Romney clarifies scope of home expansion
Mitt Romney has a clarification for those tweaking him for planning to quadruple the size of his oceanfront home in California.
Mitt RomneyJim Cole/AP
It’s only doubling in size if you count normal living space.
That was the answer reported today by Joe McQuaid, publisher of the Union Leader in Manchester, N.H.
He described seeing Romney last week at a famed political haunt, the Red Arrow Diner, and asking at one point what the Republican presidential contender thought of the story – and the dozens of spinoffs it spawned – about his home expansion.
“It’s not accurate, Romney said, simply,’’ according to McQuaid. “The application he made, two years ago, was to double the living space by turning one story into two. The ‘quadrupling’ was a measurement of added nonliving space, including a basement and garage.’’
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Aug. 20 that Romney planned to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot, single-story home in coastal La Jolla and replace it with a two-story, 11,062-square-foot structure.
In that story, a Romney aide declined comment. Later, as the former Massachusetts governor began to face criticism over the project, Romney aides clarified that the project would not begin until after the 2012 election.
They also explained that Romney needed the extra space with five married sons and 16 grandchildren.
Last Wednesday, Romney himself addressed the issue with reporters, reiterating: “I’ve got 16 grandkids and counting. We’re going to have enough accommodations to meet the needs of our grandkids.’’
In his “Publisher’s Notebook,’’ McQuaid recounted the additional explanation Romney provided, about living space vs. nonliving space.
“That sounds more reasonable, I said. Had he issued a statement to that effect?’’ McQuaid wrote. “He shrugged his shoulders with a ‘why bother?’ look.’’
The Romney camp refused comment today to the Globe, but real estate professionals would tend to back up the candidate.
In sales and listing documents, brokers report “gross living area,’’ typically those finished spaces above grade. Even a finished basement is not usually included in that calculation.
The basement might be included in another calculation, “total living area,’’ which is often used in tax or public records.
Most often, a garage – either a built-in or attached one-story – is not included in either calculation.
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