Building a home in a historic neighborhood can be an exciting opportunity. Every historic neighborhood has its own unique history, and building a home in one of these areas allows you to be a part of and preserve that history.
However, while there are plenty of benefits to building a home in a historic neighborhood, there are things you should consider before doing so.
By building a home in one of these areas, you’ll be responsible for preserving the historical character of the neighborhood. This process can also take quite a bit longer than anticipated, so it’s important to be prepared before taking this step.
Let’s take a look at some of the things you should know before building a home in a historic neighborhood.
Design
Designing your new home to fit in with the other buildings in your new neighborhood can be difficult.
You should be sure to examine nearby buildings to ensure that your new home matches the area and surrounding buildings. Some factors to consider include:
- Color
- Orientation
- Materials
- Roof Shape
- Size
- Landscape
- Decorations
These factors, among others, will help make sure that your new home is inoffensive and fits seamlessly into your new neighborhood.
Modern Amenities May Not Be Feasible
Preservation is an important factor when building a home in a historic neighborhood. As a result, adding modern amenities and utilities to historic architecture may be challenging.
In addition, even if you are able to do this, they could devalue your property if you ever plan to sell. Modern features and amenities may not align with the interests of buyers who want a home in a historic area.
Rules and Regulations
If you’re building a house in a historic area, there will likely be certain rules and regulations that you have to abide by.
These building codes are put into place in order to preserve the integrity of the area. In order to comply with these regulations, the building process can be expensive and can take quite a bit of planning.
Be sure to contact your local planning department to find out which building and zoning codes you need to abide by.
It Might Take Longer Than You Think
As mentioned above, building in a historic neighborhood will typically require you to follow certain building codes.
In order to build your home, you’ll likely have to have your design approved by a review board. Depending on how strict these building codes are, it could take several months for your design to finally be approved.
As a result, you should be prepared for a long planning and building process.
Building in a Historic Neighborhood Can Be Costly
After building your home, you’ll need to maintain your property. This can get expensive.
Since there are standards that your home will have to meet, you’ll be required to constantly work on your home to ensure it meets these standards. In this way, owning a home in a historic area is similar to living in a community with a homeowners association.
Building a home in a historic neighborhood can be a rewarding experience, but it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.