chit chat thread
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City living sucks. Build a lean-to or something.
I guess I've never considered my one stop light 2,500 person town a city
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City living sucks. Build a lean-to or something.
I'd slap that up right next to your garage or behind it so it's out of sight. This is why I'm gonna buy land out in the country, where rules don't exist (mostly).
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I'd slap that up right next to your garage or behind it so it's out of sight. This is why I'm gonna buy land out in the country, where rules don't exist (mostly).
Currently looking at pine tree prices. I will give them credit, they'll let me expand my 2nd garage to 1,300 sq ft on my 1.3 acre lot so I've got that going for me if I've ever got $15k-$20k to blow. What's annoying is I could park an enclosed trailer in my backyard and park a lawn mower and garden tools in it but a shed... Oh no. That's not permitted.
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I work in the Planning and Zoning Department in Menomonee Falls, I know all too well how that goes. In Menomonee Falls we don't limit how many Accessory Structures (sheds, detached garages, etc.) you can have, but limit the total square footage of all accessory structure to 60% of the finished living space of the home on the property. Which in most cases isn't an issue, but we have a lot of ranches here and that can really limit people what they want to do.
And in Cedarburg it's not restricted to a number, but a lot coverage ratio. In my Zoning District we can have 30% lot coverage - including house and accessory buildings. We have roughly a 13,500sf lot so we can have 4,000 sf of coverage.
I like how Cedarburg does it better, because if you have a bigger yard, you should be able to have bigger/more buildings on it if you want. I disagree with how Menomonee Falls does it, because what you have a 10 acre yard, but only need a 900sf home because why not? Now your limited to a tiny garage.
That sucks though. I've had to tell a lot of people that they can't do what they want to do because they're house isn't big enough. I don't think it's fair.
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Most of these rules are unfair. They are formed under the guise of protecting people, and usually with good intentions. Most are usually formed because someone abused the lack of rules and created some sort of eyesore for neighbors. I get all those points.
The evil libertarian in me says people should be able to do whatever they want on their property, but I also understand that a disturbingly large percentage of the population don't have a considerate bone in their body and have to have those rules to keep them from putting a nuclear disposal site in their back yard.
I'm just glad I have 5 acres in a township that pretty much doesn't care about anything, and neighbors that are all very considerate to each other.
Good luck trying to figure out what to do.
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Most of these rules are unfair. They are formed under the guise of protecting people, and usually with good intentions. Most are usually formed because someone abused the lack of rules and created some sort of eyesore for neighbors. I get all those points.
The evil libertarian in me says people should be able to do whatever they want on their property, but I also understand that a disturbingly large percentage of the population don't have a considerate bone in their body and have to have those rules to keep them from putting a nuclear disposal site in their back yard.
I'm just glad I have 5 acres in a township that pretty much doesn't care about anything, and neighbors that are all very considerate to each other.
Good luck trying to figure out what to do.
I'm the same. I understand the why and the inspector has been great about explaining the history of how the ordinances came about and it exactly was people abusing the rules in the past but for fuck sake if I'm proposing something very reasonable then why not allow me to do it on the little piece of land I pay for. What's bothersome is they won't even consider a variance because "If we did that we'd have to do that for everyone". I want to fight and attempt to change policy but I also feel like that'd be a waste of my time and at this point I'm flying under the radar.
For shits and giggles last night I drove around my subdivision and found many examples of people having more than one accessory building which looked just fine because the people that spent that money did it well. I also found quite a few people who opted for the shed-in-a-box solution with the tarp like walls and it looks like trash. That's acceptable but a very nice building that matches the landscape of the yard and improves the value of my property is fuckery.
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My dad (not exactly an upstanding citizen...) had the same issue, but just built the shed right behind the garage and nailed a 2x4 between them and called it one building. Last time I was back in the old neighborhood both the garage and shed were still standing. I'm not recommending that approach, but a "lean-to" or "carport" might be an option though.
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I'm the same. I understand the why and the inspector has been great about explaining the history of how the ordinances came about and it exactly was people abusing the rules in the past but for fuck sake if I'm proposing something very reasonable then why not allow me to do it on the little piece of land I pay for. What's bothersome is they won't even consider a variance because "If we did that we'd have to do that for everyone". I want to fight and attempt to change policy but I also feel like that'd be a waste of my time and at this point I'm flying under the radar.
For shits and giggles last night I drove around my subdivision and found many examples of people having more than one accessory building which looked just fine because the people that spent that money did it well. I also found quite a few people who opted for the shed-in-a-box solution with the tarp like walls and it looks like trash. That's acceptable but a very nice building that matches the landscape of the yard and improves the value of my property is fuckery.
To be fair - variances are regulated by the State and for a municipality to legally grant a variance they have to prove that it isn't a result of a self-imposed hardship. Wanting a second shed where the current Code says you can't is a self-imposed hardship.
But you're totally right, the number of people who just build the shed (me included) vastly outnumber those who do it the right way.
Only speaking from experience - most Trustees, Councilperson, etc. doesn't know what's going on in the community unless someone brings it up. We've changed ordinances multiple times since I've been here because people bring up an issue and it gains traction.
The other thing that is funny about ours is that 60% rule only regulates detached accessory structures. So if someone has a 900sf house, and they want to build a 3,000sf garage and attach it to the house via a breezeway, that's allowed. Most Zoning Codes are pretty archaic as well and rarely get updated because it is an extensive process to do.
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To be fair - variances are regulated by the State and for a municipality to legally grant a variance they have to prove that it isn't a result of a self-imposed hardship. Wanting a second shed where the current Code says you can't is a self-imposed hardship.
But you're totally right, the number of people who just build the shed (me included) vastly outnumber those who do it the right way.
Only speaking from experience - most Trustees, Councilperson, etc. doesn't know what's going on in the community unless someone brings it up. We've changed ordinances multiple times since I've been here because people bring up an issue and it gains traction.
The other thing that is funny about ours is that 60% rule only regulates detached accessory structures. So if someone has a 900sf house, and they want to build a 3,000sf garage and attach it to the house via a breezeway, that's allowed. Most Zoning Codes are pretty archaic as well and rarely get updated because it is an extensive process to do.
I appreciate your insight on this. I didn't realize the variance process was such a pain in the ass. I figured it was basically asking for a "variance" to the ordinance and was decided by a local committee of tribal elders that gathered around a cauldron and stared at the smoke until the answer presented itself.
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build the shed. put a sign up that says "chicken coop". stick a stuffed chicken in there. leave a little chicken wire on the side. you technically have a building used to house a chicken.
Dan
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I appreciate your insight on this. I didn't realize the variance process was such a pain in the ass. I figured it was basically asking for a "variance" to the ordinance and was decided by a local committee of tribal elders that gathered around a cauldron and stared at the smoke until the answer presented itself.
I mean...you're not completely wrong there. It typically is a bunch of old people who have lived in the community forever and feel like this is their calling. The people on our Board probably range in age from 70-85 and have been on it for years and years.
The law regulating Variances comes from the State, but variance requests go through the local government (Zoning Board of Appeals). They're supposed to follow the laws from the State, but every community is different. I've seen MF grant some variances that in NO WAY should have been allowed and I've seen them deny ones that I thought were super reasonable requests. Some communities don't like doing them because they don't want to set a precedent. If it was me, I'd look to see what variances they've granted in the past few years.
I have a whole story on this from when we bought our house and being told almost the exact same thing by our building inspector that he told you. I ultimately got what I wanted and didn't have to go through the variance process.
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I've seen MF grant some variances
When I read this as Mother Fuckers it makes the whole thing better.
My dad was on the zoning and planning committee in Mukwonago many years ago and said same as you. A lot of it came down to how the committee was feeling during that request, was the request reasonable and was the person in front of them a dick.
At this point I'm going to keep my head low and figure the situation out.
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When I read this as Mother Fuckers it makes the whole thing better.
My dad was on the zoning and planning committee in Mukwonago many years ago and said same as you. A lot of it came down to how the committee was feeling during that request, was the request reasonable and was the person in front of them a dick.
At this point I'm going to keep my head low and figure the situation out.
I honestly think your better approach would be to go to their office reiterate that you are a taxpayer and you can do whatever you want on your private property. It's something that most public officials rarely hear and easily forget. So if you remind them, that you are a taxpayer and a resident of your community, they'll probably let you do whatever you want.
If you don't believe me, I recommend watching this documentary that follows the lives of a branch of local government employees - it's called Parks and Rec. Idk if you've heard it before, but look it up.
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I honestly think your better approach would be to go to their office reiterate that you are a taxpayer and you can do whatever you want on your private property. It's something that most public officials rarely hear and easily forget. So if you remind them, that you are a taxpayer and a resident of your community, they'll probably let you do whatever you want.
If you don't believe me, I recommend watching this documentary that follows the lives of a branch of local government employees - it's called Parks and Rec. Idk if you've heard it before, but look it up.
Best advice I've gotten all week. Hold up while I go remind them who pays their salary.
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Haven't been paying much attention to car news, but heard that Hyundai was coming out with a new "mini truck". So disappointed:
The bed fit's half a mountain bike... at an angle... I looked it up and the bed of a Subaru Brat was 2 inches wider and 8 inches longer. This is not a truck, it's a hatchback with part of the roof missing.
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Haven't been paying much attention to car news, but heard that Hyundai was coming out with a new "mini truck". So disappointed:
The bed fit's half a mountain bike... at an angle... I looked it up and the bed of a Subaru Brat was 2 inches wider and 8 inches longer. This is not a truck, it's a hatchback with part of the roof missing.
"Are you tired of things in your trunk being protected from the elements?!"
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I’m very excited to see how triple V8s sound at full honk.
All it needs now is some zoomies!
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