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converting a barn

| Posted in General Discussion on July 11, 2002 07:36am

i bought a small farm a couple of years ago that had a large barn on it.this barn has about 1200sq. ft. of living quarters built inside of it.i want to add on to the finished space and live there.problem is, none of the finished area was inspected when it was built.the barn was permitted and the framing and wiring was inspected so power could be hooked up and some time later the living space was added.although it was built out of rough cut ungraded lumber (that i  am told was sawmilled on the place) this thing is very solid.my question is will i run into problems with the building department when i try to get permits to add on to an uninspected structure.the finished space is actually on slab with two bathrooms and it has central heat and air.all mechanical seems to meet code from what i can see.this thing has got knotty white pine t&g on the walls mexican tile floors that i would hate to tear up. does anyone with experience with a situation like this have any advice.the building dept here is staffed by people who understand what a govt. job is and realish in the fact that you cant be fired for incompitance,so they are of no help. my past experience with them is they offer no solutions just tell you that you dont have the right plat or form or whatever.by the way,i am taxed as if it is a house. any advice would be helpful

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  1. User avater
    Luka | Jul 11, 2002 09:55pm | #1

    Disclaimer... I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on the internet. The following is only my understanding of the way things are in the county I live in...

    "by the way,i am taxed as if it is a house."

    If they are taxing it, and it has been around for many years.... Grandfather clause.

    They can't make you take any of it apart, or tear it down.

    I understand that even if there were no inspection, and no C of O... if the county/city/whatever, has been taxing it as a residence, then they have in essence accepted it as such. They can't simply change their mind and say, "hey this was never CO'd or inspected."

    They COULD, if they found sufficient proof of dangerous deterioration... condemn it, but that is not likely, is it ?

    Your problem is not going to be in keeping the existing stuff, it is going to be in getting permission to add new stuff.

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