Jay has just announced that he will be participating in a Global Ignite Week event in Sebastopol, CA at Hopmonk Tavern on March 3. Ignite Events are events where the presenters are given 5 minutes and 20 slides to make a presentation on something that they’re passionate about.

In Jay’s case it’s about his passion for small houses and, specifically, revising the International Residential Code (sections 304.1,2 &3 in particular). Limiting the lower size limit for dwellings is a great way to discriminate against those who want to own a house, but don’t have the means to build a McMansion. I agree, what’s the use of putting a lower limit on the size of a house? If someone wants to build and live in a small house… hooray for their chutspa for living lighter on the earth!

So, if you’re in the area of Sebastopol CA on March 3 stop in at the Tavern to hear him speak on why the residential building code should be revised.

The garage matches the house.

Such is hindsight, right?

The main problem with doing that, at least around here, is getting permission from the building department to build an accessory structure before the main house. If a parcel is zoned residential than you might have a really tough time convincing the town board to grant you a variance to do this. Most of the time variances are granted on the basis of “hardship”. In other words, you have to show there’s an economic or physical hardship related to your dilemma.

Gail, one of my favorite readers has some specific questions about doing the ‘build the garage first’ strategy. I thought it would be instructive to share my responses with everyone…

Gail: “How did you build your garage? Did you build it yourself or was a prefab or something?”

Anne: After being the general contractor for the house construction I decided to turn the garage building project over to a “real” general contractor. I was thinking this would save me a lot of headache in keeping the project organized and timely. Not so much.

The overall construction of the garage was “stick built”, which in construction parlance means it was built with standard dimensional lumber and modern framing techniques on a concrete slab. The only thing prefab about it was the trusses for the roof. They were constructed in a room-in-attic design in order to give a large storage space above the parking area. This turned out to produce a really superb space above the garage.

Gail: “What does the loft look like? Do you have any pictures?”

Anne: Here’s a few pictures I could dig up from my archives…

The trusses were basically manhandled up onto the second floor.

A view of the garage from the second floor of the house.

Another view from the house.

Siding being finished up on the garage.

Gail: “How much did it cost you?”

Anne: About $30,000. It turned out to be a very well built, solid structure that will have decades of use ahead of it. I’m very glad I put the metal roofing on it, even though it was about 10% more expensive than asphalt shingles. It will far outlast a shingle roof!

Gail: “I may not know all the tricks with how to make a house small and comfortable for the winter. Any advice?”

Anne: No problem! If you build to modern building codes you’re house should turn out adequately insulated. Your building inspector should help with that, too, hopefully guiding you in the right direction to get your home tight and snug from the elements. If you want to go beyond local building codes for insulation and weatherization standards then check out the Energy Star program. Here are the features of an Energy Star home. It may all seem like Greek right now, but the more you educate yourself about these features and benefits and how to get there the more money you’ll save in the long run on energy bills, not to mention being a whole lot cozier in your new home.

If anyone else has a story about building a garage or accessory structure before the main house please share your story!

Build It Green offers a "Green Point Rated" system for new construction.

Their About Us page says the organization started in 2003.  They promote clean, healthy, energy, and resource efficient homes in California.  Even if you’re not in Cali you can still follow their directory of members to find someone that might work in your area.  There’s also a listing of Green Point Rated homes that are occasionally open for tours… or at least a drive-past.