Red Tape

It didn't seem like such a difficult proposal: to extend the back of an 1890s Victorian three feet toward the rear yard, not visible from the road, decent size city lot...........but not in the city of Boston! We spent about six months wending our way through the city of Boston bureaucracy, presenting to neighborhood groups, making our appeal to the zoning board, getting approvals from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. In the end, everything worked out well and surprisingly smoothly, but you've got to wonder whether the efforts of so many well intentioned professionals, from urban planners to building inspectors to architects to citizen activists were really worth the time spent to permit the construction of a modest expansion................


Well, the clients--and their neighbors--are pleased with the way its all turning out, including the double height space at the rear wall, soaring above the kitchen sink and bringing much needed light into a house from the last century. Its going to be a great place to live.