When we bough the house in 2010 we had no idea that it would take 6 1/2 years to start our remodel. The first time we walked into the house we were bowled over by the incredible views and park like property. It was clear that we needed to update the home to match the surroundings and make it more livable for us. Our intent was to remove the roof and add a second story. We found a designer to draw up the plans and guide us through the maze of bureaucracy.
A great deal of cold water was thrown on our plans after the surveyor got involved. It turns out that the property line is about 10 feet from the front of the existing home. Code states that the second story addition must be back 15 feet from the property line on the existing structure. Losing 5 feet of depth on the second story really chopped it up and made the space too small to work with (it was tight already). All fine and dandy you say, just put an addition on the back of the house and build that grand second story you were looking for. Not that easy. As it turns out there is an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA, i.e. – Steep Slope) tight to the back of the house which makes it very challenging to build in.
This was the start of a multi-year journey.