Adding on? Check math

“Redos and Don’ts” (Dec. 4) quotes a real estate agent saying that if your building costs are $250 to $350 a square foot, it’s worth it to add on, “especially on the Westside, where space is selling for $750 a square foot.” What the agent fails to calculate is that the $750 per square foot includes both the dwelling and the land value.

One must separate the land value prior to making the calculation to determine whether it would be financially advantageous to enlarge the home.

PHIL KANTOROVICH

Brentwood