Townhouse Extensions
What are the relevant rules governing building extension to existing townhouses? Off course in the end an architect/expediter needs to opine, but we cannot involve architect with every house we are seeing. Just the most important rules to consider, like max depth, widht, height, foundation or not and so on. Thanks.
What are the relevant rules governing building extension to existing townhouses? Off course in the end an architect/expediter needs to opine, but we cannot involve architect with every house we are seeing. Just the most important rules to consider, like max depth, widht, height, foundation or not and so on. Thanks.
You always have to make some research on a case by case basis. Never go just by blanket statement. If you have a survey even a very old one is always a great help. Property shark information is general maximums and you can therefore not always rely on this info.
in my humble opinion, zonings “outer court” issue often dictates a full width addition and then its FAR do you have enough and 30′ rear set back – must have.
-jp
You can go to NYC City Store:
Manhattan Municipal Building, One Centre Street, North Plaza.
Store Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.
They sell a zoning handbook that summarizes the allowable FAR, lot coverage, height, for every zone.
Look up what zone a particular property is in online at:
http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zonedex.shtml
Then use the handbook to see what you could do in terms of an enlargement.
The Zoning District that a property is within is what governs a building’s bulk and size. A majority of Brownstone Brooklyn is Zoned as R6-B; click here for guidelines and a handy pdf diagram:
http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zh_r6b.shtml
For other zoning districts, you can check here:
http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zh_resdistricts.shtml
But be for warned, it’s not the most riveting read….
Kyle Page, AIA, LEED AP
Sundial Studios Architecture & Design, PLLC
These types of issues cannot be summed up in a blanket statement. Each property or project may have it’s own unique challenges not to mention zoning regulations.
Typically, you must leave a minimum 30′ rear yard, but you may not even be able to build that far back with the allowable floor area dictated by the zoning resolution. Allowable floor area, height, side and front yard requirements, etc. are all dictated by the zoning district your property is located within.
I would suggest you narrow down your search to a few properties you feel can work for you, and then hire an architect on an hourly basis to visit them and look further into what each property can yield.
We have done this kind of consulting in the past, and should you consider it, we can be contacted at contact@deuxarchitectes.com
For mid-block residences you’ll need a 30′ rear yard setback. To get more specific, you can subscribe to http://www.propertyshark.com which will tell you the basic zoning facts including the Floor Area Ratio, the square footage of the existing building, and any additional buildable area. There will be links to the zoning and DOB websites. I often visit houses for sale with clients and advise them accordingly on the purchase.
Ed Kopel Architects, PC