Before paying for plans
Get a free first-pass feasibility study for your own address. See what may fit and what to confirm next.
Check my propertyIllustrative scenario · Kirkland
Kirkland rebuild example: living space plus a garage can exceed FAR
Follow a hypothetical Kirkland RS 8.5 rebuild through FAR, setbacks, lot coverage, and the conditions behind garage allowances.
Start with explicit assumptions.
- Assumed zone
- RS 8.5
- Assumed lot area
- 8,500 sq ft
- Ordinary interior lot
- 85 × 100 ft
- Desired living area
- 4,000 sq ft
- Assumed enclosed garage
- 500 sq ft
- FAR-counted dwelling count
- One
This first pass assumes no special allowance. It has not screened the lot for trees, easements, critical areas, shoreline rules, or private restrictions.
Keep floor area, coverage, and setbacks separate.
| Check | Calculation | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Base FAR ceiling | 8,500 × 0.50 = 4,250 sq ft | A ceiling on counted floor area. The garage is counted in this screen. |
| Desired counted floor area | 4,000 + 500 = 4,500 sq ft | 250 sq ft above the base FAR ceiling. Other counted areas may affect the final result. |
| Lot coverage ceiling | 4,250 sq ft | Includes structures and defined hardscape. It is not a building-footprint-only limit. |
| Rectangle after base setbacks | (85 − 15) × (100 − 20 − 10) = 4,900 sq ft | A geometric screen. This area does not override FAR, coverage, or site constraints. |
What this first pass changes
The assumed home and garage exceed base FAR by 250 sq ft. Resolve that before buying a plan.
A 4,000 sq ft home plus a 500 sq ft garage totals 4,500 sq ft. The base RS 8.5 FAR ceiling for this assumed lot is 4,250 sq ft. A qualifying detached garage behind the main structure can have an exclusion, and a conditional design bonus may apply. Neither is assumed here. A designer must establish the conditions before using either allowance.
What to confirm before design
- Verify RS 8.5 and the lot area on current city records. Planned-area and shoreline districts require different checks.
- Ask the designer to reduce counted area or document a qualifying allowance. Simply calling part of the project a garage does not establish an exclusion.
- Check the measured lot coverage separately. Kirkland includes structures and defined hardscape, so 4,250 sq ft is not a house-footprint allowance.
- Have a surveyor calculate Average Building Elevation. The base RS height screen is 25 ft above that surveyed elevation.
- Plan for retained trees, protection zones, critical areas, access, and recorded restrictions. The rectangle below does not model them.
Check the source rules for your own property.
Example published . Confirm the current code and any project-specific conditions with the City.
- KZC 15.30
RS 8.5 base FAR, lot coverage, height, and yards, with table footnotes.
- KZC 115.42
Counted floor area, conditional garage exclusions, and the design-based FAR bonus.
- KZC 115.90
What counts toward Kirkland lot coverage.
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