What we build
Home additions for Forest Hills Gardens homes
Most of the Gardens housing stock is masonry and stucco Tudor on modest lots, which shapes what kind of addition actually fits. With the typical R3-2 and R4 mapping in this part of Forest Hills, the binding constraints are usually lot coverage and rear-yard depth rather than raw FAR, so a full-width rear extension often has to step back or shrink before it pencils out. We start every project by pulling the lot dimensions and running the FAR, setback, and open-space math so you know early whether a one-story bump-out, a two-story rear extension, or a roof-line second story is the realistic path.
Approvals here are a two-track process that catches many homeowners off guard. Beyond the DOB permit and zoning, the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation runs its own architectural review, and its standards favor sympathetic rooflines, true divided-light windows, brick and stucco that match the existing facade, and additions tucked toward the rear where the streetscape stays intact. We prepare elevations and material specs for that review before filing, so the Corporation and the DOB are working from the same drawings.
On the build itself, the private streets and narrow side yards mean staging, deliveries, and protection of neighboring walls all have to be planned in advance. We handle the DOB filing, the Corporation submission, structural engineering for second-story loads, and the sequencing so your household stays livable while the addition goes up.
Rear extensions
Single or two-story extensions off the back of the house to add a larger kitchen, family room, or primary suite, sized to the rear-yard and lot-coverage limits.
Second stories
Full or partial upper-floor additions worked into the existing Tudor roofline, with structural reinforcement and dormers that read as original to the Gardens.
Bump-outs
Smaller cantilevered or footing-supported expansions that gain a few feet for a breakfast nook, mudroom, or bath without triggering a full footprint enlargement.
ADUs
Accessory dwelling space such as a finished above-grade level or detached structure where lot size and current zoning allow it, designed for code and Corporation approval.
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