WOOHOO! Good weather = time to build

[nachoman]

I have got a more general question.
How is the situation building a second small building on your property in a modern urban area like this one (west of Sugarlad/Houston, TX)?

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Do you have legal restrictions other than the limited space? That area looks much like a similar area in Germany.

In a general sense, if you live inside a city or town, there will be some building restrictions. Outside of a city or town, people can generally build what they want. Restrictions inside cities or towns vary greatly. In Phoenix where I live, any outbuildings but be a certain distance from the property line, must be below a certain height, and total area of all buildings bust be less than a certain percent of property size. In addition, buildings must meet all safety and environmental building codes and pass inspection. Some neighborhoods are more restrictive in that they do not allow any additional structures that have foundations. Unless local neighborhoods have further restrictions, people can build whatever they want as long as it is safe, is not too tall, not too big, or not too close to the property line. The city does not put limits on building purpose or architectural style, as long as it is for domestic use. Phoenix building restrictions are probably similar to most cities in the USA.

About 15 years ago, people in my parents neighborhood started building detached "garages". These are not typical garages where most people store cars, they are much bigger. Some of the garages are as large as the house, large enough to park a bus or large recreational vehicle. A typical one of these "garages" is about 1500 square feet and 18 feet tall. Some people store their extra household items in these buildings, but it is quite apparent most were built for the purpose of a home-based business as a means of avoiding taxes or business restrictions. Running a business out of one's home is not allowed, but the loophole is that if one has less than a certain number of employees, it doesn't count as a business. My parents neighbors built such a "garage" for the purpose of storing and maintaining vending machines. The garage was large enough to have a forklift for loading and unloading the vending machines. With the garage door closed, it was difficult to prove that a business was being run from the home. But, the garage was built one foot taller than what is allowed, and two feet too close to the property line. So, my parents and another neighbor filed a lawsuit and the building had to be removed.

In the USA if you want to build a large additional building, make sure it meets all local codes, and more importantly make sure your neighbors are okay with it.