Proper process to fill light well in San Francisco

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Proper process to fill light well in San Francisco

Bradford Li
San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 0 votes

Hello BiggerPockets!

Looking to learn more about the process to remodel my home the way I want to! My property is located in San Francisco's Sunset District. This is a property I helped purchase so my parents can retire comfortably in their desired neighborhood. Sunset homes are humble in size so I am trying to maximize the living space inside.  I have a light well within my home that is attached to my neighbors home. Currently, the light well has my set of windows as well as my neighbors window. 

This is the current floor plan. Imagine the neighbor's window is located at the text "14'-10".

This is the DESIRED floor plan. As you can see, the neighbor still has their window space.

I am hoping to infill/remove the light well so only a small gap exists on the neighbor's side with their window.

The issue is that the home next door is occupied by tenants. I haven't been able to reach the property owners to get their permission to infill the light well. The current tenants are all for the light well infill because it provides them with more privacy as well as removing noise traveling through their window. I casually asked the property manager of the neighboring home but she gave me a quick "No". Seeing as she is NOT the property owner, I wrote a letter to the property owners if we have permission for the light well infill. I asked the property manager if she could forward this letter to the actual owners but the property manager has been unresponsive. I'm not sure if the property manager actually asked the owners for permission which is why I want to get an answer from the owners directly. 


I was wondering what type of actions I can do to achieve the desired floor plan legally. 

  • - If I am unable to receive an answer from the property owners, what course of action could I take to have the light well infilled if at all possible (going to court?). 
  • - What can I do if the property owners say NO, I can't proceed with the light well infill. What can I do legally inside my own home?

This project has been a bit daunting as I am new to this process. I was also wondering if someone could point me to the documentation or laws where I can learn more about the remodel process in SF as well as the laws I need to abide.

Thanks for looking into this! Really appreciate all the help! =D

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  • Aileen Mitchell
    Real Estate Agent · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2020 · 14 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Bradford Li I'd say you can skip trying to engage with the uncooperative property manager, and mail your letter directly to the owners’ tax billing address to make sure they’ll get it. If you don’t know the names of the owners and their tax billing address, I can tell you, I’m a realtor in San Francisco and I have access to that info. To look it up, I'll just need the property address (your neighbor’s property address) and can provide the owners names and their tax billing address. It takes 2 seconds. 

    As for the light well infill, my guess is to call and ask someone at SF Planning department. I think you can do whatever you want with your own property with a proper permit. For something like this I usually consult with my general contractor they would know the protocol. Good luck!

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  • Bradford Li
    OP
    San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Aileen Mitchell Thank you so much for the reply! I am currently reading some documentation I found online regarding this exact scenario (Lightwell section - #10 - option B). Seems like I can submit a permit to the city and a "10-day" letter will be sent to the appropriate parties involved. My guess is tenant and property owners. I think if no one voices any concerns, I am free to do what I want as long as the city approves. Not sure how up to date this document is though. It's been difficult getting information from general contractors because I would get literally different answers/solutions from different contractors. I'm sure each of them have had difference experiences which is why they all had different suggestions. 

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  • Aileen Mitchell
    Real Estate Agent · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2020 · 14 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    @Bradford Li Ah yes, general contractors do have different ways/points of views on how they would handle the light well.

    My dad was a general contractor, I learned to only do business or talk with only the ones who’ve been licensed for many years, have insurance, are experienced on the particular project, have many repeat customers. So that however their solution is on the project, I'll have some peace of mind they wouldn’t do anything illegal or stupid and compromise losing their license. Also they must be insured so I have recourse. I'll also have a contract with them that makes it clear the scope of work and timeframe so they don’t take a long time. And milestones they need to meet before I pay them, etc..(But that’s an entirely different subject now..) It seems you have 2 things you're tackling.

    1Reply
  • Bradford Li
    OP
    San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    6y

    @Aileen Mitchell Could you actually look up the tax billing address for me please? I would greatly appreciate it =]

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