What if it's not square?

Ok, so our decks need to be square...what happens if it's not? No, not my deck. I don't have one yet. I just saw one that wasn't. I'm just curious as to how all this works since I'm new to the area. Thanks.

 

Very true ... Here's the scoop:

For Townhouses, the decks must have 90 degree corners, no 'sunbursts' . This is a general requirement, each townhouse area has its own detailed requirements based on the type of lot, size of lot, model of townhome, etc.

This is to keep it consistant, if someone put in a deck that did not conform, either by not submitting the request, or ignoring what the approval said, as Steve said, when the house is sold, all discrepancies are noted, and must be listed by your selling real estate agent as a encumberance on the property.

For SFH ... there are no corner rules, but there are some specifics that must be followed.

Its best to review the copy of the guidelines you received when you bought the house.

Finally, if you could call the HOA with the location of that non-conforming deck, it would be appreciated.


Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Steve is right. When we made the offer on our townhouse 2 yrs ago, the deck was rounded at the corners with a sunburst effect in the railing. I loved it! However, due to the restrictions in the community, the previous owners were required to have it modified to fit in with the guidelines. The fact that I, as purchaser, liked it the way it was was not a consideration. The upside to this is that my deck is now slightly larger than it was, but the downside is that it is not as asthetically pleasing to the eye. It was a change I can live with. On the other hand, the neighborhood we lived in in FL chose not to have a HOA, and the end result was one homeowner painted her house a gaudy shade of magenta that just totally took away from the rest of the neighborhood. You couldn't miss that house. We were fortunate that by the time we were ready to sell ours hers had faded out to a nasty pink that wasn't such an eyesore. So, having a HOA with specific guidelines does have its benefits.
Clarissa

 

NeilZ,

Can I just email the HOA with the address? Are you a board member? Thanks.

 

Scary ........ [xx(]

 

Hmmmmm, just noticed that same deck is almost from edge to edge, no 12 inches between the deck and the property line. Yikes! Why would someone do that? Oh well.

 

Email or call Maureen at the office. And yes, I'm a board member, but Maureen and Wes do the inspections.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

If its one of the new VM's, its probably a builder deck. Why they did it is another story, and one we're asking at the HOA Board meeting on Tuesday.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

I noticed that on the VM's, too. But, the deck I'm talking about is a M&S!

I'll call on Monday!

Thanks, Neil.

 

Again, if its one of the new ones, don't know, but any extension of those decks, or new decks that are not builder built, must have the offsets.

This is to allow you and/or your neighbor access so maintenance can be performed on those adjoining areas.


Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

It's a new home but the builder did not build the deck. It was just finished this past week. What is Maureen's email?

 

I know this deck. The owners will not be happy. Unless it was somehow approved by the HOA. I just built a deck (Dec) on my home so I'm current with the rules. And I went through this process 1.5 years ago.

DECK DESIGN STANDARDS SECTION 56 Miller & Smith
Newberry Street (20" wide) models

- Outer corners of the deck are square

Now the staircase might be okay. I'm looking at it and I have some experience with the HOA on the staircase from my old section. I had to go through 3 revisions on my originial design. I haven't seen if the staircase is in violation but I can say it must not extended 12 feet from the back of the house. The staircase must terminate at the 12 feet marker. BUT if the staircase was built going parallel with the back wall of the house, then there is no boundary except what the county imposes. I was NOT able to have a staircase go from the back wall of the house out to the backyard because the staircase would not terminate before the max depth restriction. SO the HOA approved for me to ADD a staircase going in a L shape. My staircase was something like 3 feet wide. So my total depth size from the back wall to the outer edge of the staircase was 15 feet or so. The HOA said this rule was added to allow owners to add a staircase with the least amount of change to the current deck.

Also if you're using a composite decking material (Trek, Evergrain), the HOA needs to know the color. My first deck didn't require it but the current deck did.

-Teak

 

The staircase is not parallel and I have no idea how deep it is or what it's made of. I just feel bad they didn't take the time to review the HOA rules. I'm just glad I'm not a next door neighbor because I'd hate to have someone's deck right against my property line. I hope it's easily fixed.