Wanaque Renovations/Additions (house, neighborhood, purchase)

[Chubbyhugs]

A friend of mine is considering a home purchase in Wanaque. The home is lovely, and down the road, she's thinking of expanding. The realtor told her that it could be very difficult to put an addition on the home, as Wanaque is notorious for not granting permits for additions. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with this town?

[Marc Paolella]

As a result of Wanaque's zoning ordinance, many homes are on legal non-conforming lots. That means the lot size is technically too small to build on. If you already own a home on such a lot, you are "grandfathered" and may continue to own the home and of course sell it. However, you usually cannot "intensify" the existing use, i.e. put on an addition. To do so would require a special permit from the town called a "variance". Some towns are relatively relaxed about granting variances for home additions in areas such as these. Wanaque is rather strict.

So the key is to tell your friend to check the lot size of the house, compare it to the zoning requirements, and only purchase if the home is on a legal conforming lot, meaning a lot that is equal to or larger than the minimum lot size for the zoning in the neighborhood. Then, you have to verify than an addition would not violate setback rules. For example if the lot size is big enough, but the house is located too close to the right lot line, the addition would have to be made to the left side of the dwelling. If the house were located right in the middle of the lot, there would be no problem and the addition could be made anywhere subject to building codes.

Another thing to consider is whether the home has a septic system. If it does, then getting permits to add bedrooms can be difficult if not impossible, and is nearly always very expensive.

We are so lucky to live in a free country!

-Marc


-Marc