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Design plan thoughts? Your .02 please and experience...

Started by badger1, November 08, 2017, 06:12:32 PM

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badger1

Id like hear members experience with submitting plans to an inspector etc and getting approval to start a project.

I have quite a bit of experience remodeling houses but it was not structural and never had to submit paperwork and get approvals.

I plan on building a 24x30 full scribe log cabin and will need to submit paperwork for the project obviously. The land is in a fairly rural area so I don't think it would be as strict as a large municipality or metropolitan area...I suspect...

The property already has the poured basement on site and completed, as well as septic holding tank, electricity and well. The previous owner put it in and walked away. I picked it up ver...very reasonably.

I plan to start a thread on the project in the spring when I start the project.

I like this plan and would likely build something similar with some minor changes to orientation of front door and a bedroom, fairly simple. Has anyone purchased a plan like this? It is worth the $600 or is it something that I can draw up, I don't know how detailed a set of plans for a rural project needs to be. I don't want to spend the $600 on something that is overkill.

I'd like your .02 on experience with similar situations and advice or recommendations for having a set of plans made, purchasing a set or drawing them up myself.

Thanks
Also feel free to ask any other questions you may have.


https://www.familyhomeplans.com/plan_details.cfm?PlanNumber=87028&OrderCode=PT101
Contact me via PM, willing to help with projects for more experience
1986 Woodmizer LT30, STIHL MS261C, 1997 Dodge 2500 CUMMINS

Don P

There is no reason you can't draw it. There is no guarantee they will accept the plans you linked to, WI runs it's own code, the WI UDC, uniform dwelling code. Although I never ran into a situation where it was more restrictive on the structure than ICC which is what the rest of the country uses. Watch your DEQ requirements, they are the real no fun bunch.

A set of plans needs to communicate what you are doing and that you are doing it according to accepted practice. First google your local government website. Usually under a tab "Departments" you can click to the building dept and very often they will spell out the requirements there. I just hit a few I've built in and found their current info. If you can't find everything you need there I'd sit down with the building official and talk it through. Most BO's go pretty easy on owner builders as long as everyone stays polite and you can do what he has to have done. Show him the plan page you linked to and also ask if you can draw them. You'll have a better sense after that conversation. Hopefully the foundation and septic were permitted and inspected.

I haven't worked in WI in... it must be 15 years or so. At that time when I was inspected they were independent, non governmental, third party inspectors who didn't really have a clue what they were looking at as far as log structure. Had one in Oconomowoc that wanted to fail the electrical cause he couldn't see the wires inside the log walls to inspect them  ::)

Thinking about it I don't think we were inspected at all on at least 3. Two of those were in Douglas Co and I think my plans were just a floorplan sketched on notebook paper... but I suspect that is now just a "back in the day" story.
Well, googling them there is still no Building Dept, the planning and zoning office said to drop by and talk. So, WI is still WI

badger1

Thanks for the reply! I guess what I'll have to do is just like you said, sit down the with building inspector and show him the plan I linked, and ask exactly what he needs for my project.

Yes the basement, well, septic were permitted and inspected. That is all good to go.

The property is in Rusk county, so I am assuming there is not much there for requirements but I could be wrong, as I said I don't have much experience with figuring out requirements and starting a project from scratch. The reason I assume that there are low requirements is because judging by the "homes" on near by properties it seems as though everyone buys a small piece of land and puts a 1970's trailer on it, cut a hole in the roof for a woodstove and they're good to go. The alternative are old farm houses that looks like shacks and shantys, honestly its surprising that people live in some of these dwellings! This is to be expected as it is a fairly low income area, not much for jobs.

Totally fine with all of it, just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row.

I appreciate the feedback and would still like to hear from anyone else about their similar experiences. Even if not in WI/MN.

I'll also say, I understand having requirement for septic and well, as those are primarily health concerns that can affect other landowners near by, but the fact that the gov can tell me how to build a home to leave in rubs me the wrong way a little. I think as long as its not affecting others, a builder should be able to make whatever you want to live in, I view that as a basic human right! I digress, but you know what Im saying.

I spoke to a guy at work today and he said (lives in large municipality) that when he pulled a permit for his addition the inspector barely showed up, he said they just wanted their permit fees and pretty much left him alone, and it was a large addition in a subdivision. I'll pay the permits and play the game, but Im hoping that the guy isn't a stickler, and views plans as a "working document", projects often encounter unexpected issues that need revision to some degree, especially when building with logs and doing it yourself from scratch, its not a kit home.
Contact me via PM, willing to help with projects for more experience
1986 Woodmizer LT30, STIHL MS261C, 1997 Dodge 2500 CUMMINS

Don P

Not saying I disagree, they've already heard it from far more eloquent people than us though.
It looks like you need to talk to zoning,
http://www.ruskcounty.org/departments/zoning/

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