DPP
Dear Sir or Madam,
My client, Dr. Steven Rempas, 70 years-old, is legally handicapped from back injuries and has been diagnosed with Adrenal Gland Insufficiency also known as Addison’s Disease. He has been living in his Hawaii Kai marina-front home for about six months/year and the rest of the year in his Chicago home for 11 years since buying this house.
His doctor has informed him that he will need to trade his walker for a wheelchair and hire a second live-in caregiver in the near future. Dr. Rempas has decided to live full-time in his Hawaii home and wants to make it as nice as his Chicago home that he will be giving up. We have provided the attached architectural drawings for the renovations to his existing Hawaii Kai home. It is on an 8,150 sq. ft R-5 duplex lot with a private access road and currently has a footprint of 4,050 sq. ft. and a total floor area of 5,304 sq. ft. We will not be adding any additional footprint but are adding 2,0?? sq. ft. of new second floor space for a total of 7,450 sq. ft. consisting of the following:
Lower Floor:
- A living room, dining room and kitchen.
- TV room alcove with bar sink and full bath/laundry room/pantry.
- Two stairways to the second floor. The street-front stairway continues to the rooftop deck.
- The downstairs Master Bedroom/bath and closet to be used by his sisters and other family when they visit.
- One live in housekeeper/cook’s bedroom/bath and closet.
- Entry and exterior entry.
- Two-car garage.
- Forty-foot wide private access road allows five additional parking spaces.
- A central courtyard and pool open to the sky.
Upper Floor:
- Duplex unit:
- Living room/dining room/kitchen.
- Bedroom/bathroom/closet.
- Uncovered street-front deck .
- Exterior/interior stairway to rooftop deck.
- Laundry room.
- Marina front bedrooms:
- Son or daughter’s bedroom/bath/closet
- Child’s bedroom/bath/closet
- Full width three-foot lanai.
- Interior-only stairway
Intent of plans:
- Downstairs will remain “as is” except for modifications as noted.
- Widen bathroom/closet access for wheelchair use.
- New wheelchair ramp from garage to entry.
- Eliminate entry to housekeeper’s room from garage.
- Eliminate duplex unit, re-do street-front stairway to second floor and eliminate roof-top deck and stairway.
- Add an elevator from lower floor to second floor and roof deck.
- Replace all windows and widen doors facing marina dock and retile all exterior walks.
- Replace all doors smaller than 2’8” in width for ease of wheelchair movement.
- Reduce pool to rectangular form to facilitate hydro exercise and physical therapy.
- Reconfigure second bedroom for live-in housekeeper.
Street-Front Upper Floor Duplex Unit:
- Convert duplex unit to additional upper floor single-family space.
- Livingroom/kitchen/dining will be converted to new TV room with stadium seating and handicap ramps to allow wheelchair access from adjacent higher floor level.
- Convert the existing street-front bedroom to become the second caregiver’s upstairs bedroom/bath/closet.
- Re-do street-front stairway to second floor, re-do laundry area and eliminate roof-top deck and stairway.
- Reduce threshold for wheelchair access from new TV room to existing street-front deck.
Marina-Front Upper Floor
- Add second floor master bedroom over downstairs master bedroom with new uncovered marina-front lanai
- Add second floor caretaker’s bedroom over kitchen/utility wing.
- Remove roof over downstairs master bedroom and kitchen/utility wing when new upper floor is enclosed.
- Add new stairway above existing stairway adjacent to elevator to new rooftop deck, which will be used for growing medicinal herbs, vegetables and flowers.
- Relocate existing bathroom at elevator to new upstairs master bedroom/bath/closet.
- The son and/or daughter’s existing bedroom/bath/closet will remain and will be connected internally to the adjacent grandchild’s bedroom.
Dr. Rempas is in no way intending to rent out any portion of his personal residence. When he bought this house, it’s size was only limited by the 50% ground coverage provision of the Honolulu L.U.O. R-5 homes were not subject to FAR and a 0.7 FAR is not adequate for his needs. His plan is for a 1.09 FAR or 7,450 sq. ft. (this is not unusual for a high-end waterfront lot in a neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes). He is eliminating the duplex use he has had for 11 years and he has more than adequate parking. Because of the central courtyard and pool, he cannot expand without eliminating them, as your new 8’ – 11’ (?) setbacks require. Both the street front and marina front exterior elevations will be virtually identical in massing to what they are now but will be renovated to provide a much more simple, elegant appearance. The new portion of the upper floor will connect the higher street front portion with the higher marina front portion and be covered by planters at the rooftop level. The side yard exterior elevations are hidden from view.
I am sure the drafters of this bill did not intent to present the type of house Dr. Rempas is intending to build and live full-time in Hawaii as owner-occupant. This is Dr. Rempas’ dream home for many years and the location is ideal for him as it is close to his doctor’s office and his pharmacy. He prefers not to have to relocate and is financially able to make these changes to enjoy the wonderful location of the home he loves. He is a victim of “unintended consequences” which the media always mentions in the online discussion of this bill. Dr. Rempas’ home will never be mistaken for a “monster house” and we ask you to consider our proposal as acceptable.
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