buy a building?

Well - a loot depends on the locality. We purchased two brand new 35 foot steel shipping containers for $1500 (for the pair). The price was low. It seemed the manager of the shipping yard was going to be fired so he sold them to get cash!  Delivered to our property. The police showed up to get them back after he was fired, but we had a bill of sale. The company was annoyed, but agreed we were in the clear. Anyway, we put them up next to one another on a pad, making a space between them the width of the container, put on a wooden roof for about $500 and had a magnificent building. Huh! The town came over, demanded an architect submit plans, and we get "building approval". The architect cost us $3,000.  Plus we got fined.  They also fined us for not having a licensed electrician put in the simple electrical connections, which we did ourselves. Another $1500.  Common sense does not rule.

Another option. I have put up Pasco steel buildings, which come as a kit and are relatively simple for someone with basic construction skills, a day rental of a crane and some skills to properly place a concrete pad and position bolts for the steel supports. Several companies have these kits, which come with a agreement for them to meet local codes. You may or may not be able to place a building on skids. A friend of mine owns a farm and after 100 years of not being bothered, an encroaching city bureaucracy suddenly came down on him with fines for constructing a similar building (on skids) use set up to move from one side of the farm to the other, as needed.

On skids and regularly moved, it may not be considered a "real" building.

Farming shelters used to have state guidelines that couldn't be locally overridden if it was indeed a farm producing food plants, the shelter was needed. That was brought up at one point....    I had a similar issue until we put one on skids (12'x18' and18"up per code), and called it "temporary weather shelter" as suggested by a lawyer pal. Showing a judge it could be moved with pictures of a flatbed truck doing it, was all it took for him to agree. 5 minutes and a gavel rap. Saved the paperwork in the rafters to show the cops in the next city about 5-6 years later. No ticket, after a quick review, and after unplugging it, to show it was still temp., they left.

   Nobody wants to enforce a law so broad  you can write a ticket for just about anything by using it. A family member hates his job since the "universal code" was adopted. Nothing like a law designed to fine near anyone on a whim. "Would you like the ticket for grass being to tall? (2") Or the one for not following state guidelines for water conservation? (3"min.), or the one for the patch of dead grass (from a kiddie pool the day after its pulled?) The one for your neighbors weeds growing trough the fence to your side? (this same city took 3 years to reseed the street easement after they tore it up, 18 complaints, and 1 ticket blaming me. Where's the code for them?)

The best is cutting the lawn, then 4-5 days of all day rain, then an early am ticket when it clears. Nice wet shoes officer

  A 20amp weather tight outdoor sockets and matching plug, supplied power for light and electric heat. About 12-13 years later sold it or gave it away, with some advice.(Michigan winters too)