Simplified Interior Renovation: Understanding the Rules for Buildings Under 6 Stories
Mr. Chen, a resident of a 5-story apartment building, breathed a sigh of relief after reading the previous article. He thought, “Great, my home is an H-2 type residence and it’s on the 5th floor, so it’s not a building ‘for public use.’ Now I can finally change the layout as I please!” He immediately contacted his contractor, ready to convert one of the three bedrooms into a master bathroom and enclose the balcony to enlarge the living room.However, the contractor looked troubled and stopped him: “Mr. Chen, that’s not possible! Even though your home is on the 5th floor, you want to ‘add a bathroom’ and ‘enclose the balcony.’ These still require an application!” Mr. Chen was completely confused:…