All Forum Posts by: Daniel Flesher

I know I'm late to this thread, but here's the process.

• Call the city and talk to someone who can tell you what they want done to get violation cleared. Sometimes the violation will be detailed enough that you won't  need to call, but not always. property.phila.gov will link you to all relevant info about the property.
• Fill out a building permit. In the box marked, "is this in response to a violation," check the, "yes" box. In the description of work, make sure to describe everything you need to do to clear the unsafe violation and nothing more. There might be work that both clears the violation and preps for a future building permit. It's okay to put language in that says, something like, " . . . in preparation for future work" as long as that work would still be required as part of the make-safe permit.
• Go to L&I, give them your building permit application. If no plans are needed, you'll get the make safe permit the same day. If plans were required it's a 3-day review period. Last I checked, there is no filing fee for the permit, but there may be a permit fee. 
• Once you have your make-safe permit, the process isn't any different than a normal building permit. Contact your inspector to let them know you are going to be doing the work. Schedule your inspections and get them to sign off on the work and clear the violation. 

I know I'm coming to this a little late, but I'll reference the International Residential Code Section R307.1 which states that toilets require 15" from the centerline of the toilet to the finished wall, vanity, sink or tub and 21" clear from the frontmost point of the toilet to the finished wall (etc.) in front of it. 

So you're good with 15", but make sure to leave room for gypsum/cementboard when framing. 

BP has never had particularly good forum navigation, but whatever redesign just happened has made it worse. 

Example: I used to go to "Community" > Then "Local Real Estate Forums". From there I would hit "Ctrl+F" to bring up the search bar and type "Philadelphia" to quickly navigate to the sub-forum I wanted. It was a hassle. It's not helped by the fact that the top menus pop-up when you hover over them, but if you accidentally navigate off of them they disappear. It's inconvenient design at best.

But now it's worse: I go to "Community" > "Forum Categories." This loads a new page. I can't "Ctrl+F" yet. First I have to navigate to "Local Real Estate" and click "Show 51 Sub-forums". Then I hit "Ctrl+F" and search for . . . "Pennsylvania" so I can click, "Show 3 sub-forums." Finally, I can click on "Philadelphia." 

BP is a community, but it's also a tool. Right now it's pretty unwieldy in that regard. I would love it if the forum navigation were something more familiar like a classic vBulletin layout.

I could say more but I think I'll stop at this for now. I love BP and want to help it be better. If the tools are easier to use that means more people will use them. That's good for activity which is good for the community. 

I'm looking for a roofing contractor to replace the 490sf (14'x35') roof on my home. Let me know if you have any contractors that can give me a quote for this.

Phillyzoning.com is a great resource, but their guides are a little dated. Most zones are now 75% lot coverage, 25% open area (from 70/30). This was changed March 1st of this year. 

If you want to get into the code, here's a link: http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Pennsyl...

Open area is the % of the lot left open from the ground to the air. Certain things, like permeable decks, patios and many awnings won't count for lot coverage. It generally means what % of the lot your building covers, which includes overhangs and bumps, so the number can be different for each floor. 

I hope that helps!

Hey,

This will depend on the lot and existing coverage and setbacks. RM1 requires 25% open area and the greater of 9' or 20% of the lot depth for a rear yard. 

The first floor will often be non-conforming. Any addition in the rear of the house above that first floor would need to be in compliance of the minimum rear yard depth and maximum lot coverage. 

If the existing third floor is greater than 38' in height, it's likely that any addition would need to be under that height. 

But other than those limitations there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do this. It's all within the by-right zoning allowances. 

@Max T.,

If you're going to go full legal duplex you'll need to get the variance. It will likely mean giving a presentation at a local RCO meeting, then appealing to the ZBA. 

I'm just re-reading your original post and noticed that it sounds like this is already a duplex. Is this the case? If so it shouldn't be difficult to get a use permit for an existing non-conforming building. I'd check the city's records to see if it already has a use permit as a duplex. 

Feel free to reach out if you end up needing help with the process. My firm does a lot of this in the city. 

@Max T.,

Again, not a lawyer, but the airbnb website says that you need a license for any unit that will be rented overnight, but that this requirement doesn't apply to owners renting out a portion of their primary home. Because this will be your primary home, and the in-law suite would technically be part of it, there's no requirement for you to even get a rental license, which would trigger a check of the zoning ordinance and an approved zoning/use permit for the property (which you won't have unless you get a variance). 

Hi @Max T.,

RSA-3 will require a variance for an in-law suite. 

You can get around this by connecting the two spaces internally and then leaving a door between them locked, or by putting up a wall later (although the wall option isn't legal so I'm advising against that . . .). 

But if you designed with the intent of it being an in-law suite from the beginning (internally connected via stairs, etc.), you shouldn't have an issue getting through zoning on a by-right basis. Again, the challenge will be making sure that it looks like it's one single-family dwelling with a tricked out basement, etc.

Legally speaking, it's alright to then rent out that in-law suite via the same law that protects/regulates airbnb. But I'm not a lawyer, so don't take my word for it, and the ability to design something well will depend on your specific lot and its context. 

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 

Hi Sue, 

I work at Cadre Design. We work with a lot of investors in and outside of Philly. We've done a lot of apartments and rowhomes in and out of the city. Feel free to reach out via PM and we can talk some more specifics about where your properties are and what you're trying to accomplish.