How Long Does it Take to Build in the Mountains?
How Long Does it Take to Build in the Mountains? MANY PEOPLE DREAM OF BUILDING A HOME IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS, AND NO WONDER. The seclusion, the exceptional views, the tranquility, and the direct connection to nature make the area an idyllic place to live. However, prospective homeowners are often surprised to find that building in the mountains is a longer and more complex process than building elsewhere. Sean Sullivan, owner of Living Stone Design + Build, has built hundreds of homes in and around Asheville, and he knows all too well the delays this specific locale can create, and the reasons why. RULES AND REGULATIONS Many of the delays in building mountain homes occur in the planning stages. “There are a lot of municipal rules and regulations to contend with,” Sean observes. “In addition to those, the planned communities we build in have rules and review boards we have to comply with.” “Because we build custom homes, there’s a complex sequence to the whole process. We have to design the home, evaluate preconstruction services, and submit plans for approval. We need to get permits for septics, wells, retaining walls, and the site design. It’s a lot of legwork. We can’t start construction until everything is approved.” SLOPING LAND The most significant cause for the delay on the construction end of any project is a sloped lot. “Building on a slope creates several different challenges,” Sean explains. “Parking can be an issue; sometimes there’s insufficient room for materials on the lot, so you have to shuffle things around. A sloped lot means the back of the house might be 20, 30, 40, or sometimes even 60 feet off the ground. When you have guys installing windows and siding at that height, safety is a significant issue. We have to go slowly and ensure that we’re taking all of the appropriate precautions.” SOIL SURPRISES When it comes to mountain building, the very soil itself can cause delays. “Sometimes we’ll excavate and find organic matter, like trees for example, have been buried in the lot, whether due to development issues or a natural landslide. Sometimes we’ll find rock, an underground spring, or alluvial soils, which are loose soils deposited by moving water. If we find any of these things, we need to excavate and replace them with gravel. There’s no way to know if these types of issues are there until we excavate, and correcting them takes thoughtful planning.” The great news is, if you’re willing to invest the time, money, and patience, you can have your dream home, no matter which way your lot slopes. “Every lot is buildable,” says Sean. “It’s just a matter of cost, engineering...and sometimes out-of-the-box thinking!” MORE NEWS/BLOGSThe Different Levels of Green Building
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" inner_shadow="on" fullwidth="on" _builder_version="3.22" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_fullwidth_image src="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129163627/the-campbell-residence-header.jpg" alt="Modern Prairie Computer Rendering" title_text="Mountain Modern in Asheville, NC" admin_label="Header Image" module_class="shadow-image" _builder_version="4.10.7" custom_padding="||0px|||" animation="off" border_style="solid" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_fullwidth_image][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" disabled_on="off|off|off" admin_label="Title Mobile" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" z_index="0" custom_padding="34px|16px|10px|16px|false|true" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_2,1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" background_enable_color="off" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.8.2" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text admin_label="The Seven Levels of Service" module_class="chronospro-heading green-heading" _builder_version="4.6.6" background_layout="dark" module_alignment="left" custom_margin="18px||15px|||" border_style="solid" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}"]The Different Levels[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" text_orientation="center" global_colors_info="{}"]Of Green Building Green building is increasingly important to homeowners who value their personal health and also want to support a healthy environment.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" header_font="QuestaGrande Reg|300|||||||" header_text_color="#7BADB6" header_font_size="42px" header_3_font="QuestaGrande Reg||||||||" header_3_text_color="#7BADB6" header_3_font_size="48px" text_orientation="center" global_colors_info="{}"]Living Stone owner Sean Sullivan notes that there is noone definitive set of standards for green building. “There are a number of different certification programs, with a number of different checklists. The certification levels of any given home will depend on which program is used.”[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_code disabled_on="on|on|off" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" background_image="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129152736/rosenburg_57-scaled.jpg" min_height="433px" height="100%" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="Bottle Art" _builder_version="4.8.2" _module_preset="default" custom_margin_tablet="||||false|false" custom_margin_phone="" custom_margin_last_edited="on|tablet" custom_padding="34px|16px|10px|16px|false|true" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_2,1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" width="100%" custom_margin_tablet="||||false|false" custom_margin_phone="" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone" custom_padding="10px||10px||false|false" custom_css_main_element="display: flex;||flex-wrap: wrap;" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" custom_css_main_element="order: 1;" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_code _builder_version="4.11.3" _module_preset="default" background_image="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129152610/Untitled-design-5.jpg" min_height="433px" height="100%" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" custom_css_main_element="order: 2;" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text content_tablet="Jamie Dietrich Bottle Art Diversity, history, and casual beach living are a continual inspiration for Jamie Dietrich. Her Southern Californian roots run through her handcrafted one-of-a-kind decor. We love her work because she always finds unique ways to bring new life to something, while letting it's history come through. These pieces - the natural sea life, the geodes, the antlers - were hand selected by Jamie. It's a perfect little splash of nature and art for a display area." content_phone="Jamie Dietrich Bottle Art Diversity, history, and casual beach living are a continual inspiration for Jamie Dietrich. Her Southern Californian roots run through her handcrafted one-of-a-kind decor. We love her work because she always finds unique ways to bring new life to something, while letting it's history come through. These pieces - the natural sea life, the geodes, the antlers - were hand selected by Jamie. It's a perfect little splash of nature and art for a display area." content_last_edited="off|desktop" admin_label="Text" _builder_version="4.11.3" _module_preset="default" header_font="QuestaGrande Reg|300|||||||" header_text_color="#7BADB6" header_font_size="42px" header_3_font="QuestaGrande Reg||||||||" header_3_text_color="#7BADB6" header_3_font_size="46px" custom_margin="3px||||false|false" custom_margin_tablet="auto||||false|false" custom_margin_phone="" custom_margin_last_edited="on|tablet" custom_padding="2px|||||" custom_padding_tablet="||||false|false" custom_padding_phone="" custom_padding_last_edited="on|tablet" text_orientation_tablet="center" text_orientation_phone="" text_orientation_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}" custom_css_main_element_last_edited="on|tablet"]The NC Green Built Program Living Stone Design + Build uses the NC Green Built program to evaluate each of their new builds. “We like the fact that it’s a regional program, so it addresses local mountain issues that might not exist elsewhere in the country,” says Sean. The Green Built system evaluates homes based on a number of different criteria, including: • BUILDING SITE• WATER• COMFORT SYSTEMS (meaning air and heating systems)• BUILDING ENVELOPE (meaning the barrier that separates the interior of the home from the environment, including the walls, doors, roof, and windows)• APPLIANCES, LIGHTING AND RENEWABLES • INDOOR AIR QUALITY• MATERIALS• BONUS (this includes anything the builder has done to go above and beyond typical green building processes)[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" custom_padding_last_edited="on|tablet" disabled_on="off|off|off" admin_label="Hat Molds" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="||||false|false" custom_padding="|16px||16px|false|true" custom_padding_tablet="10px|16px|10px|16px|false|true" custom_padding_phone="" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_2,1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" width="100%" custom_css_main_element="display: flex;||flex-wrap: wrap;" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" custom_css_main_element_last_edited="on|tablet" custom_css_main_element_phone="order: 2;" custom_css_main_element_tablet="order: 2;"][et_pb_text content_tablet="Jamie Dietrich Bottle Art Diversity, history, and casual beach living are a continual inspiration for Jamie Dietrich. Her Southern Californian roots run through her handcrafted one-of-a-kind decor. We love her work because she always finds unique ways to bring new life to something, while letting it's history come through. These pieces - the natural sea life, the geodes, the antlers - were hand selected by Jamie. It's a perfect little splash of nature and art for a display area." content_phone="Jamie Dietrich Bottle Art Diversity, history, and casual beach living are a continual inspiration for Jamie Dietrich. Her Southern Californian roots run through her handcrafted one-of-a-kind decor. We love her work because she always finds unique ways to bring new life to something, while letting it's history come through. These pieces - the natural sea life, the geodes, the antlers - were hand selected by Jamie. It's a perfect little splash of nature and art for a display area." content_last_edited="off|desktop" admin_label="Text" _builder_version="4.9.7" _module_preset="default" header_font="QuestaGrande Reg|300|||||||" header_text_color="#7BADB6" header_font_size="42px" header_3_font="QuestaGrande Reg||||||||" header_3_text_color="#7BADB6" header_3_font_size="46px" custom_margin="24px||||false|false" custom_margin_tablet="auto||||false|false" custom_margin_phone="" custom_margin_last_edited="on|tablet" custom_padding="2px|||||" custom_padding_tablet="||||false|false" custom_padding_phone="" custom_padding_last_edited="on|tablet" text_orientation_tablet="center" text_orientation_phone="" text_orientation_last_edited="on|phone" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" custom_css_main_element_last_edited="on|tablet"]Green Built Qualifications Minimal prerequisites must be met to qualify for Green Built certification, including compliance with federal, state, and local standards; a specific Energy Star rating; and the installation of specific items, such as energy-efficient doors, windows, appliances, weatherstripping, and carbon monoxide detectors. Once the minimum criteria is met, certification levels are determined by a points system. The beginning level in the Green Built program is certified, followed by bronze, silver, and then gold certified. The highest level is platinum certified.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2" _builder_version="4.9.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}" custom_css_main_element_last_edited="on|phone"Read More
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