Building up the classic Philly rowhouse | Real Estate Newsletter

I used to play dominoes with my grandma as a kid, and those bones come to mind as I think about my reporting on building additions on top of Philly rowhouses.

Why? Because once one homeowner builds a third story on her rowhouse, neighbors on her street are more likely to build one atop theirs — a kind of domino effect.

It’s keeping some homeowners from leaving Philly for more space in the suburbs, and it’s changing the look of some city blocks.

Read on to find out what homeowners should keep in mind if they’re thinking about adding a story, learn how a zoning board is holding up construction in Philly, peek inside a 17th-century paper mill turned home, and learn why Philly sidewalks next to construction sites are so treacherous.🔑

📮 Have you or a neighbor built an addition on your rowhouse? What kind of addition and what was the experience like? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me your answers.

If you see this 🔑 in today's newsletter, that means we're highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Michaelle Bond

On a small stretch of Kater Street in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, a couple of homeowners built third stories on their two-story rowhouses. Then a few more did. Now, 10 properties have expanded skyward.

As growing households look for more space in dense neighborhoods, homeowners who don’t have room to build out are building up.

One construction company, 3rd Story Philly, said its business has doubled since spring 2020. We can all guess the main reason for that.

My colleagues and I have published other stories about vertical additions, but this time, I wanted to offer some advice for homeowners who may be considering them.

Read on for tips from professionals and homeowners who recently added onto their house.

Philly homeowners who want to add a story or a roof deck, aspiring restaurant owners who want to open a takeout spot, and developers who want to build taller apartment buildings all go to one regulatory group to ask for exceptions to zoning rules: the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.

These days, they’re all facing longer-than-usual delays. Wait times for hearings have doubled since the pandemic.

Small business owners say they can’t afford to wait the six months it might take to get a zoning hearing while they’re not pulling in any revenue.

Meanwhile, the demand for hearings will likely increase as City Council members continue to pass laws that create special zoning areas in their districts.

My colleagues Jake Blumgart and Ryan W. Briggs tell us why the zoning board is so backed up and offer some possible solutions.🔑

We’ve all come up against sidewalk-closing construction while walking around Philadelphia. I’ve had to zig to the opposite side of the street after I’d just zagged around another blocked walkway to get there. It’s usually annoying, but it also can be dangerous.

My colleague Jenna Miller put together a video to show the tricky mile-long commute of a woman who uses a wheelchair after being hit by a stray bullet. A lot of the video is from the woman’s perspective as she wheels — or tries to wheel — along on city sidewalks.

She regularly has to navigate closed or narrow pathways. Sometimes she has to roll into a busy street or double back to get where she needs to go.

The powerful video illustrates Inga Saffron’s column about how treacherous city sidewalks can be around construction sites. The almost $21 million that Philadelphia has collected since 2017 from sidewalk closure fees doesn’t seem to have made a meaningful difference for pedestrians.

Read about how two construction sites on Market Street that are blocks apart from each other take different approaches to pedestrian sidewalk access.🔑

Kathleen McNicholas has a sign that reads: “I like books more than I like people.” (Sometimes, I can relate.)

So, of course, the retired physician needed a library for her huge book collection. But the layout of her Delaware condo is unusual.

She’s in the center building of the former Rockland Paper Mill, which was turned into homes in the ‘80s. McNicholas’ two-story home with an open floor plan was formerly used as a community center, and it’s taller than it is wide. Pretty much the entire roof is a skylight.

So she had a customized library built as a loft on top of her office. Reclaimed oak shelves surrounding the office hold large collections of family photos, artwork — and pig sculptures.

Peek into the space that won a national home remodeling award and read about McNicholas’ pig collection.

A national real estate firm wants to build 81 rental units in Chinatown where people can stay for weeks, months, or years. Plans for the apartment building include a restaurant and a double-decker roof deck.

Question: What would the seven-story building replace? This story has the answer.

What former Philadelphia theater is now a $25 million sports bar opening tomorrow?

📮 If you think you know, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.

I’m loving the answers I’ve been getting from you all. I asked last week for your thoughts on boldly painted ceilings.

One reader, Jim, said that when he was a recent college grad, he had a colorful (and brief) experience staying with friends at their apartment at 22nd and Walnut. They had painted each wall of the bedroom a different color with fluorescent paint, and the ceiling was flat black. As Jim pointed out, all they were missing was a black light disco ball to complete the club look.

I was a little surprised not to get a flood of emails challenging my statement last week that Jersey has the best diners. Good to see we all agree. Enjoy the rest of your week.