I live in rural central New Hampshire. It's a “live free or die” situation. Although I believe in this motto to a large degree, I also care about making sure innocent people are not injured or killed if a building or deck collapses.
Just a few days ago, I was driving down a back road to buy groceries. Lo and behold, out of nowhere, a small pole barn began to take shape. I was just surprised because I had never seen any excavation or foundation work being done. Please understand that I walk up and down this road at least 4 times a week.
I decided to stop by and say hi to the owner and ask if I could take a look at the large frame building. The owner of the house was very kind and made me feel welcome. “This work took four days, and just yesterday the building inspector put up a stop sign,” said the agitated man.
“The inspector said not only was it too close to the road, but the road needed to be lowered. He said there were all sorts of mistakes and it wasn't safe,” the DIY homeowner said. Ta. I didn't want to go out and say that I completely agreed with the inspector, so I offered him all the comfort I could. There was far more that was wrong with the structure than right.
I felt his story was worth sharing. Because if this structure had gone unnoticed by inspectors, there was a strong possibility that someone would be killed or seriously injured when it collapsed in the next rainstorm or snowstorm.
Let me share with you many of the mistakes I witnessed while standing just 20 feet away. Then, if you feel like swinging the hammer, we'll show you how to build something the right way.
First and foremost, this small pole barn had no foundation. I've seen some barns in New Hampshire that have huge wood base plates installed on top of stone. But this homeowner pieced together treated landscape timbers and simply laid them over the lawn and scattered coarse gravel. He was very bad at leveling the ground and there was a big dent in one wall.
The vertical wall supports were the exact same landscape wood as the wall top. He was nailing these thick pieces of wood using regular his 16 penny nails. It was the worst framing job I've ever seen. Any structural engineer would have nightmares about this, and any personal injury lawyer would salivate.
There were crude small diagonal posts at the base of some of the vertical posts, but these were no doubt temporary. To install the siding that covers the walls, you will need to remove them. Diagonal braces on the wall are needed to keep the wall from racking and collapsing, as a row of dominoes can topple when the first domino is tipped.
The roof rafters were the correct size, but the center ridge board was very small. Well-meaning DIYers installed a small collar tie just below the ridge, but its location prevents the roof from collapsing under 3 to 4 feet of wet snow, which is all too common in this part of the state. There was minimal resistance.
How do you get around this situation if you're trying to become a weekend warrior or hire a carpenter to do the work? Step 1 is a very basic understanding of all the structural elements of what you're building. It's about getting understanding. There are all kinds of books you can read, but I have a nifty PDF e-book written specifically for homeowners like you. No matter what you're building or remodeling, this is something to have on hand. Available here: https://go.askthebuilder.com/structural. Be sure to enter the word “go” and a period before “askthebuilder” in the URL.
Once you've decided how to build something, visit your city's zoning office to find out what laws and ordinances you need to abide by. You will find that most residential lots have no-build zones adjacent to the property line. Your zoning official will share what the clear setback lines are.
Assuming you can build what you need on your property, it's time to get a building permit. This requires some planning. There are many websites that sell plans that allow you to secure permits. If there are any deficiencies in your plans, your plan examiner will tell you what needs to be added to your plans to get permission.
This is a good start, but understand that planning does not replace decades of experience built. If you do the work yourself, you need to establish a lifeline with experienced professionals who can provide advice. If you decide to hire a workout, you should take the time to visit the professional's completed work and prove that he or she can meet or exceed your quality expectations.
