Love Thy Neighbor, San Francisco Style!

Photo credit: Michael Macor/The Chronicle.

When Kristin Hansen and her husband, Eric, were ready to start a family, they made plans for a 700-square-foot addition to their Noe Valley house. They expected they'd have to carefully follow planning codes, get architectural drawings, and speak to the neighbors.

What they didn't expect was a 2 1/2-year, $150,000 nightmare.

The Hansens fell into the city's residential rabbit hole - a process called "discretionary review."

 ...and so begins another battle before the City Planning Commission. The weapon of choice? Discretionary review, or "DR" for those in the know. Read on:

In simplest terms, discretionary review means that neighbors can object to changes in their neighborhood if a project is deemed to be "exceptional and extraordinary" and get a hearing before the City Planning Commission - even if city planners have approved the project.

John Rahaim, the city's planning director, says this is the only large city in the United States to grant residents such wide-ranging power.

C.W. Nevius brings us the rest of this DR drama in his article on SFGate. We at Wallace Remodeling are no strangers to this process, luckily for our clients!

The New Rules of Remodeling, from the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal reports on how homeowners are getting maximum value for their remodeling projects. Plus there's good news for the industry:

According to an April 15 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, annual spending on remodeling is expected to accelerate this year, with nearly 5% growth over 2009. "This year could produce the first annual spending increase for the industry since 2006," the peak of the housing boom, says center director Nicolas P. Retsinas.

Read the full article here.