What South Riding Proprietary asks of an addition
South Riding's Declaration says no one may make an addition, alteration, improvement or change of grade on a lot without prior written approval, and every such request goes on a single form, South Riding Proprietary's Application for Exterior Modification. The Proprietary's Design and Maintenance Standards, adopted on February 2, 2023 and in effect since March 20, 2023, list each item that needs approval.
A major addition gets a closer look than most requests. Along with pool construction and tear-down rebuilds, it goes to an Independent Consultant before the Community Standards Committee sees it, a review the Proprietary puts at two to three weeks once the application is complete. The Proprietary also holds a deposit on that work until the project is completed as approved and passes a final inspection. A project started before approval brings an after-the-fact assessment, and the Proprietary's approval does not relieve an owner of the approvals and permits Loudoun County requires.
How the review runs
A complete Application for Exterior Modification goes to the Community Standards Department eight days before the meeting it is aiming for. Staff read the paperwork within one to three days of getting it and ask for anything missing, and once every part is in hand they ready it for the committee's next meeting. The committee, made up of volunteers, sits on the second Wednesday of each month, with a further April sitting on the fourth Wednesday. The day after a meeting, staff send out the decision letters, by email or by U.S. mail, the only two ways a decision is delivered.
Thinking about adding on?
Tell us what you want the addition to hold, and we will plan the visit and the paperwork together.
After the addition is built
When work such as a deck or a patio is finished, the Proprietary asks for a Completion Notice and inspects it. On a major addition, the deposit waits on that final inspection, and on the project matching what was approved.
How we plan an addition in South Riding
Our shop on Gum Spring Road sits at the edge of South Riding, so the first visit is a short trip. We draw the addition for the Proprietary's application, which the Independent Consultant then reviews, and we file the Loudoun County permit. The work is scheduled after the decision letter and the county permit, so the after-the-fact assessment never comes into it. How the foundation, framing and roof tie-in are built is on our home additions page.
Where South Riding's permits come from
With no town government of its own, South Riding, in ZIP code 20152, takes its permits from Loudoun County. Our Loudoun County page sets out the county's permit for an addition and its inspections.
Other projects we take on in South Riding
- Three-season rooms, sunrooms and screened porches
- Composite decks, paver patios and flagstone patios
- Pergolas, pavilions and outdoor fireplaces