WARNING: This reads like my life story…but, it’s not…that part is seriously more complex
….I am not bragging…just really proud of, as
@Michael B says, finally getting the shop I wanted.
Funny but I have needed a garage space for working on my stuff for over 40 years…bought the house when I was 25…it is NEW JERSEY and as
@diabetik81 has said< it’s OK(ish). I have restored Victrolas, Edison phonographs , built acoustic guitars, maintained my house Big time… I had restored vintage antique America motorcycles from the 1920’s to 1965 in a two car garage attached to the house…since 1979 there was never a car in there. One side was all larger tools…bearing press, drill press, welders, glass beader, table saw, band saw…..I have a dirt road and dirt driveway so when screws, nuts and washers would fall. It was a rare time that you would find them. when Harbor freight came out with the magnet bar, it was a Godsend except for stainless . It was so tight I had to move around sideways from all of the stuff stored.
never had the extra cash raising my family. The bikes, Victrola's and guitars were sold every year as an additional source of income for family needs and vacations… kids are now 44 and 42, on their own and at 69 I was able to build my pole barn. We have some great acreage in a very secluded rural NJ area, believe me this place is waayyy overpopulated only a few miles away. The Amish came in and did an incredible job it is 44x 32 with concrete floor and 3 overhead doors. The main door is 18’ wide the other two are 9’ wide. 16’ to the peak of the roof, spray foam insulated and seems too small once again.
we recently decided that after 45 years in this same house, maybe we want to move. We moved to NJ from Vermont where we were 4 miles from Canad. My wife’s family is scattered these days between Vermont and Michigan. We may decide to add on to the house or move back to VT or even Michigan…very near the souther parts of the giant Lake Michiga. When we started looking at houses, we dictated a minimum of 4 acres and pole barn permission. Well, Michigan houses over 2 acre have some of the biggest pole barns I had seen….one of them houses an airplane With room for 3 more. A big incentive for us.
on the other hand, we are both going to be 71 in a few short months. We would not have access to family only 5 miles away, if something were to happen to either of us, we may be too isolated to deal with the inevitable conditions of aging. If we lived to be 150, I could easily pick up and go but hey, we all know where it goes from here.
I sold a few other 1950’s cars I had. I really wanted to take a step back into my days as a 20 year old and picked up my FJ40 and that addicted me to dive in Full speed. The shelves are stacked with FJ40 parts, Bandierante parts, diesel parts, FJ45 parts and the garage has zero room except for 1 more truck and I am hoping to get. we‘ll see. If my property was farm assessed, they tell me I can build any size pole barn any where.. many ‘farmers” around here these days are listed as woodland management and sell $1000 of firewood each year to maintain status. Aside from that benefit, your land is taxed differently than your house.
so here is the result of decades of wishing for a pole barn….. for me. Can you imagine ME moving into a retirement community?
now gets to park in the garage. There is also a 10’x20’ “office” area, that isn’t finished yet.
