All Forum Posts by: Colin L.

@Sam Bewley what part of town is it in? I could check the zoning.

My wife and got a non fha mortgage for 5% down and the pmi was way lower than pmi on an fha loan. I want say 200 less but it was a few years ago.

@Mark Gliebe Does your cost to build include soft costs? Soft costs (pre-construction costs, A&E fees, legal fees, permit fees, etc.) can easily add up to 15-20% of hard costs for a project of this scope.

@Emily Di DPI really should have sent you to talk to a planner since your issue is a planning issue, but in general I agree your 50x55 lots would be considered non-conforming and would not be allowed unless you went through a variance process.  For your property, the small lot subdivision could be a potential option.  You can read about it under section 143.0365 here:

https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter14/Ch14Art03Division03.pdf

It still requires a lengthy site development process similar to a variance.

@Tye Waller I think one of my clients subdivided a lot in La Mesa not too long ago.  Drop me a line and I can put you in touch with them. 

@David Lowe there is definitely a market for shorter term (like 1-6 months) rentals by the bedroom in San Diego, like what Commons coliving is doing.

California building code has a minimum standard for noise transfer between floors which is at least 50 STC (sound transmission like voices, tv, etc) and at least 50 IIC (impact noise, people walking or jumping).  To get that to that code minimum level is not too hard with carpet, but much harder with tile or wood floors due to the impact noise.  My floor assemblies often call for floor toppings like gypcrete or lightweight concrete, as well as resilient metal channels on the underside of the joists which act to isolate the joists from the sheetrock below. I've also been using homasote panels under the flooring as an alternative to gypcrete/concrete as its lighter, less messy and easy to install.

@Justin R. Thanks for the clarification, that’s awesome!

What @Dan Heuschele said is correct. You can build an ADU on a property zoned for MF but only if it has an existing SFH on it.

SB50 is the bill that would allow 4plex as of right in any SF zone. It was shelved for a year but still alive.

try this one:

https://www.novoco.com/resource-centers/opportunity-zone-resource-center/guidance/novogradac-opportunity-zones-mapping-tool

or this one if you are in California:

https://opzones.ca.gov/oz-map/

love it!