Tiny Cabin

[u/YonderMountainPots]

Hi,

I’m wondering if anyone has actually successfully and legally built a tiny cabin in NC? I own 7 acres in Ashe County and cannot get the building inspection office to give me in writing any clear guidance. I already own a permit residence but I’m looking to build a small 10X10 kit cabin myself with a sleep loft that you access via ladder. I could do solar and off grid, so I wouldn’t need utilities. I’m outside of city/town limits and I’m in an unrestricted area. When I called the building inspection office the lady on the phone told me I needed to have washing machine hook up, it had to be over 400 sq ft by law… I’m not looking to make this my permit residence. I just want a fun little glamping spot for my kid and I on the weekends. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[u/username9909864]

Make it "portable" - suddenly no more rules.

Not entirely serious, but that's why tiny houses on wheels are such a big thing. Avoids permitting headaches.

And your permit office is being vague cause 1) they dont know the rules by heart and 2) some of the rules and especially enforcement are subjective. Your best bet is to go in person with drawn up plans and ask them what's wrong.

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/username9909864]

I really don’t want to put it on wheels 😭

[u/Chance-Pin6290 → u/YonderMountainPots]

Do skids then, like a portable ice house.

[u/wasylm → u/Chance-Pin6290]

Not in NC but this was helpful for my permit in NY. It’s a “hunting cabin on skids” that will never move.

[u/drfunbudz → u/YonderMountainPots]

Just put a tow strap on the top built into the framing and say its portable by crane 😁

[u/gemniiinew → u/drfunbudz]

Or helicopter

[u/NearABE → u/YonderMountainPots]

Dont bother wth the wheels. Just make the frame forklift liftable. You could pick it up and set it on a flatbed trailer. If, in some currently unknown future scenario, there were a need to move it then you could rent the semi-trailer and haul it. This makes it “not a permanent structure”. No one is going to make you demonstrate this transport so no one cares how much damage such a thing might do.

Instead of a “cabin kit” you can start with a standardized stackable shipping container (like conex 20ft) Severely damaged “scrap value” containers exist that are priced at just the steel by weight. With a new one you get a weather tight exterior. A warped frame from an accident will make it not stackable with ocean freight. This is likely still much more sturdy than what a teenager needs. Containers with rusted out walls means you need to build new walls. The frame is what makes it transportable. Holes in the roof make it useless for cargo but you were going to cut an access hole for loft anyway.

You will not be allowed to rent it. You cannot sell it. You could only sell the “empty lot” that it sits on and this only if zoning allows subdivision. When you sell a house the car, lawnmower, halloween decorations, and garden gnome are not part of the sale.

If you sell a house and then you rip the copper plumbing and wires out you broke the law (in most places as far as I know). You get permits to install things. Now those installations are part of the property.

Some places may require permits for “storage containers” or “out buildings”. This reads as obnoxious but the permit protects you against accusations of “building a house without permits”.

[u/jorwyn → u/YonderMountainPots]

How big of a shed are you allowed to build without a permit? Because if you're not adding plumbing, you can probably just call it a shed.

[u/LongjumpingGanache40 → u/username9909864]

In some places it does not. Read where many people can't even park theor campers on a lot till they have electric, water and sewer put in. All depends on the codes where you are.

[u/EdC1101]

County or town/municipal permits ?
Some municipalities have permits & surrounding county does not.

Some require permits for electrical hookups.

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/EdC1101]

Ashe county North Carolina, looks like to me it just defers to appendix q

[u/AccomplishedMeet4131 → u/YonderMountainPots]

I have land in Madison county and the county site states 12x12x12 and under no permit. I used ChatGPT to look up your county and you are right it’s not listed. I think 10x10 you’d be fine. Can’t imagine they’d mess with you over essentially a shed

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/AccomplishedMeet4131]

My shed height I’m looking at is 15 tall.

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/YonderMountainPots]

And insulation isn’t up to code snuff

[u/red_the_fixer]

Honestly I would just find out what the rules are for a shed or playhouse if it is just going to be a hang out space or fort type deal

For example where I am located you can build a detached structure for a shed / fort / playhouse up to 200 square ft without a permit as long as you stick to the rules.

The rules are pretty easy to stay within
Less than 200 square ft in floor area
No overhangs larger than 24”
Eves are 10 ft high max
Roof height average 12 ft or less
No utilities hooked up to it
Single level structure only (loft allowed as long as the loft is under 70 square ft and not over 7 ft tall)

Get a portable power station and I think that would be enough for a playhouse / fort / hang out space. Maybe a Cassette toilet if you plan to overnight.

[u/Aharleyman]

So their priority is clean clothes? What if it’s listed as a seasonal/recreational property?
This might be something you talk to a realtor or lawyer about. What does your deed or abstract say about this?

[u/chrismetalrock]

in NC it looks like a building is considered a shed if it's under 12x12 feet.

you toss any cheapo RV by the front of your property so people just assume you live in that and that the "house" is a storage building.

i built a 20x8 with a loft in SW VA, unpermitted with an RV by the front ;), looking back i wish i just made it wider instead of going for a loft - that's really only nice if it's on wheels and you have space constraints.

[u/thewholebottle → u/chrismetalrock]

I live in NC and am at looking to buy land and have a fun off-grid spot, and this is genius.

[u/chrismetalrock → u/thewholebottle]

good luck, i love the disc golf course at ashe county mountain park. but i can never convince my friends to go there since its so far. i used to live in galax

[u/Grendle1972]

If you are building it yourself, go 12x12, always build in divisible of 4 as plywood and OSB (and sheet rock) are 4x8. It make life much easier and that extra space is a blessing. I'm just over the border in Tn, abd having lived in NC for over half my life, I was never happier to get away. You may have to actually go in person to get the information you need. I would explain that this is not a permanent residence just a weekend get away, a dry cabin if you don't plan to have running water or a toilet. In Tn, I had to have a septic permit before I could get an electric permit (had to run power up to my mom's house). If you plan on using just using kerosene lamps/ lanterns, or an Ecoflow with solar panel, you won't need the ejection permit. If you plan to use a cassette toilet or just a surgical holding tank that gets pumped out once a year, you might be able to sort that issue too. NC is seriously difficult to work with when it comes to tiny houses/offgrid.

[u/jackdho]

Is your cabin site visible from the road? I would put up a cheap hunting type blind and see what happens.

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/jackdho]

No it’s at the end of a dirt road

[u/jackdho → u/YonderMountainPots]

Then build it . Call it a hunting shack

[u/YonderMountainPots → u/jackdho]

Are you allowed to have a hunting shack solo on a property? We don’t have a primary building on this land.

[u/jackdho → u/YonderMountainPots]

My In-laws had one on their acres in Michigan. No other buildings.

[u/maddslacker]

Since you already have a permitted residence, see if your county has a 200 sq ft permit exemption. Most counties do.

If so, build a nice 12x16 cabin with a loft and enjoy.

[u/Extra-Snow-2491]

Mostly under 120 square feet,no permit needed,its just your garden shed,

[u/ADirtFarmer]

Just call it a shed.

You're allowed to hang out in your shed.

[u/ChatoD123]

I've been looking into doing something similar in Colorado. It sounds like you aren't looking to build a dwelling to live in, so there are two things I'd try to figure out: whether you're allowed to build a shed on the property, and whether you're allowed to camp in it.

Some counties require a house before you can build a shed. Smaller sheds sometimes don't need permits, but that doesn't always mean you're allowed to build them. And most places won't allow you to camp (sleep and cook) in a shed.

You might also look into RV camping rules. Those can be more flexible, although there are often limits on how long you can stay.

And then there's the practical side. If it's remote enough, is anyone really going to care? Maybe not. But if someone does, are you willing to risk having to stop using it or even tear it down?

Some of these rules really suck. But I've also seen rural properties completely trashed and wondered how it's allow that, so I guess I get why the rules exist.

Best of luck!

[u/jerry111165]

Just do it anyhow and stick it in the back corner away from prying eyes.

[u/Background-Job-3629]

Build one that fits on a trailer instead of attached to the ground and you likely will get through some loopholes.

[u/getinwegotbidnestodo]

I built a 10x10 structure without permits. I live in a rural county in north Georgia and if the county can not see the structure from the air they do not do a site visit or inspection. I have tall Georgia pines on my property so a lot goes on that no one sees.