SIDE STREETS: Permits too much hassle for homeowner

Carl Bierdeman insists he's not just another guy who thinks he's above the law, building a large garage and apartment on his Knob Hill property without permits.

Bierdeman, 54, describes himself as a guy who got frustrated by the bureaucracy, which he feels is designed to punish homeowners with a seemingly endless list of expensive rules and arbitrarily enforced regulations.

Either way, it could end up costing Bierdeman big-time.

Already, it has caused years of conflict with neighbor Jordan Dickerson, who is angry because the structure blocks his view of Pikes Peak. He wants the city to order it demolished.

"We lost about 100 nice sunsets a year," Dickerson said. "We can't sit out on our deck and see Pikes Peak anymore. And it's illegal, too."

Dickerson says Bierdeman is no different than several people who have defied Colorado Springs' zoning rules, such as Antonio Villa, who built a family room, office and more without permits, illegally tapped his neighbor's sewer and ran his business from his home on South Circle Drive. Villa was fined $20,300 and jailed a week for contempt of court for failing to respond to city regulators and a judge's order to remove the illegal structures. He faces more jail time if he doesn't comply by Sept. 30.

Another example is in the Old North End, where Holger and Sally Christiansen built a $200,000 brick wall around their home without permits or permission from the Historic Preservation Board and without regard for rules on height. The city also alleges the wall crosses property lines, encroaching about two feet into a city alley. It has ordered work stopped.

But Bierdeman insists he is not an arrogant scofflaw but a victim of government over-regulation.

"I tried to get permits," Bierdeman said, standing on one of two decks attached to his garage, a two-story steel-and-wood structure. (See photos on my Side Streets blog at gazette.com.)

"But their rules make no sense," he said. "They kept telling me I needed a $250 variance for this and a variance for that. They started sending me on a bureaucratic goose chase. Finally I gave up and started building."

Bierdeman's issues with the city started in 2004 when he decided to build a studio apartment above his garage. He said his house - a 1938 cottage - has no foundation and is unsuitable for an addition. So Bierdeman, who is an inventor with a degree in engineering and a background in construction, opted to build above his sturdier garage.

When told he needed nearly $1,000 in variances, Bierdeman started work without them, building a 400-square-foot studio for himself and the large garage to house two commercial buses he hopes to use, someday, to run his Thunder Road youth ministry. He envisions taking kids biking, hiking and canoeing in the mountains.

"I admit, I built without permits," he said. "But I built according to code as far as height and boundary distances and everything."
And he says all his electrical work and plumbing was permitted and inspected by the city.

City land-use inspectors have ordered Bierdeman to stop work and threatened legal action that could lead to demolition of the structures.

Bierdeman hopes to convince them he knew what he was doing and followed all the rules, even though he had no permits. He can't afford to waste the $25,000 in materials he has invested in his structure.

"I try to be an upstanding citizen and do what's right," Bierdeman said. "Hopefully, they won't deem this a bad structure."

Tell me about your neighborhood: 636-0193 or bill.vogrin@gazette.com