1301 Cranford Housing Guide

1301 Cranford AvenueA Guide to Housing CodeBefore and After

In spring of this year, the City of Lakewood, through the Planning and Development Department, finished conducting a survey of all home properties in Lakewood. Housing inspectors assessed the exterior conditions of houses and assigned each a grade of 1 to 4 based on the extent to which Lakewood building code was violated. Houses earning a grade of 1 had “no visible exterior code violations.” Houses graded 4 had obvious maintenance violations, which may result in a blighting effect on the neighborhood or cause the property to become a nuisance.” 14% of houses were graded as either 3’s or 4’s, or roughly 1,700 homes.

The house at 1301 Cranford Avenue currently has no residents and is owned by the City of Lakewood. The house was in a state of disrepair and had multiple major code violations. Photos were taken of the house before and after renovations were made, and the results of the exterior repairs are shown in the pictures that follow. The renovations brought all aspects of the house into line with building code. The house, which would previously have been rated a “4,” would now be rated as a “1.” The purpose of this document is to provide homeowners a visual aide to better inform them what constitutes a violation of building code.

While the images here represent some of the major and most common violations, they do not encompass all of the city’s expectations on homeowners regarding exterior maintenance and upkeep. A searchable database of all of Lakewood’s ordinances can be found at this link.

Repair/replace porch decking/trimPaint/stain steps/porch

Maintain lawn/landscaping/high grass/weeds

Maintain/provide lattice Provide/maintain porch ceiling/pillars/rails

Maintain/provide doors/windows/screens Maintain foundation/exterior walls

Maintain lawn/landscaping Maintain garage/siding/trim/windows/doors

Paint exterior surfaces where weathered/peeling

Provide / maintain floor drain cover Repair soffit/fascia

Maintain garage/siding/trim/windows/doorsPaint exterior surfaces where weathered/peeling Maintain siding

Paint exterior surfaces where weathered/peeling Maintain siding

Also of note, this house had a small brick chimney stack protruding from the roof which was removed entirely. The back porch was also removed entirely and replaced. Further citations made on this house that were not shown include:•Repair/Replace Roof•Provide/repair/replace steps•Maintain fenceOnce again, a database on all Lakewood ordinances regarding housing can be found by clicking on this link.