List of Known Building Permit Issues

Most locations in the U.S. and Canada use the I.R.C. , International Residential Code, or I.B.C. , International Building Code. Our plans usually allow a permit, comparative bidding from contractors, and the successful construction of the building. There are a few locations that have adopted their own codes or plan requirements. We update our plan packages each time a change is made so that our plans have the best chance of resulting in a permit. Despite our best efforts, there are situations where the plan will not pass and the planning department requires engineering calculations and an engineers stamp. We do not provide engineering or an engineers stamp. If required it must be obtained locally.

California

There are several areas in California that have their own code and permit requirements. The seismic fault line travels right through California and the codes have been upgraded to require buildings, including garages, to comply. The codes have been modified to minimize building damage from wild fires. There are various different footing requirements in different parts of the state. We have three different California packages to comply with the latest California Building Code.

Florida

Recent hurricanes have caused an increase in the Florida code requirements. We have upgraded our Florida plan package to comply. Unfortunately the prescriptive code path does not deal with wind speeds over 110 MPH so that our plans may require additional engineering. We do include the Simpson hurricane clips on the drawing but with out calculations we are not able to provide proof that they work. Additional engineering may be required

Ontario

Since 2006, The Ontario planning departments require that building plans of buildings larger than 500 square feet are created by a designer, engineer, or architect that has obtained a BCIN identification number from the province of Ontario.

We have decided not to pursue the Ontario registration because of expense and distance.

There are an exceptions to the BCIN number requirement. A self designed plan is allowed without a BCIN number. We recommend that you remove our title block from the copies and submit the package as your own design. A truss manufacturer, if located in Ontario should have a BCIN number which may work. Another alternative is to locate a local contractor that already has the BCIN number. They could, for a fee, allow you to use their number.

Garage, shop, barn, and workshop construction

There are several choices of construction that are available for building your new garage. First the roof can be one of three types; a truss roof , a framed roof, or a combination of the two. Then the roof style can be hip , gable, gambrel, or a combination. The foundation can be either mono-pour (thickened slab ) or standard stem wall and footing. The Building framing can be standard wood studs on a concrete foundation or pole barn construction.

A framed roof is constructed of individually cut rafters that are attached to the top plate or upper floor plywood and to a common ridge beam. Rafters with insulation are usually 2X12 dimensioned lumber and rafters with-out insulation are sized for their length and snow load. .

A truss roof is constructed from truss elements made by a truss manufacturer. They design the trusses, build the trusses, deliver them to your site and place them on your roof. Another advantage beside the speed of building a truss roof is the truss manufacturer will provide the truss engineering which is required for the permit.

A standard foundation is composed of a footing and a stem wall. A typical one story two car garage footing is 12” wide, 6” tall, and 18” below the surface of the dirt. The depth varies by the location and standard frost line depth for the area. On top of the footing is a 6” wall that supports the garage walls. Some areas pour both components and some use concrete block for both. The concrete floor is poured inside the stem wall at a later time.

A mono-pour foundation is composed of the footing and floor as one unit and poured at one time. This saves concrete trips which can save cost of building the garage. A short curb can be poured on top of the slab at the walls or a curb added from concrete block. A curb can be helpful if there is a water problem from inside or out side the building.

The standard framing method is treated plates on the stem wall with wood studs, and wood top plates. A slightly less expensive method is the pole barn. Posts are embedded in the ground and beams are placed on the tops of the posts to support the roof members, either trusses or rafters. The studs (girts) are then horizontal between the posts so that siding can be attached. Although less expensive there are some disadvantages. Insulation is more difficult, and finishing the inside may be more difficult.

Garage Designs

There are several different garage designs represented in our collection of garage plans. They vary by number of stories, style of roof, dormers, number of garage doors, use of storage space, and external decoration.

We have one and two story garage plans. Two story plans provide space for storage, bonus room, apartment, or hobby room on the upper floor. Some of our one story garage designs have shop or storage space separate from the garage space. Some two story designs have detailed apartments with kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

We have garage designs with different roof styles. The typical plan has a gable roof with the garage door under the eave or in the gable end. Some designs have a hip roof with eaves on all four sides. We have garage plans with porches, gambrel or barn roofs, flat roofs, and southwest adobe style.

We have one car garage designs, two car, three car, and four car. A one car garage door is between 8’ and 10’ . A two car garage door is usually 16’ but can be wider. Our larger garage designs have multiple garage doors.

Dormer garage designs add usable space to the upper floor. A shed dormer is wider than a gable dormer and will add the most space. Some of our garage designs have gable dormers on both sides which effectively makes the upper floor space nearly the same as the main floor space. Gable garage designs add upper floor space but not near as much as a gable dormer. Some designs have one dormer, some two, some three, and others have four. Each dormer will have at least one window for added light and possible egress from habitable space.

Decorations include belly bands, returned eaves, window moldings, corner moldings, gridded windows, brick or stone trim, All decorations can be added to any of our standard plans.