Pellet Piggies' Indoor Storage Full: Please Share Ideas On Outdoor Storage

One of my sheds, 16 by 12, has two 4 ft doors on one 12 ft wall. A forklift can (has) driven right in and placed the pellets.

I built each of my sheds to a specific purpose at the time of construction. None of them currently are used as originally intended though.

I am fortunate I guess in that we have a farm exemption to zoning that was acquired back when we raised heifers. The exemption pretty much allows us to do anything as far as building, fencing, storage and such on our property. It does not apply to property taxes so they are lax about updating the exempt lists, and I am far enough away from non farm neighbors that the issue is unlikely to be raised.

 

If it is over 100 sq/ft, and more than 1 story (8' tall), then the building permit costs $50 per sq/ft (per floor) - assuming they approve the plans (yes, plans have to be submitted and they come out and inspect the staking of the layout) and none of the neighbors object to the placement. Also have to have it inspected even if not hooking up electric/water/sewer. For all I know, they also require a minimum footing and/or flooring too.

When you live "in town", it is tough to put in a building and not have it noticed. I only have an 8x8 metal shed because the Ex brought over the oldest of 3 sheds for me - all of which took a total of less than an hour (he put it on a snowmobile trailer and dumped it off) so there was no time for anyone to notice the work going on. The shed is old, rusty and has buckles in the roof from snow loads, so it looks like it has been there forever. Plus, the people who I bought the house from had an old Winnebago there so the neighbors were used to seeing something there.

 

Flying under the radar

 

You may want to defer -that- discussion until tomorrow, JT.

Off to pickup flowers for the wife, stop in @ work quickly, then back to the house for more wood shed clean-out.. need. (want). more. pellets.

 

That would never be an option at my house. The pain would be far to great.

 

Without a farm exemption we also have a size limit (120 sq feet). Over that and the shed needs a permit - 250 bucks regardless of size as long as it has no utilities. With utilities the cost skyrockets and i have seen cases wher the permit fees exceeded the building value. What the town is essentially saying I guess is that they don't want no sheds.

In our case we can construct anything we wish without regulation or fees as long as it is not human occupation. The Right To Farm Law implemented in this county 25 or 30 years back put an end to city slickers buying country property and then trying to impose city rules on us all.

I know a homesteader who was hassled by a Long Island person who bought property next to goat pasture. Made a huge ruckus over some odor only he smelled. When it was over (he lost) the homesteader built a hog pen and inserted half dozen pigs about 3 feet from the property line with prevailing winds heading right to the fella's house about 70 feet distant.

City life is different. Reasonable regs are necessary as is zoning in my view. When you live on a hundred or two or more acres with the nearest neighbor a half mile distant and you use the land as life style -- those regs are needed not so much.

We do have a planning board that can exert some pressure and require some accommodations in non farm things when necessary.

 

That seems kind of steep....... You sure on that?
150 sq.ft. shed would be $7,500?

 

Ya know, with that arithmetic, I'm probably misremembering (I looked it up a couple of summers ago). I'll re-check because $7,500 certainly doesn't sound right

 

Okay, I only remembered part of it; $50 plus $0.25 per sq/ft. They actually changed it since last time I looked because now it is for sheds over 200 sq/ft.

Notice of a detached building is required for that (and a site plan) - but they have changed the building permit fee schedule quite a bit since I checked last.

Thanks for making me go back and check that Dan!

 

Really?? I hadn't noticed...

 

Gotta wonder about the stories you hear about these types of things. Between people buying property next to working farms then complaining about any normal barnyard (or fertilizer - natural or otherwise) odors, and others who buy property next to an airport then demand all kinds of noise abatement walls (amongst other things), I think we need to give people questionnaires before they are allowed to buy. And if their answers indicate they are idiots who will hassle their neighbors for existing uses/practices, off with their heads . Er, I mean, they are disqualified from buying said property unless/until they sign a waiver.

 

That's somewhat similar to when people move into the state and then try to prevent the harvesting of wood, which is not on their land.

 

If not prevent at least alter the way the wood is cut because they didn't like the way it looked after the cutting.