Is two story shed possible?

the shitbag nimby twatwaddles in my suburb do not allow 2 story garages, or I would have built one. They wouldn't even allow a second garage door, because there was a 2 car garage attached to the house. So with 7 registered and insured vehicles, 4 have to stay outside. I will build a 6-car steel outbuilding in the 30x50 range when I finally escape MA.

Since I have a tractor and ATV's up there..but will have fewer vehicles, maybe even bigger. Will put a solar array on the south facing peaks too
There is a house on Woodland Rd that is doing that 2 story garage build right now........
 
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and when it fails you get to haul it away in a Dumpster.

Ya, no thanks not forgetting my balls are big enough.

True quick story.
Dug a pond with no permits. Nobody can see this place from anywhere except a plane. We got caught by the DEP using Google Earth and a collage intern. Fine if paid on the spot without contesting the order was reduced to 50K from 100.
Cost to put it all back per the order was 90K

I'm very well aware on how it works.
You did it wrong.

Pollute the f*** out of it and walk away from it and burn down the house of the a**h*** who reported you. [grin]
 
Reaching out to the NES brain trust

I have a 10x20 shed in my back yard that pretty much sits on the ground in back yard. Want to knock it down and replace with a 2 story if possible (making the second floor into office space). Is this something allowed? Town of Waltham - anyone is/has experience with architects and town laws? Cant seem to find much online.

Sides are at least 10 feet off, back is probably 3 feet off property edge

Thanks

Check with your local town zoning and ordinanance laws. In most circumstances you should first simply try the town website for general information.

Sheds are generally categorized by SF as to whether it is a shed or an accessory building.

There are also limitations in most ma towns in terms of height restrictions that may require a review and approval. Of course there are also set back regulations and a whole lot of other things to check on.

Contrary to bad advice of the lazy, IMHO, moving forward with doing things in MA, and then later "hoping & asking/begging for a slap-on-the--wrist forgiveness" when caught, does not work out too well .... ever
 
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Reaching out to the NES brain trust

I have a 10x20 shed in my back yard that pretty much sits on the ground in back yard. Want to knock it down and replace with a 2 story if possible (making the second floor into office space). Is this something allowed? Town of Waltham - anyone is/has experience with architects and town laws? Cant seem to find much online.

Sides are at least 10 feet off, back is probably 3 feet off property edge

Thanks
Have you ever been to Maine?
 
Under the Massachusetts State Building Code (9th Edition) accessory structures used as a tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses where the floor area does not exceed two hundred (200) square feet do not require a building permit.

from Waltham building dept...
"Shed permits need a copy of the brochure, plan of land showing where the shed will be placed in the yard (5' away from the rear and side yards and 10' from the house) you may also be asked to get the Workers Comp Certificate from the installer".



City of Waltham dimension requirements...
4.221.
Location and area of accessory buildings. A detached accessory building may be located in the rear yard area, provided that not more than 25% of the required rear yard area shall be so occupied. An accessory building shall be at least 10 feet from the principal building and five feet from the side lot line and the rear lot line.
4.223.
Height of accessory buildings. When an accessory building shall exceed 15 feet in height, the height shall not be greater than 125% of its least horizontal dimension, but not greater than 20 feet in height. No accessory building shall exceed one story in height.
If my footprint is 10x19 I’m under the limit. but if I add a second story, my building Size is double the first floor. Ie, my house is 40x34.....like 1,360 sq ft, but it is two story...so for permitting purposes it is 2,700 sq ft.
 
I needed some work space last year and lots of older cheap campers on craigslist/facebook marketplace. Find one with a good roof and the permitting process is insanely simple, when you are hauling it back roll down your window, shove your arm out and as you are passing the town hall raise your middle finger. Rip some couches, bunks, tables, bathroom and bed out for space, plug it into an outlet and done.
 
This exactly.... it's just like the porn store in Fitchburg (conquest video) that has the gigantic truck that uses has a billboard to get around the signage restrictions.... put that shit on wheels, you untouchable.
I was going to say "build a tiny house; use the bottom as storage and the 'loft' as an office."
 
Agreed. My NH property is 125. Long driveway. Few neighbors to harass me. No building department.
10 acres are out of current use, so I will be building a grande` sized outbuilding as soon as I finish shoveling against tuition debt for my youngest. 5 more years, unless GME does what the apes say on the MOASS
You ever fix your driveway?
 
I can't even wrap my head around why someone would give a shit about what you build on your own property.
Because once a month there is a story on the news about a deck collapse where people die.
I have a neighbor who has a deck that is 18' off the ground, supported with 4x4 pt, that you can feel bounce when you walk across it. We were at a grad party some years ago and I told my wife to keep the kids off the deck .
Like I tell my customers. With enough time and money, anything is possible.
Like stated above, I always say, "you can put a man on the moon if you spend enough money"
 
Reaching out to the NES brain trust

I have a 10x20 shed in my back yard that pretty much sits on the ground in back yard. Want to knock it down and replace with a 2 story if possible (making the second floor into office space). Is this something allowed? Town of Waltham - anyone is/has experience with architects and town laws? Cant seem to find much online.

Sides are at least 10 feet off, back is probably 3 feet off property edge

Thanks
Tell building inspector you are transitioning. Build a two story "she shed". Dare him to come after you.

Non-binary - not a shed, not a building. Tell building inspector that you are the same (non-binary) and that you need a place that you feel comfortable in - if the inspector says that it (the new "shed") cannot be non-binary tell him/her that that is how you and "it" identifies and you feel that you are being discriminated against.
 
Reaching out to the NES brain trust

I have a 10x20 shed in my back yard that pretty much sits on the ground in back yard. Want to knock it down and replace with a 2 story if possible (making the second floor into office space). Is this something allowed? Town of Waltham - anyone is/has experience with architects and town laws? Cant seem to find much online.

Sides are at least 10 feet off, back is probably 3 feet off property edge

Thanks
If you go two stories, you will need to pour a slab foundation, which now makes it a permanent structure, increasing your tax assessment. You will need insulation, electric power and cable if you actually intend to use it as an office. Any chance of just investing your cash into an addition on your house instead?
 
Rules are made to be broken ....... If you want a two story shed , go ahead and do it. It's easier to ask for forgiveness later ......
Not really..... I did a google search, couldn't find it.
Back about 15-16 years ago in Andover, a guy built a pool house, a big one. Had a permit for one, but what he did that didn't have a permit for:
Filled in part of yard
Closer to lot lines than allowed
Way bigger than what permit was issued for.
I'm pretty sure they forced him to take it down.

Where it did work, not a shed:
Some guy in Lowell built a building near the Chelmsford line on Middlesex St. Was told to put in a septic, the sewer line was too small.
He snuck a crew in and hooked up to sewer anyway.
I think the city fined him for it, and he got to keep the connection.
Saved a ton, didn't need to spend money on septic. That area is close to the river too, probably would have been a high water table there, expensive.
 
To the people suggesting that you just build one .

Scrolling throufh CL years ago i see a newly built 10x20 shed for $2k. The next week it drops to $1k. I email the guy, go check it out and agree to buy it and leave a small deposit. Reason for sale? He had to sell it or face a fine because he had never pulled a permit. Not getting along with his neighbor didnt help either, which is why the town was alerted.

Found a guy in RI that could move it. He drove there , picked it up and delivered it to my house for $400.
 
all depends on the town. some do, some don't. 15' max is pretty common for limitation of an out building.

the state did relax the law on foundation requirements ( 600'SF and under no longer required) , but not all towns have adopted it. I had a customer go through the permit process in Worc, in January, and they approved his 24' x 24' shed sitting on a stone pad.
 
Not really..... I did a google search, couldn't find it.
Back about 15-16 years ago in Andover, a guy built a pool house, a big one. Had a permit for one, but what he did that didn't have a permit for:
Filled in part of yard
Closer to lot lines than allowed
Way bigger than what permit was issued for.
I'm pretty sure they forced him to take it down.

Where it did work, not a shed:
Some guy in Lowell built a building near the Chelmsford line on Middlesex St. Was told to put in a septic, the sewer line was too small.
He snuck a crew in and hooked up to sewer anyway.
I think the city fined him for it, and he got to keep the connection.
Saved a ton, didn't need to spend money on septic. That area is close to the river too, probably would have been a high water table there, expensive.
Guy in lowell/Chelmsford was/is super connected and wealthy so example may not apply to norms.
 
I think Taunton is up to 200sf. Which makes my pre-ban shed legal. LOL. (12x12 when it was 100sf back in the day.)

Two story would be tough. I'm not sure I'd want that. I did have a buddy that had two legal outbuildings on his property. They were huge. Two story. Filled with relics of his past. Not like trophies from hunting or serial killing. But old newspapers. Like every issue of the local paper. Every one. And all of his old clothes. Never donated them or gave them away. Put them in a bag and put them in the outbuildings.

He had 2 motor homes, too. Used one on rare occasion. The other? WAs the first one he bought and couldn't part with - even though it was rotting in his back yard. Poor guy was stuck as a low-level hoarder.


Funny aside: They were building this huge house on Bay Rd in Easton years ago. Maybe a decade. It's sorta set into the side of a hill on an old cattle farm. The perspective is all off. My then 15yo daughter says, "Look. They're gonna have a two-level basement. That would be so cool." [rofl] Yeah. I want MULTIPLE floors of no windows, honey. LOL
 
After the staircase is built you’ll end up with even less useful space.
A spiral staircase sucks donkey balls. I speak from first hand experience b/c that was the only up to my office over the garage. It’s a PITA for everything.
 
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