1) Know Thy Elevation. When you purchase a property, be sure to inspect the elevation certificate. In many locales on the coast you’ll find base flood elevations ranging from 10′ – 15′ above sea level. Elevating your piling (ground) level 8′-9′ will typically be plenty to raise your 1st Floor to the required height. While it is unusual, some properties may require that your first floor elevation (the height from the ground level to the top of your first living level) be 12′, 13′, 14′ feet or higher. This may not be a deal killer, but the added height to the foundation level will add cost to your project.
2) Setbacks May Cause Setbacks Coastal lots, whether near ocean, lake or river, tend to be a tad smaller than their landlocked counterpart. As such, your setbacks may cause you some headaches in regard to locating a design that will work for you. Cool Beach Minecraft Houses Assuming you have a reasonable envelope to build within (a minimum of 14’ in width), you’ll have options for choosing a stock plan that will work.
3) Know Your Flood Zones Many coastal properties fall into flood zones. For the most part, this isn’t necessarily bad news. After all, getting close to a body of water is a large part of the allure of coastal living. You, however, do need to know how this may affect the cost of your building project. Generally speaking, building in a V Zone is the most expensive. V Zones are typically ocean front, or near to ocean front, properties. Cool Cloud Minecraft Houses The building codes that apply to V Zone properties will add about 15-30% to the total cost of the construction project. Much of the added cost will arise from 1) the additional ties, straps, hold downs and anchors required by the building code 2) additional cost for windows with upgraded wind ratings and 3) added cost for elevating the structure. “A” zoned properties carry some of the same code requirements, but will generally only add about 10-15% to the cost of construction.
4) When Being Too Tall is Terrible Many coastal communities are amending their building codes to shrink the total height allowed for residential structures. The idea is to avoid the creation of “corridors of darkness” caused by an excessive number of tall structures on a residential street. This can be tricky, especially because of the need for elevated Cool Minecraft tree Houses foundations. The height restrictions can range from 28’ to 50’. As you can image, this will have a huge impact on the design that you choose for your property. In some instances, plans can be modified to squeeze under a given height restriction – just be sure to do the math before you purchase your plan.
5) Be Coastal, Not Cookie Cutter At the risk of being obnoxious, here’s some sage advice for choosing a design for your coastal property. When choosing a design, take into consideration where your residence will be situated. If you’ve moving onto an island, please don’t build a mountain chalet, no matter how nice the A frame windows capture the view. In the same vein, subdivision-style homes (Colonials, Georgians, Federal-style, etc.) probably won’t work either. You have a wonderful opportunity to build a home that looks just righton your lot. There are dozens of coastal architectural options to choose from, so why not avoid the every day and pick something with style?
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