A. Welcome to the neighborhood! It's funny that most people looking for a house really know so little about where they're moving. I regularly hear from people who want to know what they can do about the car lights from the intersection in front of their house after they move to the one home facing a T intersection. And how about the homeowners who never consider the sound of trains before they move near train tracks? And my all-time favorite, people who live behind a shopping center and can't take the noise or the activity on the other side of their fence.
You may not realize it yet, but you moved to a place that allows homes to be very large. The fact that most homes are not was merely an economic move to lure young home-buyers a generation ago from the big city, a la "Miracle on 34th Street." Now you've hit the big time, where real estate values and zoning codes cause the property to be put to "highest and best use." In case you haven't noticed, the price of real estate has soared, and people moving in want more from a house they just paid half a million dollars for.
The zoning code of your community allows homes with angled roofs to have an "average" height of 30 feet. Average means that half the roof is below 30 feet, and half the is above 30 feet. When people ask my colleagues and I to design the highest building they can have, since they have no basement or need the extra storage space, we have the option of applying the rules or losing the project. I would rather try to create a beautiful design than lose the opportunity and income. The density of our neighborhoods is rapidly changing due to the economy, but if you really examine the rules and regulations of your community, they allow behemoths to be built. You moved from Brooklyn to escape the overgrowth, and sadly, even if your neighbors have followed the codes, you may have to make that choice again. I wish there was a compromise, or a more sensitive answer, but the rules were not necessarily crafted to meet your needs, and neither was the house next door. So meet your neighbors and spend a lot of time in their home, so you can still enjoy the view.
Readers are encouraged to send questions to: HERALD Homes379 Central Avenue, P.O. Box 220, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559-0220Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
