Adding on to your home

If you need more space like most of us in San Francisco, one solution is adding on to your home. If done right, it's a great way to increase functionality, and value. Compared to other cities, there are a few unique factors we face here, but there is usually a way to successfully add space.

 

Letting your home grow with you.

Adding space to your home, usually done with some interior remodel work, is a great way to optimize and personalize your home. It also usually makes good financial sense as well.

 

Up or out?

The options here are usually either to add a story, or extend into your back yard. But, as I have mentioned there are a number of factors that can make things more complex than if you lived in a suburb in Ohio. We live in a dense and unique urban environment. And as my first boss used to say "Opportunities! not constraints"

 

Code matters.

The San Francisco planning code requires you to have a minimum unbuilt rear yard depth. Usually either 25% or 45% depending on your zoning. But there are exceptions which allow you encroach into that area in some cases.

In most residential zones, 3 or even 4 stories are allowed. So, in theory, adding a story may seem practical. But in actuality, it can be tough. Read on.

 

Mother nature

Naturally, those pesky shakers play a part in our building code. Even if planning allows you to add lots of space. Seismic factors may complicate things. If you add too much area, or even make substantial interior changes you may be required to upgrade the entire home to current standards. Although this may seem like a good thing, it is often a prohibitively costly and complicated endeavor. Anything more than single room on your roof can get you into major structural work. There are some creative solutions that your architect and engineer may be able to suggest.

 

Happy neighbors

Even if the code allows you to expand the size of your house, you need to be sensitive to your neighborhood and it's inhabitants. If your proposed addition meets code, but dwarfs the other houses on the block, you may run into opposition from your neighbors, which could create some serious road blocks. The solution here is to try to be sensitive to your context and your neighbors concerns from the get go.

 

Victorian values

Many people do not consider this when they set their sights on a charming victorian, but you are limited to what you can do in terms of changes to a historically registered house. So that sleek modern stainless steel and glass box you were envitioning on the roof of your Victorian may not fly, but an addition that meets the city's standards with regard to compatibility is usually allowed.

 

Opportunities! not constraints

I am not trying to scare you by describing the gauntlet you must run. You just need to be aware of all the factors from the get go, and work with them. Or better yet, Make sure the professional you hire is aware of all these issues and has successful experience working with them. And remember, the end goal is to improve your house, not just make it bigger! A competent design professional is your friend here: get someone who understands your needs, and can make your house the home of your dreams.