Is it possible to exclude space from "usable floor area"?
We are looking at a 2 story building with a full, unfinished basement. The house dimensions are 19.25 ft x 63 ft and the current square footage of the building listed on Property Shark is 3,639 s/f. The building is in a R6B district and has a max FAR of 2, so the maximum allowable square footage is 3,860\. Currently, the entire basement is included in the current square footage. The basement has access from the street, and windows, but is unfinished and includes all mechanicals. Ideally, our plan would be to partially finish the basement to create a lower duplex, and build a set back third story covering around 1/2 to 1/3 of the current roof, with the rest designed as a roof deck. We are two couples and the goal would be to create two duplex apartments, but to do that using the current s/f calculations it looks like we’d go over our max FAR by 200 and 400 square feet. Our question is: given that approx 1/2 the height of the basement is below the curb and it includes mechanicals, would it be possible to exclude square footage from the basement from the usable s/f of the building to create additional square footage that could be used for the third story addition?
mofish
in Building Code 11 years and 10 months ago
3
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3 replies
dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 10 months ago
From the zoning resolution: Floor area includes: “floor space used for mechanical equipment that exceeds 50 square feet for the first dwelling unit, an additional 30 square feet for the second dwelling unit” Judging by that, you could exclude 80 sq ft of mechanical space, whether located in the cellar or elsewhere. That gets you to within 120 sq ft, which is not all that much. You might also be able to find other exclusions as the project develops. Not only that, but Property Shark and other online databases are generally estimates. Your architect would have an engineer survey the property to get a more accurate calculation. You may find that the listing is incorrect, hopefully in your favor. In the end, if all is accurate, you may also find that a well designed home does not necessarily need as much floor area as you think. These days, properties are hard to find. If I were you, I wouldn’t let 120 sq ft be the deciding factor. It’s when architects are forced to be creative that the solution turns into something unique and interesting.
mofish | 11 years and 10 months ago
Thanks! Quick followup: if it isn’t more than 50% below grade, could we still exclude square footage for mechanicals? We’ll probably only need around 200 s/f for an addition.
dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 10 months ago
I think you hit the nail on the head. If the lowest level is more than 50% below grade, then it’s a cellar and does not count towards square footage. You would likely need a land surveyor to provide a survey with spot elevations at the curb, the basement floor, and the first floor.