Building homes is a complex task, but designing waterfront properties can be particularly difficult. When you see stunning waterfront custom homes, you may want one for yourself as well. However, what you do not know is the amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes. It takes decades of experience to design a successful waterfront property.
Before you start designing your waterfront property, there are various considerations you need to make. The process becomes easier when you hire the best Stendel + Reich architects to guide you through every step of the process. They can also take care of the building codes in your area or state and prevent legal mistakes.
The unique challenges of waterfront homes
- Strong building materials.
If you are considering building a home on the oceanfront, it is essential to look for the strongest building materials. Oceanfront-worthy materials shield the building’s interior from strong winds during the hurricane season while providing a good living experience during the hot days.
The atmosphere near the oceans is salty, so make sure you choose materials that can tolerate that.
- Challenging environmental conditions.
While the oceanfront may seem like a peaceful and calm place on earth where people come to relax after taking leave from their bosses, it is not always as pretty as it may seem. There are various surprising elements that need to be considered, such as wind, waves, currents, corrosion, abrasion, shoreline erosion, marine borers, steep slopes, damage from driftwood, etc.
It is important to work with experienced geologists, biologists, geotechnical engineers, coastline engineers, and other experts to ensure a safe, durable and functional home. They take all these varied environmental conditions into consideration and evaluate the best long-term solution.
- Considerations for marsh homes.
If you consider building a house in a location that interacts with the marshland, you will face greater challenges than you might think. However, while there are challenges, there are exceptional benefits as well. Still, it does not rule out the fact that building a home in a marshland is a big task.
For example, you would need to strengthen the site with truckloads of soil. You need the assistance of experienced engineers to ensure the house has a strong foundation. Moreover, such homes require flexibility from the owners. The land does not always allow all kinds of designs, so you must work with professionals to decide the best one.
- Permits.
Getting a permit to build your home can seem like the most frustrating and unending part of the home-building process. There are levels of permission you need to satisfy– Federal, State, and local. All the parties involved on these levels must approve the design before you can actually start the construction process.