Exterior Additions

Jan.

I would not call this an addition per say but you are physically changing the outside materials from a temporary medium to a permanent one. This in my ARC is considered an addition, even tho the footprint will remain the same. You are adding square footage to the living space, therefore tax wise this is an addition to your living space. Sorry.

Do you not have garage requirements in your developement? If you do, I bet that you would come into a violation by removing your garage.

Slightly off-topic, if a garage is being turned into living space, check with your local authorities re: requirements as to light, heating, etc.

We only have Jan's "spin" on things. We don't have Jan's actual documents to look at and help to interpret. Views could change if we learned more.

You are changing:
USE
EGRESS
OCCUPANCY
You will need to make the changed area CURRENT code compliance in ALL aspects.

If it is an attached garage you are 'converting' you may need to bring the ENTIRE HOUSE up to existing code.

Jan,

THe rule that applies usually says "anything that changes the outside appearance of your property." So, as Brian says, if you are changing the outside appearance of the garage then, Yes, you would need to go through the A/C committee and get their approval. I think charging a fee is preposterous, but I know some assn's do this -- but $250 sounds awfully high for this type of change. I can see charging that amount for building a house but not for such a simple request that would not require any time on the part of the A/C committee. When you put in your request all you have to do is indicate the change to the outside of the garage, i.e. replace garage door with window. The A/C doesn't have to know what you're doing inside the garage!

Donna,

In my neighborhood most homes have a 3-car garage. The third bay has its own door and some h/o's opted to have this area as a den. So instead of putting on a garage door, the builder installed a window, a little more brick was added and the interior was finished. I see nothing different in Jan's situation. What matter does it make that the space will be used for a different purpose? The only thing that matters is that the outside appearance will change and that should be the only concern of the A/C committee.

Applying for the permit is not my issue, charging $250 and labeling it as an exterior addition is my issue. I looked up our permit fees. To build an actual garage, seperate or attached, is $200, which I think is fair. We do not have to apply for a county or town permit. We are a small town, complete with square, in a small county south of DFW. I already have electrical outlets and ceiling outlets so no electrical work will need to be done. Bldg and fire codes only apply to new construction.
You don't get charged a permit fee for replacement such as a fence or roof because it already exists, the appearance just changes, which IMO, is the same as changing the appearance of an approx. 8x8 opening.
Brian, the thought has crossed my mind to build a sub-wall behind the garage door. I already have windows on the side and a back door.
I am not currently remodeling but this is something I plan to do in the near future. I am temporarily on the ACC til we have our elections this August. I ran across this when I was approving someone else's permit to do the same thing and asked about the fee. Our fees are outrageous ($1700 to build a house)only because our Pres can't get a dues increase so he raises everything else. And yes, I know that being on the ACC, I can try to change this and believe me I will.

Yes that's the funny thing here, only SOME of the fees are presented at the BOD, such as new constrution. The previous head of the ACC raised others w/o bringing it to a vote or even letting some of the other ACC commitee members know about it.