Out and About - They are few and far between

The bayfront Victorian rowhouse a bit north of Shaw and a bit east of Logan Circle stands, tastefully renovated, on a charming one-block street. Painted in contrasting exterior colors like a home on a San Francisco hill, this four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath property has much going for it. The open living area is smartly designed with a separation between living room and dining room subtly suggested; the kitchen is big and outfitted with the usual upscale accoutrements; the master suite includes a stunning slate master bath; there are rooms to be used for sleeping, working or relaxing; there is a rear yard that can accommodate two cars or a garden; and there are four working fireplaces. Built in 1900, this home also has high ceilings, crown molding and exposed brick walls.

Despite all the listed advantages, the one that could carry the day is the lower level, now transformed from basement to one-bedroom apartment with nifty kitchen, decent space and not a lot of light. That the apartment is a legal rental unit puts it in what is likely the majority of those occupied in the District by residents who are not owners. Of course, there is no way to know how many such apartments are being rented, but conventional wisdom has it that a high percentage of them do not meet D.C. standards, do not have certificates of occupancy and do not enjoy registration, as required, with the local government. To obtain a certificate of occupancy, the owner must demonstrate that the apartment meets minimum standards for habitation.

It is hardly surprising that illegal apartments predominate, given the lack of enforcement until or unless a tenant or neighbor chooses to make trouble for the landlord. What is, however, surprising is how difficult it is to ascertain the District's standards for a legal apartment. If you can find those standards on the District's Web site, many readers of Realty Digest doubtless would be thrilled to know the URL. Absent that information, here's an attempt to define what separates a legal apartment from a so-called in-law or nanny suite:

• Depending on which source you check, ceiling height must be at least 6'8" or 7'0" and 6'8" under beams, pipes, ducts and other construction projects from the ceiling;
  
• There must be firewalls between sleeping areas;
  
• Gas meters, furnaces and open flame-heating units without proper ventilation are prohibited in sleeping areas;
  
• A second means of egress must be accessible;
  
• There must be a thumb latch on deadbolt locks on the egress;
  
• Windows must operate properly, be at least 36" wide, 24" high and 44" above the floor;
  
• If windows intended for egress have bars, they must be breakaway bars;
  
• Bedrooms must contain at least 70 square feet plus a closet, have a separate entrance and have a window for light and ventilation;
  
• Each room must have two electrical outlets as well as one in the bath;
  
• Habitable rooms must be 50 percent above ground.

You didn't know all that, did you? Not many do. The list is longer, but you get the idea: Few and far between are legally rented apartments in the District. Legal or not, they add considerable value to a property. If the rent is, say, $1,500 a month, that money can cover close to $250,000 of a mortgage, depending on the interest rate. The house above went on the market Jan. 12 at $926,000, and the owner reduced the price this week to $856,000. You do the math: the apartment makes the home well worth that sum.

Some of the other properties seen in the past week:

• In Cleveland Park, a pleasant and surprisingly airy, though dated, two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath condo in a staid pet-friendly building with 24-hour desk, roof deck and lovely grounds. With freshly painted walls, refinished oak floors, big windows and huge closets, this apartment unaccountably has lingered on the market for a while. The price was just reduced by $10,000 to $429,000, and the owner is now willing to cover one year of the unit's hefty monthly fee of $776, which includes utilities.
  
• A Dupont Circle two-bedroom, two-bath condo that was on the market last fall at $625,000 and now once again listed, hopefully, at $585,000. On the plus side are a parking space, shared roof deck in this small building, a fireplace, in-unit washer/dryer, nice old refinished floors, a good-size master bedroom and a monthly fee of only $223. On the minus side are an indifferently modernized kitchen and a steep climb up a long, depressing staircase to the apartment's front door.
  
• In Chevy Chase Village, an appealing colonial that is full of surprising spaces at almost every turn. Including a one-car garage, first-rate country kitchen, family room with French doors to a flagstone patio and landscaped garden, sprawling master suite with designer bath, a hideaway off the other bedroom on the second floor, and a finished garret on the top floor, with two bedrooms, a bath and a living space. In a far corner of the modestly finished basement lurks a sauna, which, given its surroundings, does not seem to get much use. This 1950 home is offered as is for a not unreasonable $1.75 million.
  
• A Columbia Heights three-level condo in sight of the Tivoli development with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, one-car garage, a main level with 12-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, recessed lighting, private little deck, tasteful finishing and little in the way of views. Contained in a 2004 boutique building, the apartment feels like a townhouse and boasts the usual kitchen, a spacious living room with balcony access, separate dining room and a top-floor bonus room ideal for use as office, den or playroom. The price of this 1,700-SF condo is realistic at $799,900 with a $421 monthly fee.
  
• A two-level condo with one bedroom plus den in Adams Morgan. It's a tight squeeze on the main level and an even tighter squeeze down the staircase into the den and the bedroom. Lacking parking but in an excellent location, the price of $434,000 with a $198 monthly fee makes sense.
  
• In Chevy Chase, D.C., a three-bedroom, three-bath semi-detached home that tries hard, but its narrow dimensions make the walls feel confining. Every room is squeezed into the space, but the virtues of this residence are its three bedrooms and three baths, none of them updated, and a decent backyard that has the misfortune of being bordered by a parking lot without the benefit of any meaningful screen. But the owner has struck the right balance between assets and liabilities, asking $699,000 for this property, which happens to be within earshot of a very busy intersection.
  
• In American University Park close to Tenley Circle, a beautiful two-bedroom, two-bath, top-floor condo that is almost new. With 10-foot ceilings, attractive open kitchen, walls of windows, maple floors, in-unit washer/dryer and a garage parking space, the apartment is in a building with intense security, exercise room, 24-hour access and more than a soupçon of style. It is priced to sell at $649,900 with a $430 monthly fee.
  
• A co-op in an Old World Adams Morgan building known for its interior woodwork. This two-bedroom flat on a top floor with open views has many original architectural details, high ceilings, pocket doors, heart-of-pine floors, nicely renovated kitchen, laundry closet with new European washer/dryer and but one bath. Because the second bedroom is small, the price of $699,000 with an $802 monthly fee that does not cover utilities is a trifle ambitious.
  
• In a Cleveland Park development, a two-level corner condo with newly remodeled kitchen, very good flow, two and a half updated baths, two bedrooms, a den and refinished parquet floors. The 1,322-SF unit is burdened by a wobbly spiral staircase down to the bedrooms, which are themselves burdened by their location mostly below grade. As a result, the offering price of $529,000 with a monthly fee of $460 that, among other things, includes amenities such as outdoor swimming pool and tot lots seems somewhat high, even considering recent comparable sales.
  
• A one-bedroom condo in Columbia Heights. Only a few blocks away from the Metro and all that is and will be Tivoli, this small 540-SF apartment boasts an updated and open kitchen, in-unit washer/dryer, good light, hardwood floors and an almost all encompassing condo fee of $307. Owners are responsible for only electricity and locating street parking. It is listed at $365,000.