screws instead of nails is not a big deal for something this small that won't see snow load, but other things like mixing high voltage wiring and low-voltage wiring in the same conduit are a problem regardless of code.
Connecting something to the electrical system will also invoke code regulations, regardless of the size. There's no free pass for ignoring electrical regulations just because a building is below a certain size in the US, and I doubt there is in the UK either.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
Check your city/county, but in most places in CA and the rest of the US, zoning allows up to a 120 square foot shed without building permits. Neighborhood HOAs, if applicable, would be the other restriction. 36 square feet? good to go. If I were to do it, I'd make it slightly bigger and put a electrical sub-panel in it with an extension cord like an RV has. You could plug it into anywhere with an RV outlet. It's also…
No way this shed can be moved. It’s built with drywall screws and 24” centers. If you kick a wall it’s likely to flat pack itself.
Many sheds are built this way. Some even lighter - e.g. the overpriced wood sheds you buy pre-built use very minimal framing. And they all can be moved just fine. I commented because it's somewhat surprising how easy it is and how well it works.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#218Not that anything about this shed is built to code, but this takes the cake: > PRO TIP Use screws for everything; if you mess up, remove the screws and redo it; with nails, it’s a lot harder to do that. You absolutely should not do this for framing, and most building codes specify the type and size of nails that you must use when fastening load-bearing structural components. Screws are convenient, sure, but they are…
While you're not wrong about nails vs screws for framing - this a 6x6 box, it's not going to matter.
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
That was the first thing I noticed as well. I don’t blame him mind you since I would have assumed they are better and easier as well but recently my brother who is a carpenter told me you have to use nails they are needed. This just reminds me that being handy is good but knowing code is critical for some thing. In this case he will probably get away with just screws.
> being handy is good but knowing code is critical for some things The subject of building code seems vast. How can you get to the point where you even know what you don't know?
Have an architect as a friend? I have such a friend, and it's always fascinating when talking to him about building codes and such (such as the type of covering for network cables in a commercial setting depends upon the type of A/C used in the building, due to concerns over fire hazards and air intake).
Re: I Built a Shed (2020)
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is why we can't have nice, or at least affordable but slightly less than perfect, things. I really enjoyed reading the article just as someone who likes writing and reading. It was very engaging and I enjoyed the process he went through from having an idea to finally committing to it and I especially liked him commenting on things like choosing materials that fit in his car. I also really am enjoying the comment…
> So this is a real issue and I'm reminded of the fact that after racist White people burned down "Black Wall Street" they then began interfering with the rebuilding by trying to pass more stringent fire safety codes This 100% has nothing to do with it. Screws aren’t even the easy, cheap, or fast option for construction. Everyone defaults to nails anyway because they’re the cheap, fast, easy, and correct option for f…
Trivial for someone in the know can mean (something like) "If you have a PhD and a decade of experience, it's obvious." People not in the know who look things up online have the problem that they often cannot properly judge the quality of the information they are seeing.
I'm confident that some of the people on HN saying "Oh. God. Don't do that." actually know whereof they speak. But reading the article in no way tripped any warning lights for me. I just thought it was an enjoyable read for other reasons.
This is not the right forum to say that. I said that and it was downvoted and I deleted that comment to leave the one above cuz reasons, not due to the downvote per se, but the downvote helps tell me my enthusiasm for the writing quality etc is unwelcome here because so many people here do know it's bad construction.
I agree zoning is an issue. It's a huge issue, as is car-centric design.
But, no, it's not trivial from my perspective but I feel like it ought to be easier to sort the wheat from the chaff and so forth. The internet seems like a huge opportunity to foster better processes for DIY projects.
But, then, I naively thought nearly two years back that "Surely, the CDC or WHO will have a list of recommended OTC meds for self care for Covid to discourage people from going to the hospital and spreading it." and was unable to find such.
I was at one time pursuing an online degree. I have had a college class in online search. If an officially recommended list of OTC drugs existed at that time and I was unable to find it, I am skeptical that "your average Joe" could find it.
I think there is so much potential to do things better than this. The internet is a tremendous opportunity to help make effective answers available for "free" to the masses and we see some of that happening but I remain shocked and confused by the huge gaps in such that still remain.
(Edited slightly for clarity.)