Can you legally turn a commercial shed into a house?

[rmay635703]

Reminds me of the colorful
waste plastic blocks
That are made hydraulically from non-recyclable plastics

Unfortunate that the plastic blocks aren’t better insulators (or all that cheap)

[freebeard]

"Hemp can save the planet" -- Jack Herer

The blocks can be manufactured off-site, but consider Tilt-up construction:

With the tilt-up method, concrete elements (walls, columns, structural supports, etc.) are formed horizontally on a concrete slab; this normally requires the building floor as a building form but may be a temporary concrete casting surface near the building footprint. After the concrete has cured, the elements are "tilted" to the vertical position with a crane and braced into position until the remaining building structural components (roofs, intermediate floors and walls) are secured.[3][4]
[snip]
Concrete elements can also be formed at factories away from the building site.[5] Tilt-up differs from prefabrication, or plant cast construction, in that all elements are constructed on the job site. This eliminates the size limitation imposed by transporting elements from a factory to the project site.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt_up

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

Lego-style

I'd be quite concerned about its suitability to hurricane-prone or earthquake-prone areas.

[Xist]

Fortunately, that is not Arizona.

Anyone can lay Legos.

Say I want an 8x8x8 shed (or tiny office). Natural light is wonderful, but I don't know that I have ever planned a small building with a window. It adds a ton of complications, cannot be properly insulated, and then it is dead space unless you put furniture in front of it, at which point why have a window?

It definitely needs a door, duh, but I will ignore that complication.

For a stick-built structure I would build an 8x8 base, ensure it is square and level, build each wall using I believe 11 2x4s, ensure they are square, which should be easy when they are sitting on a perfect 8x8 base, prop them up, nail them together, attach them to the base, and then worry about the roof.

That doesn't sound that bad. In fact, that would be easier than the greenhouse that i built.

The greenhouse doesn't have any 8' walls. I needed to cut each and every board. Maybe I should have leveled the garden box after all. Rip a 2x to shim the top?

Every board was cut to length and at an angle for the roof, plus to accommodate the slanted floor.

I just need to nail siding to it and hang drywall on the inside, which I will do with the shed.

Then with hemp blocks I would build a 9x9 base, ensure it is square and level, lay out 128 blocks, and worry about the roof.

In some ways 128 blocks sound easier than 44 2x4s and tons of nails, but carrying 44 2x4s and a bucket of nails would definitely be easier than carrying 4,480 pounds of blocks.

Then you are supposed to plaster the inside and stucco the outside.

Insulating should be easy. I insulated Mom's garage and the shed, but of course it wasn't easy for me.

I would appreciate skipping that step, especially while also having better insulation.

[freebeard]

I question using the hemp blocks for foundation, unless there is a concrete footing poured first.

Unless you're talking about two different structures, one wood vs one in blocks, 32 per [72sq ft] side.

Don't forget a roof.

[Xist]

I referred to making a 9x9 base the usual way, out of wood.

However, how would you get as much insulation under the shed?

[freebeard]

I guess I need pictures. I read that the wood one was 8x8 and the hemp block one as 9x9.

Do the whole floor in hemp blocks for insulation?

Pyramidal hip roof? Curved corrugated tin?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

Fortunately, that is not Arizona.

My hometown is also not prone to earthquakes, yet sometimes the wind and rain become an issue. I'd rather rely on a more effectively weatherproofing.

[Xist]

For comparison, both buildings would have different outside dimensions, but the same interior space.

I always prefer single roofs to maximize solar potential.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

I always prefer single roofs to maximize solar potential.

That's a good point.