Can you legally turn a commercial shed into a house?

[Xist]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oucmcz2fJPk

Is the answer no, because... freebeard, what was it called again?

[freebeard]

It's only been two days.

[Piotrsko]

JUST SEEMS LIKE forever

[oil pan 4]

Better is relative.
Plywood is likely better for a tiny house.
For a structure that doesn't move osb is probably better at least for exterior walls maybe the roof too since it can save hundreds of dollars if that strength is not needed.

[Xist]

I have been trying to get quotes for the electrical work. The city only cares about that, not drywall and insulation, but the gentleman asked a bunch of questions.

Have the contractor come up with a plan, submit the permit, do the drywall and insulation, and have him electrocute it!

I just hate to think that the wiring will be prohibitively expensive. The school keeps saying that they will continue to pay us, but I was only paid for the hours that I worked. I normally wouldn't ask for money that I did not earn, but they said they would pay me!

[oil pan 4]

The electrical should be pretty easy. It will be maybe an 8 space panel, maybe 250 feet of wire.
Easiest home wiring job ever.

[Xist]

Would it have been faster to learn SketchUp and do it that way?

I was trying to visualize this without doing trigonometry, but to me this looks like a 20 x 30 shed, not 8 x 14.

The joists are 2x4s. I think that it makes more sense to use two 2" layers of foam insulation and 1x2s on the 2x4s than a 2" layer, a 1" layer, and a .5" layer.

However, the friendly neighborhood Home Depot doesn't have enough 2" boards, and Lowe's does not have any.

I cannot have them delivered, either, or even shipped to-store. Either I use what I have or I drive 75 - 100 miles for 7 boards.

I will have tons of scraps, though, so I wonder if I might have enough after all.

I think that I mentioned that the big boxes of spray foam are not available locally. There are 16 boxes rated for 200 board feet. The reviews say it does 600 square feet in the best-case scenario--one inch thick. The walls and roof are about 448 square feet, so I would get a little more than 1" of insulation on all surfaces for $770, and I would need to have it shipped.

I can almost buy 21 2" foam boards for that price!

Drywall would cost $200. Better-looking and cheaper sound great, but that Luanne only comes in 2x4 boards! That is way more boards to handle!

[JSH]

Remind me again, is this an office or a tiny house? You mention plumbing permits which shouldn't be required in an office.

My suggestion if you are really going to do this is to just do it. Clear out the shed, set up a folding table, run an extension cord and give it a try. Spring is a great time because you shouldn't have much in the way of HVAC needs. You should have at least 4-6 hours in the late morning / afternoon to work in comfortable temperatures.

Even with extensive planning you are going to end up making changes over and over. I'm on my 3rd version of my camper van. I build it, we use it, we make changes.

It can be easy to get into analysis paralysis and a year from now you could still be planning instead of using this space.

[Xist]

Office. I am trying to get quotes for running electricity 37' from the house to the shed. Plumbing only came up because someone told me to turn it into a tiny house and rent it out.

I just listed the extra work that would need to be done.

[rmay635703]

This all sounds like it’s getting very expensive

DC power, composting toilet eliminates the need for an electrician and plumber
Bet neither is legal in your area either.