Support

Would You Be Pissed if A Neighbor Popped Their Rowhouse?

A reader writes:

PoP —

Long story short, I moved to Columbia Heights back when it was a
collection of vacant lots, and at the time kept telling all my friends
that some day the place would be jumping and they’d regret busting on
me for moving to the area when the world was outside my doorstep.
Well, that day almost has arrived (I’m waiting for the gym to be
useful before declaring it officially so), and I should be living it
up with a reasonable mortgage for a good home in a great location.
The irony is that circumstances (mostly space limitations in the short
term) now have us looking to move out of the neighborhood. But a
house in the ‘burbs is expensive and might age us prematurely, so I’m
looking for alternate solutions before sealing my fate. One thing
that crossed my mind — and I know this is heresy — is adding a
pop-top to my rowhouse so we could get another bedroom or two, a
second bathroom, and some additional storage space (~ 750 sq. ft.).
Hell, maybe even add a roof deck to the top.

So my questions to a man who has studied the pop-top phenomenon and
his readers who have possibly participated in it are: Assuming I
attempted to do this as tastefully and unobtrusively as possible
(i.e., not an architectural monstrosity, something that respects the
streetscape), what sort of cost would I incur, and how long would I be
displaced while the roof was off my house? Are there good examples of
pop-tops that are particularly nice that people could point to, or
contractors who have done nice pop-tops? And, at the end of the day,
would any of my neighbors ever forgive me if I did this?

Here’s a pop up that I thought was extremely tasteful. This one’s not bad either. So can anyone point out some examples of good pop ups? Can anyone recommend a good architect/contractor? Can anyone forgive this desire?

Recent Stories

429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW Thanks to L. for sending: “SpiceX opened in L’enfant Plaza. TaKorean was going to open here in 2022 but it never did.” Check out their menu…

photo by Eric P. You can talk about whatever is on your mind – quality of life issues, a beautiful tree you spotted, scuttlebutt, or any random questions/thoughts you may…

“Crispus Attucks Park: A History April 25 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Crispus Attucks Park (1st Street and North Capitol and V St and U St, NW.) Free, register here…

Sweet City Rides

Thanks to EH for sending this great two-fer “A VW bug parked about 20 feet in front of a VW van.”

For many remote workers, a messy home is distracting.

You’re getting pulled into meetings, and your unread emails keep ticking up. But you can’t focus because pet hair tumbleweeds keep floating across the floor, your desk has a fine layer of dust and you keep your video off in meetings so no one sees the chaos behind you.

It’s no secret a dirty home is distracting and even adds stress to your life. And who has the energy to clean after work? That’s why it’s smart to enlist the help of professionals, like Well-Paid Maids.

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Metropolitan Beer Trail Passport

The Metropolitan Beer Trail free passport links 11 of Washington, DC’s most popular local craft breweries and bars. Starting on April 27 – December 31, 2024, Metropolitan Beer Trail passport holders will earn 100 points when checking in at the

DC Day of Archaeology Festival

The annual DC Day of Archaeology Festival gathers archaeologists from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia together to talk about our local history and heritage. Talk to archaeologists in person and learn more about archaeological science and the past of our

×

Subscribe to our mailing list