The iron stairs on many Capitol Hill residences may not have a functional use, but thanks to the city’s Historic Preservation Office, homeowners not only can’t remove them, but they must replace them if they improve their property, thus driving up construction costs, and housing costs, for everyone.
Construction in Washington, D.C., takes more time and money than most American cities for one reason: the outlandish process for acquiring building permits.
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The Historic Preservation Office must approve all exterior changes to a historic D.C. property before a homeowner applies for a building permit. This office evaluates whether possible construction plans detract from the city’s historic character. D.C. homeowners struggle to keep up with the demands of the nine nonelected individuals that make up the Historic Preservation Review Board.
According to the preservation review board, the iron stairs outside Capitol Hill neighborhoods are considered one of Washington’s most “significant character-defining features.”
So much so that Historic Preservation Office guidelines require that “repaired historic stairs and porches should be reconstructed to the same level of craftsmanship and should accurately replicate the original or historic condition.”
All historic home improvements demanded by the preservation office, including permit fines, come straight out of our homeowners’ pockets. Even if a homeowner’s exterior stairs serve no functional purpose, they may not be permanently removed or altered. This office has no hesitation in imposing hefty fines on those who alter their property without the preservation office’s approval.
Douglas McFadden, a local Georgetown resident, replaced wooden windows on his home without HPO approval and suffered outrageous fines. The HPO deemed this “incompatible” with their historic standards and issued a stop-work order, legally prohibiting any further construction on the home. Not only did he have to replace his windows with new ones that cost $8,000, but he also had to pay significant fines for not initially complying with HPO regulations.
The HPRB must think that residents want to pay these fines, because its renovation suggestions are truly nonsensical.
Capitol Hill residents William Courtville and Robert Jerome had rotting eaves beneath their roof. To remove the rotten wood, some of the old roof shingles would be damaged in the process. The HPRB required that the homes’ historic roof tiles be entirely replicated and replaced, costing Courtville and Jerome an additional $36,000. These residents had to comply, as negotiations with the preservation office would only lead to more construction costs. Unsurprisingly, the HPO’s fee is percentage-based, so it’s not hard to imagine why they mandate expensive alterations.
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Renovating homes shouldn’t be this difficult. District homeowners pay hefty property taxes as is, so forcing them to comply with the HPO guidelines is simply highway robbery. The HPRB is driving the cost of buying a home in D.C. by overregulating what is permitted to change on D.C. properties.
After all, those iron stairs and wooden windows are just drive-by decorations.
