Hi,

I have my eye on a property that is currently being sold as a single family house. I suspected based on the layout that it may have once been a multi family and after touring it, it was confirmed.

It already has 2 electric meters, 2 gas meters, and just the general flow of the house is for a duplex.

With that being said… on the second floor when they converted to a single family house they created this type of open area mezzanine where the office (would be unit 2) looks down into the kitchen on the floor below (would be unit 1).

I can’t wrap my head around why they would have done it. The opportunity to get a good deal on the property is in doing the conversion/rehab however when I reached out to the city about the permits and zoning they said the the area has to have fire-rated separation between the downstairs and upstairs apartments.

Under my city’s Residential Code, two-family dwellings generally require a 1-hour fire-resistance-rated separation between units and then I have to prove the structural changes from a licensed builder.

Has anyone dealt with the type of situation before? Obviously I don’t want to purchase the house until I know I can 100% do the conversion. Any recommendations on the type of person to reach out to for an assessment / evaluation?

Thanks!
James