We’re dealing with setbacks in the most literal way right now. We weren’t aware that the lot that we purchased may have complications with the positioning of the house…in other words, setback issues. In Houston, buildings are allowed to be placed on the lots according to street types. Most residential streets have a 10 foot setback, while streets with more commercial or heavy usage get a 25 foot setback (to allow for business parking lots, etc). Our street is labeled “heavy use” because it’s a thoroughfare to a highway, but it’s actually lined with homes. This designation recently changed, as none of the other houses are anywhere near 25 feet from the street.
We can petition the city for our cause (and we’ve got a good case based on the neighboring homes), but, of course, it’s going to cost us. We could keep the setback as listed, and that would just create a larger front yard than we expected (which equals a smaller backyard, but only by 10-15 feet, and the whole lot will be fenced in for the dogs anyway, so it’s not the worst thing in the world).
We’ll try reasoning with the city first and see what happens. In the meantime, check out the fabulous homes below that are positioned about 10 feet from the street. It seems like being closer showcases the house and really shows off the landscaping.
all of the images above from old issues of Dwell that I was saving, but decided to purge for the move (sniff, sniff).
Rock n Roll Problems 
What if you said your address was the side street and not york?
I’ve thought about that…wonder if it matters? There is a driveway on Ball St., so what’s the rule about addresses–is it which way your house faces or which street your driveway spills out on? This may be a question for Thomas…
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