Good morning people..
I'm trying to come up with a plan on my retirement property close to millersburg iowa with no building codes, and Ive been going round and round about this for almost a year.
The main reason for buying was the low taxes, and keeping taxes low, and different personal needs now that I'm divorced. I'll retire in 5 years and don't need to be close to work here in town paying 10x the taxes. Utilities are approaching 200 a month on the 16x80 though. That's double than my town house and adds up quickly.
I finally found someone to take my worn out barn away, as even though the property is 1.25 acres only 1/2 an acre is level, or actually a hill top where rain will flow away making me question if I can get away with a pole barn/house garage.. Ive been thinking stick built on a poured foundation, but I cant ignore the fact, not many people want a small house with huge garage in the middle of nowhere. lol.. My kids who have for the most part disappeared, probably wont want to own it after I croak, so why build it to last 100 years?
So what I'm wondering, is since I need allot of space to store toys and projects like my RV, motorcycles and cars etc, and who knows when ALL my and my GF kids come running back, why not build a open (no side walls for now, but versatile) pole barn on perma columns on my level hill top for the sole purpose of a 80x140 roof? I hate additions.. I may even consider a steel structure since the space isn't conditioned. Then build a simple cheap but energy efficient slab on grade 1200 sq' house without a roof under it at least 12' from the roof edge creating a nice porch for the view? Also, a 1000 sq' heated garage with two post car lift.. Those structures could be left unsided if kept back from the roof edge 12', or generally unfinished looking from the outside for the tax man. Or I could just put the mobile home back under it and dump money into it, but then not get passive slab cooling but no tax man snooping around..
Then after my GF and I finally pass, someone can actually use the pole barn for a useful purpose hopefully adding some value after they clear away what the previous crazy old guy was up to. lol
Does this sound like a reasonable plan? The only problem I can foresee are birds wanting to live under the roof or on top of the living space and condition garage since there are no sidewalls. But the solar gain for the conditioned spaces or mobile home would be practically zero, and I'm OK with 80 degrees in the shade with a breeze on a cool slab, and there's plenty of wind out there..
Has anyone done this and how did they keep the birds out? I bunch of cats and cat ladders? lol
Thanks!
I'm trying to come up with a plan on my retirement property close to millersburg iowa with no building codes, and Ive been going round and round about this for almost a year.
The main reason for buying was the low taxes, and keeping taxes low, and different personal needs now that I'm divorced. I'll retire in 5 years and don't need to be close to work here in town paying 10x the taxes. Utilities are approaching 200 a month on the 16x80 though. That's double than my town house and adds up quickly.
I finally found someone to take my worn out barn away, as even though the property is 1.25 acres only 1/2 an acre is level, or actually a hill top where rain will flow away making me question if I can get away with a pole barn/house garage.. Ive been thinking stick built on a poured foundation, but I cant ignore the fact, not many people want a small house with huge garage in the middle of nowhere. lol.. My kids who have for the most part disappeared, probably wont want to own it after I croak, so why build it to last 100 years?
So what I'm wondering, is since I need allot of space to store toys and projects like my RV, motorcycles and cars etc, and who knows when ALL my and my GF kids come running back, why not build a open (no side walls for now, but versatile) pole barn on perma columns on my level hill top for the sole purpose of a 80x140 roof? I hate additions.. I may even consider a steel structure since the space isn't conditioned. Then build a simple cheap but energy efficient slab on grade 1200 sq' house without a roof under it at least 12' from the roof edge creating a nice porch for the view? Also, a 1000 sq' heated garage with two post car lift.. Those structures could be left unsided if kept back from the roof edge 12', or generally unfinished looking from the outside for the tax man. Or I could just put the mobile home back under it and dump money into it, but then not get passive slab cooling but no tax man snooping around..
Then after my GF and I finally pass, someone can actually use the pole barn for a useful purpose hopefully adding some value after they clear away what the previous crazy old guy was up to. lol
Does this sound like a reasonable plan? The only problem I can foresee are birds wanting to live under the roof or on top of the living space and condition garage since there are no sidewalls. But the solar gain for the conditioned spaces or mobile home would be practically zero, and I'm OK with 80 degrees in the shade with a breeze on a cool slab, and there's plenty of wind out there..
Has anyone done this and how did they keep the birds out? I bunch of cats and cat ladders? lol
Thanks!