question: when you submit a set of plans for building permit (house) who verifies that the the building is within the height restriction.
A set of stock plans there are no heights noted on the elevations. (are custom drawings different?) what do they look at; the main floor elevations and then scale the house for height and compare it the high point on a lot grade plan to see if it fits?
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here, boulder, co, it's less than or equal to 35' from the lowest point 10' away from thle structure in any direction. assuming you are conforming to the solar analysis.
if its going to be "close" the building dept will require an ILC. if it's not, nothing
Dave
what's an ILC?
"what's an ILC?"
improvement lot certificate completed and stamped by a licensed surveyor to show elevations and locations of all man made itmes on the lot.
"solar analysis"
a solar analysis is left over from the 70's energy crisis when all the hippies in Boulder thought everyone would be going to roof top solar and didn't want towering homes blocking the neighbor's ability to capture his/her own energy. you need to prove to the City that during the highest and lowest sun points in the year (soltices) that your structure is within allowable limits for casting a shadow onto your neighbors' property.
Dave
I thought our Code requirements were bad. You guys have to do a what - "Solar Analysis"? What in the world is that?
It would be hard for stock plans to show that elevation since all sites are different, one reason why most stock plans have to be re-done to satisfy local requirements.
out standard is 35 or 38 ( depending on shore or rural zones) above mean adjacent soil prio4r to building. In other words you can't get another three feet by berming soil to the foundation
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does a custom plan show the height of the structure (written)? or is it just established by the actual drawing? also do they figure your height from high point or low point of grade?
Fred, I wish to step in here and say the plans I work with for building multi unit structures have different elevation sections that show the height from an establised grade point for everything from drainage, to the top of each floor elevation, to total height. The one I'm working on now had a code requirement of no more than 60' from the grade point established by the plans and marked by surveyors. So yes a lot of custom plans give precise elevations. On your stock plan the total elevation should be able to be determined by deducing from the floor levels and roof pitch. So if there is a requirement from original grade, as Piffin has mentioned that (the original grade) should be able to be established by surveyors and submitted with the drawings for approval or disapproval.
As I said, here, it is from median elevation of soil, but in your location the ordinace might state from low point - or high point.Every plan I have drawn or worked from has had at least four exterior elevation drawings with dimensions and scale.
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In my little corner of the world it doesn't matter if that detail is on the prints or not. If the house come out too high, even if the village approved it, it will be fixed.
Same goes for damn near anything on a drawing, the village will not give final occupancy if they catch something during construction that shouldn't be.
Somewhere in your final plans, there should be a wall section view that gives actual total elevation, structure on the site.
any drawings that I've looked at never show the total height. they show height of floors but don't show the height of the structure, taking the roof into account.
what have you seen on plans ?
also, if your house is like a 1'or 2' or few inches to high how do they fix it? what if you have ordered trusses? don't you order trusses when you start the house? and what would you do if your pitch is already set at the minimum. like if a subdivision has a minimum pitch requirement.
I am not a carpenter, so I do not order trusses :)
I have seen prints with a section view and elevations including the roof, shown as the total elevation in feet above sea level. Not all prints I have seen have this, so I wonder who has the responsibility- the architecht, builder or the rough framing contractor.
Not all prints are created equal, and even the most detailed ones aren't worth a damn if it doesn't work in real life. :)
One house I worked on, the roof peak was 3 foot higher than what was allowed. The carpenters had to cut it off and put a flat roof there. Not fun, the roof was steep. The carpenters did their job and built per plan. There was plenty of work involved in lowering that part of the roof, and the house was not small. I never found out who had to pay for the error.
"Wiggle room" depends on your local inspectors. Another house was built *right to* the build limits for the lot, the city measured the foundation with a laser, the foundation was 3/8 inch from the build line. The builder would have had to remove concrete if the foundation exceeded the line, no wiggle room.
usually when those elevations are called ref sea level ( BTW, I bet it is keyed to something more objective like NGVD since tides come and go - the sea isn't very level) the house is designed for a flood plain, where the first floor finished must be one foot above the expected 100 year flood surge. For reasons why, watch tonights weather channel.There are other restrictions for building in flood zones aas well, but out of the topic at hand here.most plans detail elevations from some ref point on the lot, defined and marked.
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NGVD?
I foget exactly what it stands for but in layuman's terms, it is an objective, verifiable elevation that is mean tide level, established all the way around the coast. Surveyors in coastal regiosn can find and reference it. Onmy island there are two markers set and there are several of the power poles with established references to it, such as NGVD + 25'3". Our local codes define normal high tide as NGVD + 7'6". Many flood zones here are that plus another ten or eleven feet, unless they are in a velocity zone, where the shape and direction faced by underwater terrain is such that a wave is more likely to roll inland. In thiose cases there are areas where thje flood satage elevation is plus 14' or plus 19'The govt has put out flood maps for all the country. You can't buy govt flood insurance unless your local community enforces the regs for flood zones. Reason there is that even if you follow thew regs building your house, and the neighbor does not, then his house could float and be washed into yours. Most damage is caused by debris in floods so they try to minimize debris of the man-made variety
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Ahhh, that's what I meant, just did not remember the technical term. :)
National Geodetic Vertical Datum
Now we al know why I couldn't remember it.Did you have to look it up or was it right there on the tips of your fingers?
;)
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>Did you have to look it up or was it right there on the tips of your fingers?I ain't saying. (and neither is Google) <G>
"to high how do they fix it?"the elevation, as well as many other things is shown on plan and the building is app5roved or permitted per plan. if you then choose to build different from what has been permitted, there are two possible remedies, speaking genericly. One is to re-apply for a change of plan, pay a penalty and re-permit fee, and hope that it passes. In non-critical things, such as size of a porch, as long as it does not transgres the setbacks defined, there is a good chance it will pass, but worek will be stopped while 5th enew permit is in process. For your type of situation, where the height is clearly defined by ordinance, when you build higher than permitted, the only remedy here is to remedy the problem - tear it down and re-build the way you promissed when you got the permit - and pay a hundred dollars a day in fines until the infraction is remedied.
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The method varies by area. Here on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California a 2-story residence is limited to 28'. It is calculated by adding half the distance between the high and low point on the building footprint of the finished or natural/existing grade (depending on the type of permit) to the 28'.
I have the privilege of designing houses for places all over the US. I've learned that every community has different standards, different ways of measuring, and different amounts of analness in doing that measuring. But as someone mentioned, do not count on the plans being approved as covering your butt on this. Approved or not, all that counts is the day an inspector puts a tape measure to your building and tells you where the ground measurement will come from. Best to learn that ahead of time. And learn their rules for chimneys, cupolas, wind vanes, etc. Different communities handle these differently.
Good advice. I guess I'm used to working in areas where the analness is less stringent. Did you just coin that one - analness. If so I'm surprised it fits so well as a modifyer for so many situations. Like, "Sir your analness is upsetting to say the least." or "Yes your Analness"
Edited 7/10/2005 11:26 am ET by quicksilver
When you're bored with that, try analnicity, as in, "your analnicity knows no bounds." :) I guess I made it up, be/c it's not like I've heard it applied to me or anything. Just don't want this to be my claim to fame!!! <G>
Thanks again. I acually know several people who's analnicity knows no bounds. I think I can put that into use Monday morning.
Use that once in the courthouse and you'll wish you were hiding in the clouds. For heaven's sake, don't try "Your Royal Prickiness"
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Running into a beuaracxratic stone wall would be an analamity
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Around here it's 25' from the median of the slope to the median of the roof. Pretty basic, BUT I learned something the other day....If I were to put a cupola atop the roof ITS median would be the determining point! Bingo - 15' too high.
ciao for niao
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
In the Tahoe basin they are as anal as it gets. Height limits are strictly enforced. When you are planning your structure you can get a set of guidelines from the building dept. The height limit is based on the slope of the lot and the pitch of the roof. There is a chart to refer to. My house is on a 16% slope and the pitch of the roof is 12/12, (45 degrees). According to a chart that is on the guidelines I can go up to 40'. That seems high but it was OK'ed by the plan checker and I went ahead. I built a tower. I can see the lake over the trees. I am about a foot under 40 feet.
"According to a chart that is on the guidelines I can go up to 40'. That seems high but it was OK'ed by the plan checker and I went ahead. I built a tower. I can see the lake over the trees. I am about a foot under 40 feet."Yes, but what happens when the roof is covered in snow and that pushes you over the limit.