No permit? No problem! Sunnyside homeowner digs giant hole for parking

A Sunnyside homeowner excavated a large section of his front yard, reportedly without getting the required permit. A Sunnyside homeowner excavated a large section of his front yard, reportedly without getting the required permit. Photo: Amy Graff, SFGate Photo: Amy Graff, SFGate Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close No permit? No problem! Sunnyside homeowner digs giant hole for parking 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Sunnyside homeowner without a garage or an off-street parking space apparently decided to dig himself a space without dealing with the red tape of the San Francisco's permitting process.

According to real estate website Socketsite, the owner of the home at 698 Joost Avenue, which was bought for $705,000 in 2014, was told by the city Planning Department that obtaining approval to excavate a slope on his property would be "challenging." A public hearing would be required along with a variance from the City's Planning Code.

The property owner was apparently not deterred.

"The owner simply engaged a Marin-based landscaping company to start excavating the home's yard and reroute its sewer line in order to create a coveted, and completely illegal, off-street parking space," Socketsite said.

People are bound to notice when you dig a swimming pool-sized hole in your front yard, and it wasn't long before someone complained to the city's Department of Building Inspection.

The wheels turn slowly at the Department of Building Inspection, so it took a week, but eventually an inspector arrived at the scene and posted a Notice of Violation. The homeowner has 15 days to get the required permit or potentially be ordered to put the dirt back.

As for a no-parking sign that was moved up the street because it was blocking the entrance of the would-be parking space, it's not clear if it must be restored to its original position.