Austin KlarVanguard Properties · Lawyer Turned Real Estate Agent

Renovating a Home in Marin County? Don't Forget About This Rule!

Name: Renovating a Home in Marin County? Don't Forget About This Rule!
Uploaded: 2023-11-05T01:00:07+00:00
Duration: 52 s
Channel: Austin Klar
Description: In this video, Austin Klar explains how to determine the maximum size of a new home or major expansion by understanding the floor area ratio (FAR) rule…

5 Nov 2023 · 1 min

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In this video, Austin Klar explains how to determine the maximum size of a new home or major expansion by understanding the floor area ratio (FAR) rule. He defines FAR as the proportion of a lot’s area that may be covered by a building’s square footage, typically expressed as a decimal or percentage. Using a 10,000‑sq ft lot with a 0.3 (30%) FAR as an example, he shows the calculation that caps the house at 3,000 sq ft. Klar notes that FAR limits vary across cities and even within different zones of the same city, and that there are often exceptions to the standard rule. He stresses the importance of consulting a local architect early in the process to navigate these regulations and avoid costly mistakes when contracting a property.

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If you're thinking about building a house on an empty lot or buying a teardown and doing a massive expansion, how do you figure out how big of a home you can actually build? To figure that out, you need to find the rules governing the FAR, or floor area ratio. The FAR is a limit on how much square footage you can have on your home in relation to the lot size. It's typically expressed as a decimal or percentage. So if you have a 10,000-square-foot lot and the FAR is 0.3 or 30%, it means you can only build up to 30% of your 10,000-square-foot lot, so your max house size is 3,000 square feet. There isn't always a one-size-fits-all FAR rule depending on where you are. Some cities have different FARs for different parts of the same city. There are also exceptions to the floor area ratio rules, so it's really important you get in touch with a local architect early on who knows the rules and can guide you to what the actual sizes you can really build so you don't get into contract in the property and make a huge mistake.