All Forum Posts by: Garfield M.

I cant tell by the post how many gas meters and eletric meters there are. Just because it has two furnaces doesn't mean it has two meters. This may be the reason why the previous owner decided to put both thermostats on lockboxes. If there's only one gas meter then you'll just have to do gas included in rent.

If you have two gas meters and two electric meters for the building with unit 1 and garden on same gas/electric meter with the same furnace then I'd do utilities included include in rent for unit 1 and garden.

You can remove lockboxes and replace with modern thermostat with a programmable password. Assuming unit 1 and garden are on same furnace, you can also put a remote sensor in garden unit so you have a way of knowing that garden unit is warm (assuming there is no thermostat in garden unit). You'll want to be sure you keep that unit warm and the tenant happy so 311 is never called for your garden unit.

Thank you both for taking the time to research and advise, I appreciate it. I definitely don't have the stomach for a variance change. That would drive me crazy and likely wouldn't be worth it for such a small project. When I read the Zoning code I got the impression that the approval criteria was biased in favor of adapting structures which already exist which made me (perhaps naively) think this could be worthwhile and relatively easy considering the difficulty of Zoning changes in Chicago.

The reason I started digging deeper is because I read the below article and was excited when I read the the section "how to conduct a zoning assessment" which led me down this rabbit hole.

https://www.chicagocityscape.c...

Specifically this statement from the article:

For example, the RT-4 zoning district is very common in Chicago and it allows one dwelling unit per 1,000 s.f. of lot area. If your lot's area is 3,000 s.f. then three dwelling units are allowed. If the lot's area is 4,000 s.f. then four dwelling units are allowed.

Pro tip: If the lot area is 3,600 s.f., then four dwelling units are still allowed due to the ability to request an "administrative adjustment" to reduce the minimum lot area requirement by up to 10 percent (17-13-1003-A).

Quote from @Jonathan Klemm:

Hey @Garfield M. - This sounds like one of the many intricacies of Chicago zoning and development.  I'd connect with @Samuel Pavlovcik or @Prashanth Mahakali.  

What Chicago neighborhood is the property in?

 Thanks for the referrals, Mckinley Park. 

Quote from @Tom Shallcross:

The Chicago administrative adjustment process will add roughly 30-60 days to the permit process. You will first need to submit your plans "as-is" and get them denied by the city as you'll need the denial letter as part of your submission for your administrative adjustment. Once you submit for the administrative adjustment, the the property on each side of you along with the alderman will get a certified letter notifying them of your administrative application. I believe there is then a ten day waiting period. On my last one I also needed to get pictures of each house on the block (not sure why).

Long story short, it's doable, but adds time/holding costs, architect expense and another $500 to the city. I would speak with your neighbors beforehand and try to get in touch with the alderman so they are not blindsided by the letter.  
 

 Thank you for all the advice, I had thought I wouldn't need a rejection letter since "lot size" is listed as "authorized" in zoning code 17-13-1003. Maybe it differs in practice. The specifics get pretty complicated. I'll stop by my alderman's office, thanks for the advice. 

Quote from @Landon Vowels:

Yes! I am going through the process of an administrative adjustment at the moment-- 2 of them, actually. It's definitely possible, and if you what you are trying to achieve is truly allowable by the zoning code, then you have the right to do so. That being said, it's not a particularly fast process and there is a whole submittal package required. I will follow up with more specific information when I'm in front of my computer. Happy to provide some more insight.

Thank you, I was expecting timeline to be slow with the city. I read through the zoning code and approval criteria in detail and I think I have the zoning rules with RT-4 correct and the project seems eligible for streamlined administrative adjustment. Since the lot size adjustment is only 31 sq ft and it adapts an already present structure, I figured it shouldn't get excessive pushback from the zoning administrator's office. I have never done it before so maybe I'm wrong.

Hello, looking for someone with experience in zoning "administrative adjustment" in Chicago. I want to change RT-4 zoned 3 flat to 4 legal units. RT-4 zoning - 1000 sq ft of lot size per unit. Lot is 3969 sq ft so its short by 31 sq ft. The city allows streamlined "administrative adjustment" in RT-4 which allows a zoning change due to lot size as long as the lot size is not less than 90% of the required minimum lot area. This would mean a streamlined administrative adjustment is possible if the lot is greater than 3600 square feet in this case (90% of 4000 square feet - - since I want 4 units). Since the lot is greater than 3600 sq ft - is this a pretty straight forward case for approval if paperwork is submitted properly?

https://www.chicago.gov/city/e...

I am posting to see if anyone has done this before to assess the feasibility of the project. The 3 flat already has an existing attached rear structure of 300 square feet (25x12) which used to house the boiler. Since the structure is already there it will reduce construction cost. I want to turn it into a studio. Common electric is in place and floor drains look like tied into sewer already. Only one entrance so will need to add another. 

Any advice for this I should consider before I pay for drawings? 

I can make the rental aspect work but I am nervous about the ARV - - how would an appraiser value a 300 square foot studio with no comps in the neighborhood? I know nobody has a crystal ball but is there anything I should consider if I plan to refinance and pull cash out at a later time in a few years?

Any info is appreciated - thank you. 

Treat it like you would your own house

if managing yourself yearly inspection :

- furnace/boiler - clean out burners (do in Fall to make sure heat is on in winter)

- clean dryer vents

- caulk bathtubs

- change out thermostat/CO2 detector batteries

- clean out gutters in Fall

- while on the roof looking at gutters, take a look at roof condition - fix early

- vacuum and clean utility room near any furnaces and water heaters (keeps dirt/dust out of systems, can extend life)

- rinse water heater screens (can fill with dust and won't stay lit)

- drain water heaters yearly - prevents sediment buildup and will extend life

- change furnace filters (more often than yearly)

- if in cold environment, turn water supply to exterior off before winter

- take a look under sinks to check for any slow leak

This shouldn't take much longer than an hour or so per unit per year unless you find something unexpected, and if you do find something then good job catching it early. Alternatively, if you have a property manager, make sure they're doing this yearly to identify anything that might be missed.  You still need to see for yourself to ensure nothing is missed.

I wouldn't buy appliance insurance. I don't buy used either.

To save money on appliances, I usually buy discount gift cards online from Ebay or Cardcookie (best to buy them in January as people try to offload xmas gifts). The cards I buy are for BestBuy or Lowe's. I take the cards to my local BestBuy or Lowe's outlet stores where you can find open box items. You can typically save over 40% off retail price this way. You might have a small scratch on it but most of the times it's barely noticeable. 

Rather than connecting with hospitals, your best strategy is to connect directly with staffing agencies. Look up the local hospitals in your area and then look up the staffing agencies they use. Alternatively, make a search for Facebook groups for travel nurse housing in your area. By far the easiest is Furnished Finder. 

Quote from @Michael K.:

Southwest corner of West Elsdon is right in the flight path from midway. I was actually under contract on a house there earlier this Spring. After we came back for the inspection we realized how oppressive the noise from flights was and canceled the contract. But you're definitely right, prices between Bridgeport and Midway are a gradient, so as prices rise further east it pushes the prices our west higher. I have a couple of people that are looking in Back of the Yards right now and I have seen flips there selling quickly. New demographic coming into any of those properties.  

The southwest area of the city is interesting from a demographic perspective. Much of the bigger developments from Chinatown to Brighton Park come from Chinese outfits and they market their SFHs, condos, and townhomes directly to international buyers. This buyer is typically more economically mobile than a historical SW-side immigrant (Polish, Lithuanian, Mexican, etc.) and may buy in cash. These are some of their projects:

https://hmcrealty.com/projects

I wouldn't expect much positive economic change in the Back of the Yards anytime soon. Perhaps eventually some spillover from slowly improving Canaryville but that is a long way off. The intersection of 47th/Ashland will have some investment from the Invest SouthWest initiative from the city but I haven't seen any construction begin yet. It'd be a mixed income development - - no construction timeline I know of. Here's the info:

https://chicagoyimby.com/2022/...