Building property, garage-insulation tips
Question No.1 1
Hi Robert,
I have a building on a piece of property in Leona Valley that was converted to living space many years ago. It’s small, about 1100 square feet. I want to do some financing and I guess because it’s not a “legal structure”, I cannot get loans against it.
What do I need to do in order to turn this into a “legal structure”, if this can even be done? Do you have any advice for me? Isaac D.
Answer No. 1
Isaac,
Yes the best thing to do is to go into the building department, I believe for Leona Valley it would be county and discuss with them exactly what the expectations are in order to accomplish this. Typically the folks at the building departments are reasonable, kind people and are willing to help you reach your goals. They’re likely going to want the building retrofitted for earthquake so you’ll have to open the drywall about a foot at the base of the building.
They may require that you open other areas so they can inspect the plumbing, and they’ll want to see the electrical panel. Depending on how close you are to a fire hydrant, you may be expected to conform to local fire codes, laws that may require a water tank added at a high point, so this may need to be added. A hydrant may also need to be added as they are very strict about their fire codes. I did one several years back, a similar situation to yours. We installed a 5K gallon tank with monitoring device which required a 4 ft deep dig to install the line which would feed the hydrant. Big job but definitely something that a skilled homeowner can do.
If you’re not knowledgeable on your own, surround yourself with folks who do have knowledge about retrofitting a building like this. Above all, ask a lot of questions while at building and safety, take great notes and by all means, follow their requirements so you only have to tackle each job once.
They will inspect each aspect and will expect that it is done correctly. They will send you back to the drawing board until it meets their requirements, so use your time and skills wisely and you can get through this.
They’ll be looking for standards that make rooms fit their description, so a bedroom will need an egress window and a closet (Building and Safety will let you know size requirements for egress).
If you’re a handy person then much of this can be done by you including meeting with the inspectors. Reach out to others for necessary help, many times this stuff can be accomplished with friends’ help, if amongst all of you there is enough knowledge. Good luck with this project.
Question No. 2
Robert,
Thank you for offering all that sound advice.
We insulated our two-car garage door a couple of years ago and that helped a little. Yet this past summer especially temperatures frequently would rise above the 90s. It’s obviously very uncomfortable when we enter that space and our second fridge is doing overtime to stay cool. What’s your advice? There is lots of suggestions out there, ranging from simple fans to an A/C. Patrick D.
Answer No. 2
Patrick,
As far as the garage, this becomes a personal issue and decision based on your comfort and ability to modify. I have a friend who has an AC unit in his garage, given that he works in it a lot. Some people use a fan but all the fan is doing is moving air around, and not cooling the space. If you’ve insulated the exterior walls as well as the door then there is not a lot more you can do aside from installing an HVAC in the space, if it’s important to you.
As far as the fridge running on OT, this is going to happen given the heat load. The installation of an AC will cool the garage but it will be running on OT also. It’s a wash either way. One other idea to consider would be to install a swamp cooler. This would also help cool the space, at a lesser electrical cost. Definitely worth looking in to, as another option.
Best of luck to you, Robert
Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at robert@imsconstruction.com.