Woodnet Member Distribution

[Steve N]

I have lived out in the sticks for a lot of years, and all of the woodworkers I know out of city limits all have detached shops, but we also have plenty of land. Won't apply to everything West of the Mississippi, but certainly does in Cali. Owners have postage stamp sized places due to huge land costs. Just a thought but as eco/and carcinogen minded as Cali folks are I would think most would consider it poisoning themselves to have a shop in the house, even if they did have basements.

[Anak]

Lack of shop space is a big issue out here.

Basements are essentially unheard of in the metropolitan areas.  In many parts of the country folks have to dig down in order to get below the frost line.  I had never heard of such thing until I started studying to get my license as a general contractor.  Out here frost is just that bit of ice you get on your windshield, and if you get too much of it you have to start worrying about your citrus trees.  That doesn't happen very often.  No frost line = no excavation to speak of =  no basement.

With the price of land the way it has been for decades and the zoning regulations being what they are it is often the case that folks don't have the option of building a detached shop. 

Then add the challenge of increasing your tax basis on top of that.  Prop 13 holds property taxes somewhat at bay until you start making capital improvements such as that.  Major remodels and additions get brought up to the current tax level.  The addition of a detached shop could easily double someone's property taxes out here.  Deal with the local planning office just once and that will provide you with all the disincentive to last a lifetime.

Such are the joys of life in Kali.

[AHill]

No basements?

Yep.  A shop has to occupy a garage or dedicated building.  Basements exist only in large commercial buildings.  Barely 6 inches of soil in my world, then hard caliche (limestone).  The cost of blasting to make a basement is prohibitive, since it would be on top of the already hefty cost of a home.  I bought my 2100 sq ft home in 2003 for a paltry $288K.  At the peak of the housing market, it was worth $420K.  Only around $301K now.  Only 40 miles from me, the same house would run around $700K.  Totally insane.  Barely 9 months ago, I considered moving back to Texas, where a 3000 sq ft house on 5 acres was running around $300K.  Double the property tax, no state income tax, 1.5% less sales tax, and gas is 40-50 cents less per gallon.  Osage orange (bois d'arc) and mesquite are practically free there.  Osage is essentially a nuisance tree, and most developers will let you haul away mesquite for free when they clear land for building.