Building and Construction - Adding square footage to a house

Author

Adding square footage to a house

Carlos

2006-03-31, 4:21 am

I bought a house about a year ago that had an 'addition' of 17'x31',
this addition was not part of the square footage of the house, it was
defined as a 'covered patio' by the seller agent, I check the building
permits for this area but can't tell what is supposed to be, it only
has a checkbox that says 'addition' and dates back to the 60's. I live
in Orange county california, when I was buying this house an appraiser
mentioned that that area couldn't be counted as livable since it didn't
have a 'heating source', I installed central air to my house and that
area now has a 'heating source', but I am afraid to get an oficial
opinion since it may turn out that they will ask me to tear the walls
of that addition down. This addition was build on one side of the
house, so a bathroom door, a small window from another bathroom, the
kitchen door and a kitchen door 'lead' to this area. I heard from one
guy that this was not legal since a window can not 'lead' into another
room, this area also is not raised as the rest of the house and doesn't
have and attic either just roof, but it was very nicely done, the walls
are very solid, has nice windows and it was completely carpeted, build
on a slab. Based on what I just put here, if I was to permit this area,
would they make me tear it down to rebuild again according to code? or
could I just do a couple things here and there that will be worth the
small investment?

Regards,

Carlos

CWatters

2006-03-31, 6:21 am

m Ransley

2006-03-31, 9:21 am

Why not leave everything alone, a "livable space" will increase your
taxes

deviL doG

2006-03-31, 9:21 am

"Carlos" <paldama@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1143792168.483268.299070@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
>I bought a house about a year ago that had an 'addition' of 17'x31',
> this addition was not part of the square footage of the house, it was
> defined as a 'covered patio' by the seller agent, I check the building
> permits for this area but can't tell what is supposed to be, it only
> has a checkbox that says 'addition' and dates back to the 60's. I live
> in Orange county california, when I was buying this house an appraiser
> mentioned that that area couldn't be counted as livable since it didn't
> have a 'heating source', I installed central air to my house and that
> area now has a 'heating source', but I am afraid to get an oficial
> opinion since it may turn out that they will ask me to tear the walls
> of that addition down. This addition was build on one side of the
> house, so a bathroom door, a small window from another bathroom, the
> kitchen door and a kitchen door 'lead' to this area. I heard from one
> guy that this was not legal since a window can not 'lead' into another
> room, this area also is not raised as the rest of the house and doesn't
> have and attic either just roof, but it was very nicely done, the walls
> are very solid, has nice windows and it was completely carpeted, build
> on a slab. Based on what I just put here, if I was to permit this area,
> would they make me tear it down to rebuild again according to code? or
> could I just do a couple things here and there that will be worth the
> small investment?
>
> Regards,
>
> Carlos
>
If the addition was done 40 years ago it is most likely "grandfathered" into
acceptance. Meaning: because it was there for many years, and because you
didn't do it, and because the property has changed hands at least once, and
because there is some record of it in your town offices, the town would
accept it and would not require you to take it down.
But, only the building department can make that decision. And every town,
county, state, country is different. In my town the building department does
"Make-Up Permits". This is a process by where a person that owns a property
that has additions or changes that were made without permits can have the
inspectors come in, inspect to determine that there are no health and safety
violations, and for a fee, issue a special permit certifying the home as
complete - inspection and permit wise. Of course if the inspectors turn up
some hazard or code violation the homeowner is required to fix it in order
to get the certificate. The inspectors are usually happy to work with
homeowners that want to bring their properties into compliance and "above
board". They are normally not punitive or unreasonable regarding changes
(unless they know they are dealing with a person that did the building
without permit - then they get nasty!).
Go into the office and ask some questions. You don't need to give your name
or where you live. Just get the info. I'm sure you will find it is not as
bad as you think.
There is no rule in most codes that restricts you from having an opening
(with or without a window) into another room. But there are codes requiring
natural light and ventilation that can't be met via a window into another
room. There are means to get mechanical ventilation and artificial light for
"landlocked" rooms, so it is really not a big deal.

Carlos

2006-03-31, 1:21 pm

The reason why I would like to make it 'livable' is because I would
like to sell the house in a couple of years, that will increase the
value of the house around 120K (zillow.com estimate), if I was to sell
it right now.

deviL doG

2006-03-31, 4:21 pm

"Carlos" <paldama@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1143824447.749245.90400@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> The reason why I would like to make it 'livable' is because I would
> like to sell the house in a couple of years, that will increase the
> value of the house around 120K (zillow.com estimate), if I was to sell
> it right now.
>
And the reason that so many people are doing the "Make-up" permits is
because buyers are getting savvy to the fact that they can beat up an owner
if they discover that a portion of the house is "illegal" (their words, not
mine).

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