Add workshop to side of house

[darryl]

A friend is losing his workshop- place is sold, his new place has no room for the workshop. I have contemplated a few times to add a room onto the side of my house, and now seems like a good time to do it. Not cost-wise- everything is up in price, but fortunately for me this room would be very simple to build. It could be as wide as 12 ft and as long as 24 ft. I already have the matching shingles. I'd still be a good 20 ft from the side road, and there are no services in the ground in that area. Should be a piece of cake. There is one snag- on the wall at that end of the house is where the electric meter is. What is the likelihood I can leave it there?

The new piece of roof would be below where the wires currently come to the house. The wall on that end of the house needs to be dealt with already, since there's a slash up the side where the old chimney used to be. I'd like nothing better than to cover that area anyway.

I know I'll have to deal with building codes, and have permits, etc. My main question is whether I can leave the old meter where it is- it will end up inside the new room.

What I will end up with is a functional wood working shop, with the use of all the machines and tools. My friend will end up with somewhere to put, and to use, his shop. My taxes will rise to the extent of another roughly 300 sq ft.

This house has a half buried basement, with the main floor about 4 ft above ground. That gives me the option of accessing the new room from my basement, though I'd have to chop through a bit of the foundation wall. It would be nice to do this, but I don't have to. The new room would have no windows, and just a single sloped roof.

I'm in BC, Canada- I know that will make a difference in what I can and can't do. My main question is whether I need to move the meter, or have it moved.

[LKeithR]

In the past, for obvious reasons (need to access for reading) meters have always needed to be mounted
"outside". With the new "smart" meters it's no longer necessary to physically access the meter to get a
reading so the game may have changed. I suspect they still need to be mounted externally but the easy
way to find out is to call an electrician familiar with local codes...

[darryl]

I have some homework cut out for me- I'll go see the city on Monday.

[JRouche]

I know I'll have to deal with building codes, and have permits, etc. My main question is whether I can leave the old meter where it is- it will end up inside the new room

If you can I would actually fight to keep the drop the same. Sounds like a good service. JR

Ah chit, edit again:

Meaning once you improve the property someone (taxes) is going to look into a way into your pocket book, Side note: m

[RMinMN]

First phone call you make is to the electric company who owns the meter. If they agree that it can remain, then you start looking at what permits are needed in your area.

I have a smart meter but the electric coop comes by every year to look at the meter. I suspect they are looking for "iron gonads" or something.

[oxford]

I would be very surprised if they let you keep the meter on the inside.

“Meter readers” aside, that is basically a disconnect point for your house to the main grid. Someone at some point may need access to pull that meter and isolate your house.

[alanganes]

I would be very surprised if they let you keep the meter on the inside.

“Meter readers” aside, that is basically a disconnect point for your house to the main grid. Someone at some point may need access to pull that meter and isolate your house.

I'm pretty sure that this will be the main sticking point. If you have a drop from a pole to the house that will need to be moved so you will be involving electricians and wiring permits anyhow. Around here the power company seems to dictate where the meter gets mounted.

Besides, if the power company wants to cut your power off for non-payment they pull the meter. That would be far more difficult if it's inside the building. For that reason alone I can't see them going along with building around it.

[J Tiers]

Fairly common for the FD to pull the meter when there is a fire, also. Depends on circumstances.

The house we just sold up north had the electric meter in the basement inside. Seems to have been reasonably common, especially in the northern areas, back when there were actual meter readers. The water meter was inside to avoid freezing, gas meter was inside, electric meter inside. Location is not as much of an issue now, when the meter readers have all been fired.

We paid to have the gas meter that was in our house moved outside. Two years later, the gas company was doing the move for free. Meter and valve were leaky, always a faint smell of gas. The meter was in the worst possible place, and the old iron pipe coming through the wall was so rusty it looked ready to break off. Happy to have it outside where it causes no issues.



.

[darryl]

Makes sense. I will call the electric company first.

[BCRider]

I'm sure the code says that the meter must be outside. So it would need to be moved by code. And that means an electrician that can call up Terasen to move the drop or up pipe if it's an underground feed.

If it's right at the corner what about just cut the side addition a couple of feet short?

What you might be able to do which would be less costly, and with an approval, is build the framing and clad the outside and once the siding is on the electrician and Terasen would pull the meter and just extend the run from where it sits now to the adjoining outside wall. That should be less costly than a new underground feed conduit.

But you'd still need to put that in the building plan for approval and get in an electrician. Home owners can do their own wiring from the panel. But alterations like this to the meter and feed would need a certified electrician.

[Baz]

In the UK probably 90% of meters are inside. Normal place is a pokey cupboard under the stairs and local bylaws require the houseowner to fill that with old children's shoes, sports gear, bits of car, tools that you lost and had to buy another, etc.

[reggie_obe]

A friend is losing his workshop- place is sold, his new place has no room for the workshop. I have contemplated a few times to add a room onto the side of my house, and now seems like a good time to do it. Not cost-wise- everything is up in price, but fortunately for me this room would be very simple to build. It could be as wide as 12 ft and as long as 24 ft. I already have the matching shingles. I'd still be a good 20 ft from the side road, and there are no services in the ground in that area. Should be a piece of cake. There is one snag- on the wall at that end of the house is where the electric meter is. What is the likelihood I can leave it there?

The new piece of roof would be below where the wires currently come to the house. The wall on that end of the house needs to be dealt with already, since there's a slash up the side where the old chimney used to be. I'd like nothing better than to cover that area anyway.

I know I'll have to deal with building codes, and have permits, etc. My main question is whether I can leave the old meter where it is- it will end up inside the new room.

What I will end up with is a functional wood working shop, with the use of all the machines and tools. My friend will end up with somewhere to put, and to use, his shop. My taxes will rise to the extent of another roughly 300 sq ft.

This house has a half buried basement, with the main floor about 4 ft above ground. That gives me the option of accessing the new room from my basement, though I'd have to chop through a bit of the foundation wall. It would be nice to do this, but I don't have to. The new room would have no windows, and just a single sloped roof.

I'm in BC, Canada- I know that will make a difference in what I can and can't do. My main question is whether I need to move the meter, or have it moved.

Are you constructing the addition once footers and block walls are erected? You might consider an addition that includes a basement space with a concrete floor at the same level as the existing. That may give you the option of not replacing and relocating the breaker panel. Can't comment on Canadian electric codes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't insist on an outdoor disconnect with the service change. See: https://forums.mikeholt.com/threads/...units.2531804/

[JRouche]

A friend is losing his workshop- place is sold, his new place has no room for the workshop. I have contemplated a few times to add a room onto the side of my house, and now seems like a good time to do it. Not cost-wise- everything is up in price, but fortunately for me this room would be very simple to build. It could be as wide as 12 ft and as long as 24 ft. I already have the matching shingles. I'd still be a good 20 ft from the side road, and there are no services in the ground in that area. Should be a piece of cake. There is one snag- on the wall at that end of the house is where the electric meter is. What is the likelihood I can leave it there?

The new piece of roof would be below where the wires currently come to the house. The wall on that end of the house needs to be dealt with already, since there's a slash up the side where the old chimney used to be. I'd like nothing better than to cover that area anyway.

I know I'll have to deal with building codes, and have permits, etc. My main question is whether I can leave the old meter where it is- it will end up inside the new room.

What I will end up with is a functional wood working shop, with the use of all the machines and tools. My friend will end up with somewhere to put, and to use, his shop. My taxes will rise to the extent of another roughly 300 sq ft.

This house has a half buried basement, with the main floor about 4 ft above ground. That gives me the option of accessing the new room from my basement, though I'd have to chop through a bit of the foundation wall. It would be nice to do this, but I don't have to. The new room would have no windows, and just a single sloped roof.

I'm in BC, Canada- I know that will make a difference in what I can and can't do. My main question is whether I need to move the meter, or have it moved.

I would actually say con-grats MR The rat race here is wearing me out. LOL For you if you can , not always an option,
move the meter, or have it moved.

We got it done.

My house, 2000 era has underground lines. My meter to panel is 20Kwt/ For a house, they are all the same here. 20,000 boxes.

I made a 100amp sub panel tghat inside the garage. It supplies everything the shop need, 100anp sub? JR

[deltap]

Fairly common for the FD to pull the meter when there is a fire, also. Depends on circumstances.

The house we just sold up north had the electric meter in the basement inside. Seems to have been reasonably common, especially in the northern areas, back when there were actual meter readers. The water meter was inside to avoid freezing, gas meter was inside, electric meter inside. Location is not as much of an issue now, when the meter readers have all been fired.

We paid to have the gas meter that was in our house moved outside. Two years later, the gas company was doing the move for free. Meter and valve were leaky, always a faint smell of gas. The meter was in the worst possible place, and the old iron pipe coming through the wall was so rusty it looked ready to break off. Happy to have it outside where it causes no issues.



.

You still have the pipe going through the wall. It is a major point of rusting. Code requires pipe to wrapped with waterproof tape where it passes through the wall. Any leaks should be fixed no matter how small.

[J Tiers]

You still have the pipe going through the wall. It is a major point of rusting. Code requires pipe to wrapped with waterproof tape where it passes through the wall. Any leaks should be fixed no matter how small

Pipe goes through above grade now, it was buried before.

Gas company was uninterested in fixing the original leak, the worker who came wasn't very bright, he bustled around and then could not locate any gas leak (even though I pointed at it). I had enough of it all when the worker turned the shutoff and the rusty pipe bent down a quarter inch. It sprang back, but I was headed for the electric panel already in case he broke it off. I would have shut off power, and booked it out of there, not caring if I hit the worker in the face with the door or ran right over him. Cold, I suppose, but I was really angry by then.

About half the gas workers were incompetent. When they moved the meter outside, the inside piping crew failed to tighten a section of pipe, leaving a leak. (the outside piping crew were quite good) The much smarter guy who came the next day (I called the leak in) was pretty angry about that, and apparently reported it.