All Forum Posts by: Michelle W.

Hi all - I am in the design and permitting stage for a new construction 4-plex on a 6,000 sf lot in Northern Virginia. This is a new building type after some zoning reforms implemented this year, so the local industry and code officials don't have much experience with new construction of these kinds of properties.

One thing that we were recently made aware of is the requirement in the IBC (which applies to this project since it is 4 units) to provide at least one van accessible space as one of the parking spaces. We had designed the site to have room for 4 parking spaces (2 full size and 2 compact), but now that one has to be a van accessible space we are having to reconfigure the site and only have room for a total of 3 spaces now. There is street parking available, and the site is on a bus route that goes to the metro.

So you can see there's a bit of an awkward situation with a 4-unit property that has 2 car-size spaces and one van-size space.  The plan has been to sell the units as condominiums: two are ~750 sf ground floor units (Type B accessible) and two will be ~1,500 sf 3-bedrooms (sharing 2nd and 3rd floors). 

I'm trying to figure out how I will allocate the spaces to the units, if I will allocate them at all. 

Any pitfalls, creative ideas and related experiences out there to share? 

It looks like there is a member blog feed here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs

It took me a while to find it as well. I was looking around trying to decide if starting a blog makes sense vs. just posting more in forums. Seems like the blogs don't get many views unless you share them yourself? And they don't seem to appear in search results. 

Hi! Do you ever work with an owner on a design phase-only contract, and then bid on the job (against others) at the bid phase? 

I am working on a 4-unit new construction and working with an architect who is knowledgeable of both single-family and multi-family construction (and therefore both the IRC and IBC).

When it comes to hiring a general contractor, is it essential to have someone who has experience with the IBC, especially if the architect has that background? 

How different are the two codes when it comes to a 4-unit building that's similar in size and shape to a 1-unit home? 
 

Hi all - 

Looking for a construction lender who lends on fourplex properties in Northern VA. Will also be using cash and home equity to fund this, so the construction loan will be very low LTV on the new property.

Thanks!