If you are building a custom home inside of a community in the Tampa Bay area, it’s likely your new home will be governed by an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) of some sort.
In most cases, the ARC requirements are fairly straightforward and really do not impose requirements beyond what would be considered normal for the lot.
In other cases, however, the ARC can be quite involved and very specific with their requirements.
For example, we have built in communities where the requirements are that the wholesale landscape budget for each project must be a minimum of $75,000.
Another community we have built in required that we install a stem wall around the entire front perimeter of the lot.
These types of requirements can be costly and could potentially add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of the lot you choose to build your new home on.
Each community varies with their requirements; however, the submittal process for approval is fairly consistent from ARC to ARC.
Typically they require two copies of the building plans and two copies of the lot survey showing the location of the house, trees, accessory structures, driveway locations for culverts, etc.
As a Design Builder, we handle the submittal process for our clients.
In addition, the ARC will likely want to approve exterior paint colors, and exterior roofing colors and materials, etc. In many cases these color decisions have not yet been finalized at the time it is requested. If that is the case, the ARC will usually grant their approval up front with the caveat that final color selections must be submitted for approval at a later date.
We are currently working on a new construction project in an ARC governed equestrian community in Hillsborough County. Prior to submitting our ARC approval request, we made sure we clearly understood the requirements of the committee and were able to submit the request just before we were ready to go to permitting.
Depending on how involved the ARC is and how numerous the design guidelines are, you may want to submit your approval package much earlier in the process to avoid any unnecessary delays.
For more information on the approval process, check out Richard Taylor’s helpful blog post How To Get an Architectural Review Board to Approve your Home Design or Remodeling Project.
To learn more about Charter Bay, please visit our About Us page.
Charter Bay Home Builders (CBC1255041)
We are a boutique custom home builder, specializing in on-your-lot new home construction, and large-scale renovations throughout Tampa Bay, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. We have the experience to design and build every detail of your new home from start to finish; or if you prefer, we can partner with your architect and/or interior designer. In addition, we are a green certified custom home builder and have the experience to ensure your home is not only beautiful, but built on a foundation of the most current building science.
