People, who pay millions for their land and want big houses, run smack up against city hall. In fact, Mehus says, Villa Montalvo could not be built in Saratoga today. In some areas homeowners cannot add a second story to their homes, and in areas designated as historical, such as the Almond Grove district of Los Gatos, restrictions are even tighter. The lots are small, and the homes must keep their historical appearance. All of which means the owners have little wiggle room to build their small homes up or out.
Homeowners can hide large amounts of floor space, however, by putting square footage underground.
Some Almond Grove homeowners are actually jacking their homes up, digging a basement and then plopping the house back down. Page says that's not the intent of the building restrictions. They help keep the mass and the scale of these huge houses in tune with the community. Burying square footage reduces how big the house looks on the outside. Lyons says the town's long-range goals are to maintain the historic character and the small town ambiance of Los Gatos.