To get a variance involves all manner of legal actions.
There would surely be more homes such as this if variances were in any way easy to get.
When I called the county to get a list of acceptable materials to build a carport, the brain-dead woman on the other end of the line refused to provide one, saying that my contractor would have their list, and they had none available. When I said I would be doing my own contracting, she gave me a number that no one answered after 12 calls.