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April 12, 2009
Ditmas Park Addition?
I've been looking in Ditmas Park recently and was wondering if it would be legal to add-on five to seven feet to the rear of a Ditmas Park Victorian? My thought process is that I love the front parlors, pocket doors, etc. in the area, but the galley kitchens and lack of bathroom(s) is annoying. I'm thinking that a 7 foot rear, 2 story addition would allow you to add bathrooms on both the 1st and second floor as well as create a larger kitchen.
Thanks for the help!
Comments
I live in Bay Ridge and wantd to add a first floor addition with a roof deck. I had an architect look at it and he did the research and told me that based on the FAR ratio I was not legally allowed to build an addition, but I could build a deck off the second floor that was open on the bottom. I was surprised because my backyard is huge.
Before you dream big, you have to find out what you are allowed to build. I used Jeremy at Prospect Development and Construction 718-783-0348. I found him on the forum. I haven't gotten to building the deck yet but will eventually.
Posted by: premadas at April 12, 2009 11:59 AM
Site coverage and FAR (floor area ratio) are the two critical items to check. Its typical that these building were built close to there maximum volume< but you might get lucky. Also need to figure out if your landmarked, which will provide a whole host of other issues.
Posted by: jp2 at April 12, 2009 12:48 PM
Almost every house in Ditmas Park and the surrounding areas of Victorian Flatbush has a FAR that surpasses what is allowed under current and proposed zoning. There is also the 30 foot rear yard requirement which makes any rear addition highly improbable since most have rear yards slightly less than that. Opening the pantries to be part of the kitchen is what many have done to best utilize space.
Posted by: yaakovdoe at April 12, 2009 6:07 PM
A while ago I did a zoning analysis to see if a friend in Ditmas Park could add on to his house. As stated above, there was no additional FAR to be had. I ended up doing a scheme for him where he broke through the rear pantry to enlarge the kitchen space and develop a better relationship from inside to out along the back of the house. He put a powder room under the stair, where a tiny closet was expanded. That resulted in blocking off a door from the cellar to the side yard but he figured the powder room would get way more use than that would.
Posted by: Bessie at April 13, 2009 11:03 AM
What they all said.
We bought our house under FAR, which is unusual for houses in the area. Nearly every other house we looked at four-five years ago - dozens of them - were at or above FAR.
On the plus side, the Yards Text Amendment increased the FAR bonus for detached garages: 300 square feet for a one-car garage, 500 square feet for a two-car garage. Most of these homes have detached garages. Some houses which were slightly above FAR may now be below FAR.
Lot coverage requirements have been replaced by setbacks.
If you're looking in the real Ditmas Park Historic District, landmarking must also be consulted. The rear of these detached houses - the tertiary facade - is visible from adjacent blocks.
Posted by: Xris at April 13, 2009 5:52 PM
I live in DP, own a house and I am presently renovating my kitchen. I, like the others, have incorporated the pantry into the kitchen design and found that I have tons of space now.
Posted by: brownman at April 13, 2009 7:22 PM
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