10-02-2024, 11:22 AM
I suspect one of the major reasons most folks build unpermitted houses is that they lack the knowledge to get a permitted one built at a reasonable cost. It's a convoluted path to keep it cheap.
At one point (I've not looked for the past few years) there was a certain size of house which could be built without an architect/engineer stamp if it were of a certain size and built via common practices. Single story, less than xxxx square feet (I forget the exact number), roof overhang of 30" or less (standard is 36") and there were some other requirements as well. That would save several thousand on getting the plans stamped.
With a graphics program and a set of existing plans to show the style and layout of a standard set of plans, someone could draw up their own plans. For the permitted but no permit necessary building, it has to be "standard" construction so it would just be moving the standard construction walls into the shapes you want, not redesigning the wall structure itself. The building code is online so you can dive down the rabbit hole of looking up the building code depending on the specific building part in question. Strong coffee is recommended when doing that.
The easy house to build is a rectangular shape in two foot increments. 24' x 28'? Something smallish, that's 672 square feet and fits with in the "efficiency dwelling" category. If you plan on building a bigger house on the lot later, than pare that down to under 600 square feet so it can later have a 'change in use' and go from a 'dwelling' to a 'guest house' so you will then be able to build a new 'dwelling' on the lot. Check with Planning Department to make sure your zoning will allow a guest house. So, anyway, figure 24' x 32' or some size along that line, maybe 28'x36'?. Pour a standard concrete slab, then frame up the walls on the slab and tilt them up into place. Then have pre-manufactured roof trusses delivered to the top of the walls. Add the roof decking, put on tin. Then some electrical and plumbing, a bit of paint and drywall and you should be good to go. There will be loads of Simpson fittings, etc., etc., but a lot of that can be bought from Craig's List or FB Marketplace.
Septic systems are now required, no real getting around that and you'd need it anyway whether it was permitted or unpermitted. I've heard the Building Department is becoming more open minded about composting toilets, but you still need a septic to handle the gray water.
However, you can save plumbing costs by only building one bathroom and one kitchen sink and add in the rest later. Same with the electrical system. Put in a small minimum amount and then expand it later. Electricians and plumbers charge by the size and number of fixtures. Limit those and the costs are lower.
We're in the middle of building a permitted house at the moment but we're not doing it as inexpensively as possible, we're more concerned about durability and costs of living in it. It's quite modest in size and number of rooms, but it's got a huge lanai and a loft big enough to be used. Since it's with an owner-builder permit, we don't have to hire a contractor and that's saving tons right there.
At one point (I've not looked for the past few years) there was a certain size of house which could be built without an architect/engineer stamp if it were of a certain size and built via common practices. Single story, less than xxxx square feet (I forget the exact number), roof overhang of 30" or less (standard is 36") and there were some other requirements as well. That would save several thousand on getting the plans stamped.
With a graphics program and a set of existing plans to show the style and layout of a standard set of plans, someone could draw up their own plans. For the permitted but no permit necessary building, it has to be "standard" construction so it would just be moving the standard construction walls into the shapes you want, not redesigning the wall structure itself. The building code is online so you can dive down the rabbit hole of looking up the building code depending on the specific building part in question. Strong coffee is recommended when doing that.
The easy house to build is a rectangular shape in two foot increments. 24' x 28'? Something smallish, that's 672 square feet and fits with in the "efficiency dwelling" category. If you plan on building a bigger house on the lot later, than pare that down to under 600 square feet so it can later have a 'change in use' and go from a 'dwelling' to a 'guest house' so you will then be able to build a new 'dwelling' on the lot. Check with Planning Department to make sure your zoning will allow a guest house. So, anyway, figure 24' x 32' or some size along that line, maybe 28'x36'?. Pour a standard concrete slab, then frame up the walls on the slab and tilt them up into place. Then have pre-manufactured roof trusses delivered to the top of the walls. Add the roof decking, put on tin. Then some electrical and plumbing, a bit of paint and drywall and you should be good to go. There will be loads of Simpson fittings, etc., etc., but a lot of that can be bought from Craig's List or FB Marketplace.
Septic systems are now required, no real getting around that and you'd need it anyway whether it was permitted or unpermitted. I've heard the Building Department is becoming more open minded about composting toilets, but you still need a septic to handle the gray water.
However, you can save plumbing costs by only building one bathroom and one kitchen sink and add in the rest later. Same with the electrical system. Put in a small minimum amount and then expand it later. Electricians and plumbers charge by the size and number of fixtures. Limit those and the costs are lower.
We're in the middle of building a permitted house at the moment but we're not doing it as inexpensively as possible, we're more concerned about durability and costs of living in it. It's quite modest in size and number of rooms, but it's got a huge lanai and a loft big enough to be used. Since it's with an owner-builder permit, we don't have to hire a contractor and that's saving tons right there.
Kurt Wilson