Homeowner defends unpermitted portico at 45 Glen Road as board demands revised drawings

A homeowner defended a partially built front portico at 45 Glen Road on the grounds that family circumstances prompted early construction, while the Webster Groves Architectural Review Board said the as-built portico departs from submitted renderings and must be documented before the board will approve it. The board declined to vote and asked the homeowner to submit revised drawings that either reflect the existing construction or the preferred rendering.

The issue came up during the public-hearing portion of the ARB meeting after board members said the constructed portico sits closer to the house and lower than the design drawings, obscures stone trim around the entry, and includes large, exposed gusset plates and other black metal connectors not shown in the packet. "What is constructed to me is a real disservice to your beautiful home," one committee member said, calling the horizontal beam “detracting” and the scale “too tight on the entry.”

The homeowner said the project began while his father, who was ill, pushed to complete the work and that he had been working through the paperwork; he acknowledged receiving a stop-work order and said he stopped construction when notified. "I just went ahead and ... started working on the paperwork, and then he got sick," the homeowner said, describing an attempt to proceed under difficult circumstances. He also said the new cedar timber and ironwork had received neighborhood praise and that some of the visible plates were decorative rather than structural.

Board members pressed the homeowner on drainage and flashing details, how downspouts would be handled and whether the built roofline aligns with the existing roof to properly shed water. One committee member noted the building department will require construction drawings that match what will be built before issuing a permit. The board also suggested cosmetic mitigations — painting or trimming the timber, removing exposed gusset plates, or aligning gutters — but said those changes do not substitute for proper documentation and timely ARB review.

The board agreed not to vote on the item at the meeting and asked the homeowner to return with a revised set of drawings that either show the as-built condition or a revision that the homeowner prefers and wants the board to approve. The board emphasized that, had the drawings reflecting the as-built condition been submitted before construction, they could have reviewed design adjustments earlier. The ARB noted that a stop-work order had been issued and that further work requires the standard ARB review and a building permit.

Next steps: the homeowner will work with staff and the board’s comments to prepare drawings that reconcile the documentation, drainage details and trim/finish choices; the ARB will take up the item again once revised plans are filed.