Second Story Height Limit

I would like to add a second story addition to my home. My homeowners association limits building height to 18 feet and also states that the roof must have a minimum pitch of 4 inches in 12 inches. Is it possible to have a second story addition larger than 12 feet wide with this roof requirement and also be within the 18 foot height limit?

Thanks for the help.

Reply to
Chris
Loading thread data ...

That is like asking how many people can a car carry without telling us the make and model. There are many factors involved such as how high your current house is to the top of the ceiling joists. 18 feet is not much space to fit a second story even within the roofline, as used to be called a half story (Cape Cod style).

Reply to
EXT

It depends on your first floor ceiling height, and where the maximum height will be measured from.

It's borderline, regardless. In essence the HOA's regulations preclude a second floor while providing guidelines. Guidelines that essentially create a physical impossibility are not guidelines but a shadow prohibition. Such things make lawyers happy - on both sides...it keeps them busy.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

The first floor ceiling height is 8 ft.

However, the new addition may be put at the side of the house with the new bottom floor being a large covered patio (floor of new addition providing patio cover). The land that the house sits on is a datum of

192 ft. above sea leve. The HOA restructs construction of 210 ft. above sea level.
Reply to
Chris

What do your HOA guidelines say in reference to dormers / dormer style roofs ?

~~ Evan

Reply to
Evan

"building height" may not mean what you think it means. It's not necessarily measured from the ground to the peak of the roof. The building height may be measured from the ground to the point halfway between the bottom of the eave and the peak of a gable roof. Look at the building/zoning code carefully.

Reply to
Mike Paulsen

Unfortunately, Evan is right about the height limit.

No restrictions about dormers though.

Reply to
Chris

Which is a second reason to move away from your persnickity HOA. When the ocean levels rise, you'll be screwed and have to move anyway.

Reply to
HeyBub

I don't think you even need to get into the roof pitch, dormers, etc to figure this out. You only have 18ft max at the peak. Let's assume the first floor is

2ft above grade. You have 8ft ceilings on the first floor. Lets' assume 8" for existing attic joists and 8" for new roof. Working backward, you have 18-2-8-1.5 =3D 6.5ft for the second floor height at the PEAK. End of story. You can adjust that to fit exactly what you have, but unless the first floor is well below grade, I don't see it changing it so that it works.

The other thing worth checking is how they define the height limit measurement, if they even define it at all. Around here, it would be the peak.

Reply to
trader4

You're not thinking out of the box.

Build it as high as you want.

Then discover you have water intrusion. Only way to fix it is to add three feet of fill and topsoil to your yard, sloping it away.

Now your house is three feet less above grade.

If you're lucky the HOA is lazy enough you only have to do it on the street side.

Reply to
TimR

It doesn't matter how you pencil it, the only way you will get a 2nd floor is one for hobbits.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

If that is the case, and your house has the highest grade elevation, the HOA has effectively prohibited only _you_ from putting on a second floor.

Do me a favor - post the section of your HOA agreement that covers the elevation thing. I want to see how exactly it's worded.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Won't work, as Chris said earlier, the maximum height is based on how high it is above sea level (however that is calculated), no adjustments to soil level will change that.

Reply to
EXT

Whoops. You're right, I misread that part to mean the height above grade didn't apply until you reached 210 feet.

Hey, maybe you could claim you misread it too?

Reply to
TimR

Yes, it is interesting, isn't it? I've never heard of a building height restriction based on sea level as opposed to just stating it as height above ground level. But HOAs can do just about anything. I wonder what the terrain is like in the area. For example, as you point out, if he happens to be on a high spot, then he would be prevented from putting up a second story, while other homes might not. Do other homes have 2 stories? If they do, he might have a case that the HOA has unjustly denied him the right to a second story. But, good luck with that. Fighting the HOA would probably cost more than the addition and he might not win.

Other factors to consider are zoning laws. For example, house total square footage relative to lot size, setbacks, etc. The addition would have to comply with all of those and some, like setbacks, could even have changed since the house was built. That could be an addional hurdle and if he needs any variances, good luck with that too.

Reply to
trader4

It's probably referenced to sea level so homeowners can't backfill up a few more feet to get the extra height. There would be all kinds of shenanigans going on.

Reply to
Tony Miklos

There is a way you can get a 2nd story, build alongside the house and sink the first floor 4-6' below ground level. Then stand in the street and give the bird to the HOA.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

You could put on a flat roof. How high would that make your house?

You could make the ceilings 7 feet tall on the second floor. I know I could stand up in a room with a 7 foot ceiling, or even 6'6". Would that meet code?

Reply to
micky

Then dig a hole.

My nasty neighbor called the building deparatment when my deck was falling apart (I was going to get to it.) I was going to build a new deck but noticed part was still good, the 20 inches of the old one that say under the overhang. All I had to do was nail; a decorative board to the end of the 2x8's.

A railing wasn't needed because the deck was under nn inches high. The morning that the inspector was coming, I measured again, and somehow the deck was an inch higher and needed a railing, before 10AM. I couldn't lower the deck so I raised the ground. (I bought some topsil) ground.

Reply to
micky

No, you have that backwards. He coudl wait a month, until the sea rises, and build his house that much higher.

Reply to
micky

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.