More and more people are choosing to grow older in the homes they already love. The industry calls it aging in place; at Sun Design we call it Thriving-in-Place. A main-level primary suite is one of the easiest ways to begin preparing for that transition, and it can be achieved either by reconfiguring your existing floor plan or by building an addition.
When we sat down with Rusty and Lisa of Arlington to discuss potential floor plans, we ran into a predicament that is common in Arlington County, as it often is in the City of Alexandria and a variety of other jurisdictions: zoning restrictions.
If you are planning a home addition, three zoning rules will shape what you are allowed to build before a single line is ever drawn. Here is what each one means, what is exempt, and how a design-build team works within them.
The Three Things Zoning Regulations Control
Zoning regulations take into account three things: your Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.), your yard setbacks, and bulk plane regulations. If all of this sounds like a new language to you, don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for.
Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.)
Floor Area Ratio takes into account the percentage of livable floor area that you’re allowed to have, based on the square footage of your lot. In practice it is the ceiling on total living space: a larger lot permits more finished square footage, and a home that already sits near its limit has very little room left to grow outward.
Yard Setbacks
Yard setback is the distance your residence has to be from your property line on all sides. Setbacks are what most often rule out the obvious solution, because the direction you would naturally expand is frequently the direction with the least room to give.
Bulk Plane Regulations
Bulk plane regulations tell you how tall your building can be, and are based on angles measured from your property line. They are the reason a second story that works on a wide lot may not work on a narrow one, even when the floor area is available.
What Doesn’t Count Against You: Exclusions
There are also certain exclusions within a home that are exempt from these calculations, such as stairs and closets. Exclusions matter more than most homeowners expect. When a plan is a few square feet over the limit, the difference between approved and denied is often a question of how the plan is composed rather than how large it is.
Why the Same Addition Works on One Lot and Not the Next
Zoning regulations are applicable throughout the state and are based on your personal zoning classification within your zoning ordinance. It gets tricky when the lot you’re working with, in proportion to the home you own, is already considered a tight fit for the ordinance.
Before you fall in love with a floor plan, it is worth confirming:
- Your zoning classification within your local ordinance
- Your lot’s square footage, and the floor area that ratio permits
- The required setbacks on every side of the property
- The bulk plane angles that govern height
- Which spaces your jurisdiction excludes from the calculation
Because these figures differ by jurisdiction and are revised over time, confirm the current numbers with your county or city zoning office, or let your design-build team do it as part of feasibility. This is one area where an assumption carried into design is expensive to correct later.
A Case Study in Arlington: Rusty and Lisa
Owning an already sizable home for their lot, yet needing more space for their aging parents to move in, is what brought Lisa and Rusty to us seeking a creative solution for their desired home addition.
What we needed to do as a design-build firm for Rusty and Lisa, as we do for all of our clients seeking an addition, was to come up with an innovative way to design the additional space they needed within the mathematical regulations set by their local jurisdiction.
At Lisa and Rusty’s home we were able to maximize their space within these limits, expanding the home in the rear and raising the roof, hence making it taller, while balancing the previously mentioned exclusions to get them the space needed for their parents to comfortably live in.
This two-floor addition and whole house remodel is now a pleasant home to five adults and two children, a family grateful to share in companionship of each other with enough room to feel as though they have a mini home of their own within.
Removing the Zoning Stress From Your Project
We take pride in presenting visionary concepts that homeowners love, while removing the stress from the homeowner of how to have their new home concepts pass county codes. Feasibility comes first: we establish what your lot and ordinance actually allow, then design to the edge of it, rather than designing first and discovering the limits during permitting.
Rusty and Lisa’s project is one chapter of a longer story about this family. We have also written about a family heritage and their experience remodeling their home while coping with dementia, and about aging in place and maximizing comfort for three generations living under one roof.
If an addition is part of a longer-term plan to stay in your home, it is worth reading our guidance on what to consider before adding an in-law suite, and our Thriving-in-Place and aging-in-place FAQs.
Planning an addition in Arlington, Alexandria, or elsewhere in Northern Virginia? Start the conversation with our team and we will walk your lot, your ordinance, and your options with you before you commit to a design.