FAR Off

Over the weekend we spent some time reviewing the different conceptual drawings provided by our architect, Laura.  They are full of great ideas, so we made notes about which features of each concept we liked, and which things that we didn’t.  Done, we now have a pretty good idea of the overall changes we would like to make.   So, I decided to check the rough measurements against Newton’s zoning regulations, particular FAR (Floor Area Ratio).

Well, the bubble of optimism from my last post is burst! My rough calculations show that we are exceeding the maximum floor area ratio.  Its not by much, our estimated ratio is .37 where the maximum for our property type (single residence-3 constructed before 1957) is .35.  This translates into about a 106 square feet difference.  

Its a bit confusing exactly how floor area ratio is calculated. At city hall, Nicole and I did some rough calculations based the dimensions the city had on file.  However, those dimensions aren’t consistent with measurements Laura made a couple weeks ago.  City hall’s dimensions are less than the dimensions I calculated using Laura’s measurements, leading us to believe the city either didn’t measure outside wall to outside wall (e.g. like I did), or used some formula based on the style of the house (e.g. Counting only 85% of the 2nd floor space because it is Gambrel Colonial) , or they just measured wrong (My Dad's theory but I give them the benefit of the doubt).

After a bit of research, I think the difference may be due to a special calculation related to the stairwell. I did confirm the Floor Area in Newton is calculated from outside wall to outside wall.  Here’s the definition from Newton’s Online Zoning definitions:

Floor area ratio:

(a) For residential structures in residential districts, gross floor area of a building on the lot divided by total lot area.

Floor area, gross:

(a) For residential structures in residential districts, the sum of the floor area within the perimeter of the outside walls of the building without deduction for garage space, hallways, stairs, closets, thick ness of walls, columns, atria, open wells and other vertical open spaces, or other features exclusive of any portion of a basement as defined in this section. For atria, open wells and other vertical open spaces, floor area shall be calculated by multiplying the floor level area of such space by a factor equal to the average height in feet divided by ten (10). Excluded from the calculation are bays or bay windows which are cantilevered and do not have foundations and which occupy no more than ten (10) per cent of the wall area on which they are mounted and any space in an attic or half story above the second floor as defined in this ordinance.

Our calculations are conservative, but it looks like we may be a bit “off”!

Getting Started

My first trip to Newton City Hall left me feeling optimistic. I’m sure the optimism will soon be shattered once we really get started, but Nicole in the Assessor’s office was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Even though we are in the very early conceptual stages of what we hope turns out to be a home renovation, I took the advice of my friend Tony and made the trip to city hall to seek their counsel early.


In a nutshell, we live on a small lot in Newton in a Gambrel style colonial that has an existing one floor addition off the back for a study and a bathroom. The main issues we are trying to address with the renovation are to add a larger, working bathroom on the 2nd floor and to make the kitchen a bit more spacious. We thought we would build a 2nd floor on the existing addition and seek the help of an architect to figure out the kitchen. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for, but after talking with a few folks in the neighborhood I got the sense if we needed any variances, the process would be very long and that city hall could be difficult to work with.


Here’s what led up to my first visit to city hall. First, we documented our issues, needs, desires, ideas and constraints. We have a pretty comprehensive 3 or 4 page document outlining these ‘requirements’. Next, we started looking into architects. We knew we wanted a holistic approach to the renovation so we thought the right starting point would be to hire an architect to put together the ‘whole’ vision, and then break that down into manageable projects. As we started getting ready to begin our search for an architect, my friend John reminded me that our mutual friend Byron’s wife is an architect. So, we interviewed and hired her without really doing much looking around. I do believe leveraging personal networks and references often yields the best results. Well, we couldn’t be happier with our choice – we’ve had a few meetings with Laura and the ideas she has come up with are fabulous and inspiring!


Over the last few days Julie, my Dad and I have been mulling over the conceptual ideas and zeroing in on what we like. In the meantime, I struck up a conversation with a land surveyor doing some work for a bank involved in the sale of the house next door. Jerry, is a real nice man whose family business has been doing this kind of work in the area for decades. During our hour long conversation he explained what I needed to know about surveys, plot plans and why they are important. He also hinted that he doesn’t like to do work in Newton because their special permitting process takes so long. After hearing our plans and doing some rough measurements, he said it seems unlikely we would need variances for front or back setbacks. The side set back is tight, the roof elevations should be ok, but I also need to worry about ‘open space’, ‘lot coverage’, and FAR (essentially the ratio of living space to lot size). Oh boy.

So, that’s what got me to city hall this week. And I left feeling optimistic. We’ll see what comes next!