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In
December, the Kear family moved into a newly-built house
in Oak Ridge Estates in Fishkill.
The
house was built in an established subdivision where builder
Joe Minotti, owner of Cady Lane Homes in Wappingers Falls,
had already obtained all the approvals required prior to
construction, including board-of-health approval, the survey
for the 1 3/4-acre lot and other documentation.
"Building
this house was painless," Eddie Kear said. "Joe Minotti
is an excellent builder."
Kear,
who works in construction, said before moving into this
home he and his family were living in Wappingers Falls in
a house he built. The home was constructed on a lot that
was not part of a subdivision, so he had to get all pre-construction
approvals himself.
"When
you build a house yourself, of course you have to get all
the building permits and you have to go through processes,"
he said. "It wasn't a terrible thing."
Most important, he said, was getting approval from the board
of health. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to build
a house on the lot.
Because
the developer and/or builders of new housing developments
typically get the land approved and ready for construction,
the building process is streamlined for those homes. Land
in some older developments, however, may still need to be
approved. And, those purchasing property outside a development
also must be sure the land has been properly approved before
any work begins on it.
In
addition to board of health approval, which is used in part
to determine the placement of the home's water and septic
systems, other pre-construction documentation is needed.
That includes a survey of the lot by a certified engineer,
an architect- or engineer-certified set of building plans
that have been approved by the local building department
and a building permit, Kear said. In some cases it also
would be necessary to get a highway permit for a driveway.
And, it's important to have a signed contract for construction.
"You
should certainly be in contract or have a deed turned over
to you before you start building," Minotti said.
Once
the contract and all required approvals are in hand, construction
on a house can begin. Structural changes made to a home's
design while the house is in progress need to be approved
by the local building inspector and certified by an architect
or engineer.
The
approval process varies a bit from town to town, Minotti
said, as does the timetable for the work. Areas where there's
lots of development going on may take longer to get construction
approvals.
In an e-mail response to questions, architect Robert A.
Marrapodi of Robert A. Marrapodi Architecture in Rhinebeck,
said there are two main layers of approvals needed when
having a new house built.
First,
the land must be approved and zoned for a house construction.
Second, the plans for the house must be approved for building
code compliance.
While
an architect doesn't have to have any approvals in hand
before beginning conceptual work on a house, Marrapodi said,
it's practical to have the board of health's approval before
purchasing a lot. He said the process of obtaining site
plan approvals involves drawings and a study of zoning compliances
that normally are handled by an architect or engineer.
Because
housing subdivisions deal with numbers of new homes, the
initial approval process for getting the site's lots approved
for construction is lengthy and more involved than it is
for individual sites, Marrapodi said.
George
Kolb, building inspector for the Town of Wappinger, said
those wanting to build a house must first apply for a building
permit, including submitting the house plans and completing
application forms detailing who the home buyer and builder
are, insurance information and other things.
Order
of compliance
The
application is first sent to the zoning enforcement officer
for compliance with setback, height and other zoning regulations.
Once approved, the application goes to the fire inspector
for driveway access.
"Some
of these lots have very, very long driveways and that requires
certain turn-a-rounds so that the fire apparatus or emergency
vehicles can get by one another," Kolb said.
Next,
the paperwork goes to the town engineer, who checks the
plans for drainage issues, elevations and such. The highway
superintendent also checks for proper driveway access. Finally,
the application is sent to the building department for review.
"We take the building plans as well as the plot plans, meaning
where the house is going to be set, we review that under
New York state building codes and make sure the house conforms,"
Kolb said.
Any
discrepancies are rectified, the application is approved
and the fee total is calculated (currently 50 cents per
square foot in the Town of Wappinger). When the applicant
pays the fee, she is issued a building permit.
SPOTTING
THE LOT
Legal, zoning and site issues to consider when selecting
a house lot:
- Any easements or right of ways?
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What are the setback requirements?
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Are zoning variances required to build?
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Any height restrictions?
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Any curb cuts or sidewalks mandated by local ordinances?
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Are there restrictive covenants?
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Is there a property survey?
- Did you visually inspect the property?
- Are sewer and water lines available?
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Did you check for utility lines?
- Has the soil been tested?
- Will large rocks and boulders need to be removed?
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Is there proper drainage on the lot?
Source: New Home Source offers a wide variety of helpful
information on new home construction at www.newhomesource.com/newhomeguide
Copyright
© 2004, Poughkeepsie Journal
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