All Forum Posts by: Eric Teran

@Gladys Johnson 

I'm an Architect in the DC area and would be happy to help. I look forward to hearing from you. 

I hit the reply button before typing anything. Anyway, the RF-1 zone requires a completely separate unit. This is significantly more than an ADU. The new unit will need the following: Fire sprinklers, separate electrical meter, separate heating/cooling, 1-HR fire separation between units, own exterior door, no interior connection to the upper unit, egress windows for the bedrooms, and a minimum 7' ceiling height. Once construction is done a certificate of occupancy is required. In DC this type of project for a new investor is around $125k to $200k. There are a lot of things that will affect the cost. The biggest one is if you have to drop the slab to obtain the ceiling height. The great news if you can afford it the new unit can become its own unit and you sent rent or sell it off independently of the other unit. This is a condo conversion. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

@Lydia Lorraine does your client have an Architect? They should be able to tell them how much they can build by right and through board approvals. The BOZ is the Bethesda Overlay Zone which mainly governs the development of the Bethesda Downtown Plan as it relates to density, heights, affordable housing, parks, and design. The density has been capped at 32.4 million gross feet for development. Each project that is built in this district has to be subtracted from the 32.4 million gross feet. Here is a link from Montgomery County. There are a few ways to build more than what is allowed by right in BOZ. 

1. Affordable housing will increase the FAR. The total affordable units are based on a percentage of the total units and they have to be disbursed equally throughout the building (they can't all be in the basement). Sometimes there is a minimum amount of units that are required but if additional units are built then more credit may be given.

2. An owner may also ask to exceed the FAR but is required to obtain approval from the board. If they ask this there should be a good reason and hopefully, other cases that have already been approved in the area with similar circumstances. 

3. Another option is if an owner owns multiple lots. If one lot is used for the public such as a park or public art then the gross floor area for that property may be transferred to another property within the Bethesda Downton Plan.

As you can see there are many ways to get more than what is allowed by right. Most likely asking for more will add 4-10 months to the approval process as the board will have to approve it and I'm sure there is some back and forth between parties before an agreement is reached. 

If you provide an address I can give you more detailed responses. If you have more questions feel free to contact me. 

Good Luck.

@Emilio Pereira I’m going to give you the worst case scenario as I am an architect and this has happened to my clients. Once you enclose the space and make it habitable you need to add mechanical and electrical components to the space. You  also have to add insulation to the walls and roof. There is no attic so you most likely have to use close cell insulation in the ceiling. This is costly and other options will lower the ceiling height. Also, windows will have to be brought up to code. I can’t tell if the side wall is all windows but this will not pass for shear wall requirements if changed to habitable space.

The biggest cost may be the foundation. A foundation for a screen porch or what may have been a carport is not the same as habitable space. Depending where you are in the country your footing has to be a certain depth. For example, I’m in the DC area and footings are required to be 30” below grade. If this only has a 12” footing then the footing has to be extended 18” to be 30” from grade. You can underpin or demo and rebuild but either option may become expensive. 
We don’t know when this was built but most likely the building codes are new and this won’t hold up if you make it an interior space to be part of the house. Once again, I’m giving you a worst case scenario but these are the questions you need to ask. A contractor will not know this because it isn’t their job to know this. I know this as an Architect who has 20 years of experience and numerous clients who are developers that always try to do something similar. I’ve learned through experience.

So you may not need an architect but be careful if a contractor promises you that it is easy. What you should do …. What you need to do is go to the municipality and ask them what is required to convert this space into an interior space. Make a list of all the items I mentioned and ask them directly as many city employees only answer yes and no. At the very end ask them is there anything else I should know. At this point you will know what you need. 
Good luck. 

@Mark Urich I agree with @Matthew Sprott to find a draftsman or someone right out of school. As an Architect I would charge you much more. There is an app called Canvas.io that can be Downloaded to an iPad or iPhone (they need the latest cameras) and you can scan each unit. Once the scan is complete it is sent to them. Within 2-3 days they will return a file that even has the baseboards, all the light switches and outlets, and all the cabinetry. We use it for my office when we work on an existing building. Once you get the file back you can ask anyone that knows Autocad or Revit to put each unit on a sheet and add any information you may need like room names or dimensions. If there are a lot of units this is the way to go.

Good luck m,

Eric

@Lisa Sall I’m an Architect and we cannot give you an exact price. An architect will give you a general idea of what something may be built for. If you have a $100k budget then they need to design towards this but it may go over or under. Of course, in today’s economy $100k six months ago got you a lot more than today.

As I design a project I let my clients know if the decisions/requests they are making will keep the project within budget or if it is starting to go over. If my client makes the decision to go over and then wants to cut cost then I charge them for this as I gave them a warning. If I am way off based on my direction then I will value engineer up to a point.

As mentioned above the economy has thrown things out of wack. A project six months ago may have been doable for $100k but may now cost $150k.

Pricing publication will not work as those will be out of date. You either need a construction manager or contractor on board sooner rather than later or pay the architect a lot more money to give an exact price. Coming up with an accurate estimate takes a lot of time. It is also impossible to have an accurate price until all the drawings are complete. There are so many factors that can change pricing that it isn’t fair to ask for accurate pricing until all the drawings are complete. For example, what type of framing members will be used or light fixtures or vanities and so on.

Basically, the architect should have an idea if your project will be somewhat near your budget but you will not get an accurate price until all the plans are complete. If it is way over what can be done to bring it back within reason. If the value engineering doesn’t satisfy then it is up to you if you are willing to raise your budget.

@Domenic Matesic as @Jared W Smith stated you should definitely get a structural engineer. They will provide more accurate solutions than a contractor. I would pay their hourly fee for a site visit.

Another possibility is that this back room looks like it may have originally been a screen porch or deck and was later enclosed. If it was originally exposed to the elements it may have been built with a slope to drain water. I’ve had this happen before. If that is the case you really can’t make it plumb and may have to remove it entirely. With that said, if you do remove it entirely be careful because that space may not be allowed by the zoning department in that area of the yard.

You have some homework to do. Good luck.

@Shadi Ayyoubi to follow up on what @Russell Brazil said you have to file for a short term rental and it only works on rooms or an ADU. If it is a completely separate unit then you have to live there and apply for a vacation rental which allows you to only rent up to 90 days a year with no stay being longer than 30 days.

Also, when converting the lower level to residential there may be possible issues that arise due to zoning and building safety. For example, residential and commercial zoning requirements are different.

@Kyle Kurt I have been using Jason Osser for four years. He has some investment properties as well which helps as he understands what we are going through and where we want to go. We even have some properties in South America and he figured out how to best show them on my returns. His website, https://ossercpa.com/. Good luck.