STANDARD OF THE WESTSIDE AT BUTTERCUP CREEK MODIFICATION COMMITTEE
Subject: Standard Building Materials
Date: October 14, 2006 (Documented for Public Distribution)
DECLARATION
Whereas Article IV, Section 3 of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for WestSide at Buttercup Creek requires and authorizes the Modifications Committee to develop Standards for interpretation and regulation of the Restrictions, this Standard is hereby recorded for public distribution.
LIMITATIONS
This Standard is to serve as an interpretation of the contents of the Declaration and as a guideline for the actions of representatives of the Association, including the Modifications Committee, the Management Company, and the Board of Directors. This Standard does not replace or amend the Restrictions, and should dispute arise, the contents of the Declaration shall take precedence over this Standard. In case of dispute, the decision of the Board regarding the validity of this Standard and the suitable interpretation of the Declaration shall be final.
STATEMENT OF STANDARD
This Standard is intended to define the standard building materials used in construction of housing additions and outbuildings, as well as defining restricted materials. All modifications and construction materials must be approved by the Modifications Committee prior to construction or installation as described in the Declaration [1]. All materials used for construction within the neighborhood must conform to local code requirements and no statement made here is intended to define or modify those requirements. The materials listed here are based on the materials and construction styles used by the builders of new construction throughout the development of the neighborhood.
The standard framing material used within the neighborhood for studs, joists, rafters, beams, headers, trusses, etc. is natural wood (typically pine) with engineered lumber (laminate beams) allowed for long load bearing spans. Ground contact and other exposed areas should be rot resistant woods such as pressure treated pine, redwood, cedar, etc. Metal studs are not considered standard residential building materials. [2]
The standard siding material used within the neighborhood is masonry (brick, rock, or cement fiberboard) with weatherproof wood trim (typically painted cedar). Most sections of the neighborhood require all sides to be brick on the first story and one to four sides brick on the second story depending on visibility from public streets/sidewalks. The remaining siding is either lap siding, or in older sections, sheet siding made of cement fiberboard (a.k.a. Hardie Board/Plank). Soffits, eaves, and other trim work are typically painted cedar or other weatherproof wood, but cement fiberboard is also allowed provided appearance is maintained. Under no circumstances are plastic, vinyl, or metal siding materials allowed. [2]
The standard decking material for flooring and roofing is plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) panels.
The standard roofing material used within the neighborhood is 30-year composite asphalt shingles. Depending on the section, the standard is either dimensional shingles (Figure 1a) or, in some older sections, three tabbed shingles (Figure 1b). Depending on the section, all houses have a common shingle color (typically Owens-Corning “Driftwood”) or else the color varies by house. All new construction (including outbuildings) and/or replacement shingles must maintain the original style and color as that of the original residence. If a change in appearance is allowed, all roofs on the property must be changed accordingly. Non-standard variants from this requirement (such as metal roofs), as installed by the original builder, must be maintained in their original state and appearance, and new construction or modifications must conform to that appearance.
(a)
(b)
Figure 1 Example of dimensional shingles (a) and three-tab shingles (b).
Standard paint colors for siding, eaves, trim, etc. are typically neutral colors such as white or beige. Roof vents and other accessories should be painted to blend in with the roofing material. Other specialty fixtures such as breaker boxes and other utilities should be painted to blend in with their background or in a neutral color or earth tone to ensure that they do not stand out. Any outbuildings or other new construction should match the trim color scheme of the existing house.
Doors, windows, garage doors, and similar accessories must be consistent in materials and appearance with those used on other houses within a given neighborhood section.
RESTRICTED MATERIALS
Prefabricated panelized construction materials are not considered consistent with the requirements listed above. A number of foam core panel products with metal, vinyl, and/or wood surface laminates and metal or vinyl trim are available on the market. These products are considered inconsistent with the standard construction of the neighborhood and would violate a number of the standard materials and construction styles as listed above. Therefore, the use of these or similar materials for construction within the neighborhood is prohibited.
Metal, vinyl, plastic, fiberglass, or similar roofing or siding materials are prohibited.
SPECIFIC REFERENCES AND RATIONALE
This section is intended to provide the background behind the preceding Statement, either by direct references to the Declaration and/or by explaining the reasoning behind specific requirements. These references may not represent the entire set of supporting documentation provided by the Declaration and/or previous decisions by the Modifications Committee or the Board of Directors.
[1] Article IV, Sections 3 & 4; Article X, Sections 2 & 24.
[2] Wood and masonry are considered common building materials in harmony with the neighborhood. Plastic, vinyl, metal, and similar materials are not, and are even prohibited by the Declaration in some cases (Article X, Section 24).
COMMENTS
The contents of this Standard have been extracted from internal documents and decisions used as guidance by the Modifications Committee since its inception. This information has been collected here to allow publication of a common reference for use by Members of the Association.