the "long game" has paid off.

[3fingersalute]

I'd call that a sound decision. Back when I lived in Austin about 30 years ago, I bought an 18x32 ft portable building and dropped it on my lot without needing a building permit. Now, here I am up in Bullwind Texas. When I bought my current 8 1/2x 16 portabuilding, I went to planning and zoning to see if I needed a building permit. I did. I got one. But, reading the fine print, it turned out that the city expected me to pour a full slab for the building! f me. Thanks to small town cronyism and cheap bribes, I got a variance to install concrete footings, and secure the building to them, without the expense of a slab.

I don't think they stress over it too much here, I think they're mostly enforcing codes on places that are falling apart, etc. The reason I say that is because when I was in the process of putting this pool up (had the sand mound piled up, pool and track was laying beside it, etc.) I came home for lunch one day and the codes inspector was in my neighbor's back yard talking to him about a run down shed in the next lot over they called complaining about (skunks were living in it). Anyhow, he looked over at me and said hello. I figured I was getting a fine for sure but never heard a word about it and that was 3 years ago now.

[slgrieb]

There are certainly times when government inefficiency can be a beautiful thing.

[Larommi]

Yeah, I know what you mean with the zoning laws.

I don't have to deal with zoning so much as municipal rules and regulations. I want to put a small shed up and widen my driveway, but being I am a corner lot and my house sits off center, the paperwork and regulations of what and where I can do this, makes me think it would be easier to sell the house and try somewhere else.

[3fingersalute]

I don't have to deal with zoning so much as municipal rules and regulations. I want to put a small shed up and widen my driveway, but being I am a corner lot and my house sits off center, the paperwork and regulations of what and where I can do this, makes me think it would be easier to sell the house and try somewhere else.

Yeah, mine aren't zoning laws either, but rather local government regulations.

[slgrieb]

I don't have to deal with zoning so much as municipal rules and regulations. I want to put a small shed up and widen my driveway, but being I am a corner lot and my house sits off center, the paperwork and regulations of what and where I can do this, makes me think it would be easier to sell the house and try somewhere else.

Within reasonable limits, I think anyone should be allowed to do whatever they want with their property. I think most municipal regulations are simply an excuse to bend us over and gouge out a few more dollars in revenue.

[Larommi]

Within reasonable limits, I think anyone should be allowed to do whatever they want with their property. I think most municipal regulations are simply an excuse to bend us over and gouge out a few more dollars in revenue.

No doubt. It is not like I am trying to store junk cars. I just need a place for 4 drivers to be able to put their cars.

They act like I am trying to blacktop my entire yard.

[slgrieb]

No doubt. It is not like I am trying to store junk cars. I just need a place for 4 drivers to be able to put their cars.

They act like I am trying to blacktop my entire yard.

My area of the neighborhood is actually zoned commercial, even though it's primarily residential. Under our zoning laws, I can do about anything I want with the property. I could bulldoze the house and put in multi-family housing, open a bar on the back of the property next to my office, or whatever. A guy who owned a couple of office buildings in the area actually had a plan to demolish the offices, and bring in like 100 of the FEMA trailers from post-Katrina New Orleans. These were intended to serve as temporary housing for oilfield workers and contractors, etc. doing turnarounds. All perfectly legal in municipal law, but the plan ran afoul of some county restrictions tied to the original purchase of the property, and the minor issue that most of the FEMA trailers were so polluted that Federal Law blocked their sale.

[Larommi]

Hmmm...I guess I am glad we are residential.

If my neighbors did something like that I would be pissed.

I guess there is good and bad.

[slgrieb]

Hmmm...I guess I am glad we are residential.

If my neighbors did something like that I would be pissed.

Yeah, the plan wasn't well received in the neighborhood, and for many reasons, it was always doomed to failure, in part because 2 of my neighbors are 2 of the 3 wealthiest people in the county. As in millions in oil money, private jets, and so on. So he was screwed from the word "Go", but was too stupid to realize it. For all his grandiose schemes, he went bankrupt.