Purpose
It is deemed to be in the best interests of current and future homeowners of Country Place to establish a harmony of design, thereby preserving a community identity and the property values of the neighborhood. All Country Place homeowners are thereby both benefited and burdened by these restrictions. The Declaration of Covenants, which all homeowners agreed to observe as a condition of purchase, charters the Architectural Review Committee, acting by and through the Board of Directors, to perform this function. These Guidelines address many alterations or constructions that might be proposed. This provides guidance to owners contemplating such changes, and a basis for consistent decision-making by the Architectural Review Committee.
Procedures
The Architectural Review Committee shall review, as provided in the Declaration, all plans and specifications for structures commenced, erected, or maintained upon the Property, including any exterior addition to, change or alteration, and shall make recommendation to the Board of Directors of the Association for approval or disapproval of said plans and specifications. It being the intent of the Board to preserve the aesthetic qualities and property values of the neighborhood, such plans and specifications shall, as a minimum, meet the following standards as to harmony of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures and topography.
This listing shall not be construed to be all inclusive, but the Board shall reserve the right to require submittal of plans and specifications as provided in the Declaration and to approve or disapprove such structures, changes or alterations, even though they may fail to appear within these standards.
Standards
- Permits: All construction shall be performed in accordance with applicable Anne Arundel County Building Codes. Where a Building Permit is required by County Code, obtaining said permit shall be the responsibility of the homeowner. Building permit approval does not supercede Architectural Review Committee approval.
- Fences:
a. All primary fence members (posts, rails, framing, slats, latticework, etc.) shall be of wood or vinyl construction.
b. A wire mesh fabric is allowable only when used in conjunction with a primary fence which meets the conditions of Item 2a.
c. Chain link construction is specifically prohibited.
d. Fences shall be prohibited from the front portion of all lots. No fence may extend beyond the front corners of the house.
e. No fence shall be constructed at a height greater than six (6) feet above ground level.
f. All fences greater than four (4) feet in height shall be restricted to that portion of the lot parallel to and behind the approximate midway distance on the wall of the house to which fence abuts. Only fences four (4) feet or less in height may extend to the front corners of the house. Cases may be evaluated on an
individual basis.
g. Fencing treatments for wood fences shall be limited to natural wood stains and natural wood sealants.
h. Only open fencing (fencing which is not designed to obstruct the view, for
example split rail, picket, post and rail, lattice, etc.) may be painted white. Vinyl fences may be white only. - Attached Construction (porches, garages, rooms, chimneys, attached sheds, etc. excluding decks.):
a. No attached construction or addition shall be made to the front face of the house, nor shall extend forward from either side beyond the front corners of the house or of a porchline consistent with existing community construction.
b. Such attached construction or addition shall utilize siding matching the color of the existing house.
c. Roofing materials shall be of the same type and color as the existing materials.
d. Paint shall be color coordinated to match existing trim.
e. The use of brick or stone for attached construction shall be limited to chimneys. - Decks:
a. All decks shall be of wood construction. Composite materials may be used in decks where allowable by county code so long as they reflect the appearance and color of comparable wood products.
b. Deck treatments shall be limited to natural wood stains, natural wood sealants, or paint color coordinated to match that of the house trim.
c. Front porch railings may be of vinyl construction so long as they maintain the appearance of wood and match community construction with square or turned spindles. - Detached Garages:
a. Detached garages shall be limited to a maximum size of three hundred (300) square feet with the longest dimension twenty (20) feet or less.
b. The exterior construction materials shall match the siding and trim of the house in color and the roofing materials in type and color. - Detached Buildings/Sheds:
a. Detached building/sheds shall be limited to a maximum size of one hundred eighty (180) square feet.
b. Detached building/sheds shall be of wood construction. Sheds of metal
construction are specifically prohibited.
c. Such construction shall be color coordinated to match the house and shall have a shingled roof.
d. The forward face of the building/shed shall be located no further forward then
ten (10) feet in front of the rear corner of the house. - Carports:
a. Carport shall be of wood construction, except for siding, and shall match the house in color and trim. The roof construction shall be of the same type and color as that of the house.
b. Carports shall not extend forward beyond the front corners of the house.
c. Carports shall be limited to a maximum size of three hundred (300) square feet with the longest dimension twenty (20) feet or less. - Pools:
a. All plans for permanent pools, as defined by County Code, shall be submitted
to the Architectural Review Committee for review.
b. All pools must be enclosed by an appropriate fence or screen around the
immediate pool area (as a minimum) or yard, meeting standards for fences described in Item 2. - Landscaping:
a. Any landscaping which involves the use of construction materials (cement,
brick, stone, railroad ties, decorative fencing, etc.) shall be submitted to the Architectural Review Committee for review. This does not include the use of
construction materials for simple edging, framing or defining of beds, walks, driveways, or the like. b. The use of hedgerows or similar planted barriers to separate properties shall be limited to behind the front corners of the house. Such barriers shall be limited to the same height restrictions as those for fences (Items 2e and 2f).
c. The location of vegetable gardening plots shall be limited to the rear portions of the lot, behind the rear corners of the house or approved fencing. - Driveways:
a. Driveways shall be limited to double width maximum (20’+/-1′).
b. Driveways shall be of cement construction only. - Miscellaneous:
a. A member may submit, and the Architectural Review Committee may recommend for approval, a proposed construction, addition, change, or alteration which may conflict with these standards if such member can show to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors that such proposal will not and can not disrupt the intent to preserve the aesthetic qualities and property values of the neighborhood. The Board of Directors reserves the right of final disposition of such proposals.
b. The existance of violations which do not follow these Architectural Control Guidelines are not grounds for future approval.
c. Violations of the Architectural Guidelines in existance before November 12, 2002 must be corrected at which future time the owner decides to replace the item in violation.
d. Architectural Review Committee approvals must be made by a majority of votes with no fewer than three appointed members present. In the event that an Architectural Review Committee member is unavailable, an active board member may be substituted. All final decisions will go through the Board.
e. A log of Architectural Review Committee rejections should be maintained by the Board and made available to homeowners upon request. - Exterior Improvements:
a. All windows forward of the rear corners of the house must be of double or single hung style. All windows must have real or simulated divided lites (i.e. windows with grids).
b. Window shutters, where used, should be colonial style louvred OR solid panel design and not a combination of both. Shutter color should coordinate with the house trim.
c. Screening or enclosing front porches is strictly prohibited.