Are your city building codes ridiculous?

[zanne]

Here's one for Manchester, NH; You cannot have a driveway (off-street) that is not immediately adjacent to a garage or carport. We're buying my mother's house, and since the city inspector came in and looked at things, we're scrambling to get the electrical system, plumbing and driveway up to code by the closing date of Aug. 15. AUGH! We had to cut down my cherished cherry tree in the backyard so we could put a paved (yeah; they have to be paved) driveway there. It looks ridiculous and nobody will ever use it; it's ultra-wide because we rent out a kitchenette and the code specifies that each tenant has to have two parking spaces. (Our tenant has been with us for twenty years and doesn't drive). Has anybody else been up against their city or town code?

[China_cat]

1. We've got a couple subdivisions

where you aren't allowed to hang clothes outside to dry, have a chain link fence or park a pickup in your driveway. (You can drive one, you just can't park it in the community)

Then there's the one area that doesn't allow fences at all...but does allow you to keep farm animals.

[zanne]

5. Are these subdivisions gated?

Or are the homeowners part of a "board" where decisions like that are made? (I'm thinking of something along the lines of a "condo board".)

[China_cat]

6. Not gated and yes, they have homeowner's association

and I'm wondering how many of them wish they could put out clotheslines now with the price of electricity what it is.

[Crazy Dave]

2. Yes and it's because they can

When I built my mom's house on my property I had to put up with all kinds of nonsense and stupidity from people who know less about home construction than my mother does.

One example: When submitting the plans and getting the permits, the woman behind the counter told me, "in a mother-in-law home" (industry term) "you can't have a kitchen", I crossed out the word "kitchen" on the plans and wrote "refreshment area" and got a "oh yes, she's allowed to have that" .

That's just one.

[zanne]

4. Now that's a good one.

So the "refreshment area" idea really worked? We have a kitchen upstairs (small apartment converted from three large bedrooms). We were told we'd have to rip the stove and oven out. I wonder if your "refreshment area" idea would work here. Thanks!

[Midlodemocrat]

3. We live in a planned community and some things we just

put up with. But, when we were doing renovations/additions to our house, the building code stuff was nuts.

And, to top it off, when the contractor removed the slider in the family room, it was attached (by the builder) with two screws. It's a miracle it didn't come crashing down and kill someone.