alternative building in Grafton

[freenorms]

Hi I'm new to this.. so if this question is best placed in another area. my apologies. We are a family from Mass who are also members of the FSP.( and desperate to get the hell out of mass!) We are looking to purchase land in NH with the intent of eventually homesteading. I have been following/searching these forums for quite some time. My question is.. How difficult would it be to build something like a strawbale or other alternative building in the town of Grafton?? While I know international building codes would still technically apply... would this be an easy process since Grafton does not have a building inspector or zoning.. my guess is that as long as we don't rub people the wrong way than what I do on my property would stay my business. Am I way off base here. ?? any advice would help.. Thank you!

[jerry]

Hi I'm new to this.. so if this question is best placed in another area. my apologies. We are a family from Mass who are also members of the FSP.( and desperate to get the hell out of mass!) We are looking to purchase land in NH with the intent of eventually homesteading. I have been following/searching these forums for quite some time. My question is.. How difficult would it be to build something like a strawbale or other alternative building in the town of Grafton?? While I know international building codes would still technically apply... would this be an easy process since Grafton does not have a building inspector or zoning.. my guess is that as long as we don't rub people the wrong way than what I do on my property would stay my business. Am I way off base here. ?? any advice would help.. Thank you!

While it is true that Grafton does not have a building inspector or zoning or certificates of occupancy, state regulations do still apply.  For example, the electric company will not hook you up unless you comply with the Electric Code.  If you put in a septic tank, the state requires a permit and engineered plan if you have running water in the house.

You might be able to slide around this by getting a small trailer for the electric hookup and building an outhouse (still legal here) and telling the property tax assessor that the hay-bale building is your garage or barn.  He _will_ show up because Grafton still requires a letter of "intent to build" before you start construction.  It doesn't require that you provide a set of plans or anything, it's just so the town knows when to add you to the tax rolls.  You CAN refuse to allow the tax assessor on your property, but that will result in a "curb assessment" that maximizes your tax, and any appeal will require an onsite inspection.

If you are looking for land here (I'm a resident of Grafton) I recommend Mark Warden at www.porcupinerealestate.com he's quite familiar with the area and easy to work with. 

I've noticed several hunting camps owned by out-of-staters that are for sale.  They might be a good starting point for you.

If you would like to visit Grafton I suggest Applefest, a one day event on the last Sunday in September  or Burning Porcupine, a week-long event in August where guided tours of Grafton happen.

http://www.burningporcupine.org/       http://www.peacefulassemblychurch.org/node/61

[Tom Sawyer]

Good answer Jerry.

Although with that kind of positive answer I don't think you will be able to be promoted to Full Curmudgeon.

[Free libertarian]

Good answer Jerry.

Although with that kind of positive answer I don't think you will be able to be promoted to Full Curmudgeon.

He does need to work on his grumpiness a little.   


If people want to move to Grafton, a few of us might be at Liberty Forum this year manning a 'why you should move to Grafton table" or something like that.  Stop by and chat. 

[freenorms]

Thanks for the input.. really appreciate it. Can't make it to the Liberty Forum but we will definitely be at porc fest. Cant wait!

[jerry]

Good answer Jerry.

Although with that kind of positive answer I don't think you will be able to be promoted to Full Curmudgeon.

He does need to work on his grumpiness a little.   

Yeah, it's hard to believe but I seem to be mellowing a bit as I get older.  How old?  Why I remember when Lloyd's pet dinosaur died...

[KBCraig]

If you put in a septic tank, the state requires a permit and engineered plan if you have running water in the house.

The state requires an approved septic plan if you have running water in the house, even if you do not have a septic tank (composting toilet, etc.)

[Free libertarian]

^^^   Diapers are the liberty answer!!  Fuck the shit police!

[Russell Kanning]

I never got excited about a straw bale house in NH .... because there isn't any straw. It is actually very expensive. You can find rocks and wood laying around.

[freenorms]

ya.. not completely sold on the straw bale.. although we do have access to straw around here. There are a lot of things to work out if we go that route. We really like the idea of something alternative and owner built.. but a regular cabin might work to. We don't have land yet.. so until we do we really cant make any decisions.

[KBCraig]

Hay is not straw.

That doesn't matter much for animal bedding, but it's an important distinction when it comes to straw bale construction.

I'm really looking forward to the future of hempcrete, when hemp hurds become readily available.

[Free libertarian]

So if I were using hay to try to construct a straw bale house, you could assert that the hay was, in a sense, a strawman argument of a house?

[Russell Kanning]

hempcrete makes a lot of sense

[freenorms]

agreed. hempcrete looks awesome. too bad its not more available yet.

[Free libertarian]

hempcrete makes a lot of sense

It's hard to keep it lit though.