In most communities, the local government will have to give you a license if you want to make significant changes to your home.

There are some exceptions to what does and doesn’t need a license.

If the local government refuses you a license, sometimes you have to get creative.

That’s what the guy in this story did, and it worked out well in the end.

Check it out.

Planning permission? What planning permission?

Around 10 years ago, I flew over to see my Canadian family and whilst I was there, was surprised to see that Steve was living in an RV with his wife.

When I’d previously visited, he had been living in a 3 story house (basement, ground and first floor).

I wonder what’s going on.

On this occasion, his house appeared to be on stilts.

The entire thing had been raised up by around 2.5m, whilst a ground underneath had been excavated leaving nothing more than a big hole in the ground.

I couldn’t not ask why his house was hovering precariously above ground on nothing more than a dozen metal supports.

It emerges that he had sought for planning permission to add an extra floor to his house.

Local governments sometimes have power trips.

Despite literally living miles away from the nearest neighbour, this permission was rejected.

He was however informed that should he wish to expand his house, he could install a basement and didn’t require planning permission.

This is a major project!

Being the extremely handy and resourceful fella that he is, he had the bright idea to jack the property up and install a new basement below the existing basement.

In essence, the old basement now became the ground floor.

I visited 5 years later and the work was completed.

I asked him if he’d ever had any issues from the planning department.

He was perfectly compliant.

He told me that they sent someone out, but given that there was nothing in the rules preventing a house being raised by a floor through being jacked up and built under, no action was taken.

Wow, that must have been an expensive project!

Take a look at what some of the people in the comments had to say about it.

So many local governments are just money grabs.

All in the name of making things better.

Hey, a pond is as good as a pool.

Good question, it would have made more sense.

This is interesting, I didn’t know.

Once again, a local government getting in the way of people’s wishes.

But it sounds like this worked out for everyone involved.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.