Essential Advice for Owner-Builders
(Page 3 of 6)
December 2006/January 2007
By David Eisenberg
Beyond Building Codes
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It is worth noting some of the other regulatory hoops through which you may have to jump, depending on where you decide to build. The most obvious are zoning and land use codes as well as specific restrictions that may apply to your particular piece of property, such as subdivision or homeowner association CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions). Other restrictions typically relate to water, gas or electric utilities, easements, grading, erosion control and highway or street right of way considerations. In historic districts, you may have to comply with architectural rules governing what can be done with both new and existing buildings, and many places have ordinances protecting indigenous plants and wildlife.
Don’t be discouraged by these restrictions. You probably won’t have to deal with them all, and most are fairly routine matters. The folks who administer these requirements usually are well versed in helping people through the process.
Using Alternative Materials
If anything in your plans might pose a problem for the building department, address it as early as possible. If your plans include alternative materials or construction methods, such as cordwood or straw bale building, discuss and work through any concerns at the earliest stage in the process rather than once your plans have been rejected, and your construction schedule put on hold.
Laura Bartels, now a natural building consultant for GreenWeaver, in Carbondale, Colo., was an environmental educator when she and her husband built their pioneering straw bale home in Eagle County, Colo., in 1995. Her instincts as an educator led to the ideal strategy to work with building officials who had never heard of straw bale construction.
“I realized the building officials would not have time to research alternatives on my behalf,” Bartels says. “So I went in as an educator, with a binder of all the information I could find about straw bale construction, and talked informally about what I wanted to do. I left the binder with them, giving them lots of time to study it. When questions came up, I did the legwork and got the information to satisfy their concerns.” She kept a positive attitude through the whole process, got the permit and built their home without needing an architect or engineer.
Don’t be surprised if your plans are not approved as submitted, even if you’re building with conventional materials. There usually are details that need to be clarified, added or corrected. The plans should come back with notations explaining deficiencies and citing specific code sections that must be met. Be sure you understand what is required to satisfy the plan reviewer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If something significant has been questioned or rejected, ask for a meeting with the building official to seek a resolution that gives you what you want and also satisfies the building department’s obligations. In the end, if you can’t reach a satisfactory solution, you have the right to an appeal process. See 10 Steps for Getting Unconventional Projects Approved for more ideas about getting alternatives approved.
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