BRAESWOOD PLACE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
POST HARVEY CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES
Braeswood Place Homeowners Association (BPHA) is the HOA for
multiple subdivisions including:
Braes
Heights - 13 Sections
Ayrshire
- 14 Sections
Braes
Oaks - 2 Sections
Southern
Oaks - 2 Sections
Emerald
Forest
Braes
Terrace
Braes
Manor
Part of the responsibility of BPHA is to ensure that the
various sets of deed restrictions are renewed to keep them active and to
enforce the restrictions. Many of the
restrictions specify that a residence cannot exceed a specified number of
stories or levels: 1 ½, 2 or 2 ½. Following Hurricane Harvey, Harris County and
the City of Houston have imposed certain requirements for new construction or
additions which exceed 1/3 of the existing square footage of the house.
Effective 1 September 2018 the lowest occupied floor must be a certain height
above the 500 year flood plain. Any
space below the lowest occupied floor must be “floodable”, have vent openings
to accommodate water flow, and mechanical and electrical equipment must be
raised; the lowest level can be used for parking, storage and access to the
upper level(s).
To accommodate these requirements, the BPHA Board of
Directors has agreed to allow new construction (or existing structures being
elevated) to have a ground level for parking, storage and access to upper
levels. That lowest level will not be
counted toward the maximum number of floors listed in the deed restrictions as
long as the following criteria are met:
1.
There must be an opaque wall or skirting on all
sides of the lowest level which are visible from the street regardless of the
presence of any other visible obstructions including fences and landscaping.
2.
That wall or skirting must be of materials that
are consistent in appearance with the upper portion of the house.
3.
The lower level cannot be air-conditioned,
except for the access point to the upper levels.
4.
There can be a garage door or doors on the front
and rear.
End of Guidelines
