Eight of Ten Design Standards Updated in Last Two Years

Over the last two years Reston Association’s Design Review Board has approved revisions to eight of the ten Lakeport standards documents. Changes to each of these standards were generated by requests from one or more owners and were proposed to make Lakeport home repairs less onerous and to allow owners to take advantage of new technology. Many thanks to Kelly Driscoll, chair of the Standards Committee, who led these efforts! We’re happy to be finished updating standards for the foreseeable future.

This updated set of standards will be especially important for RA’s architectural inspections this fall because a number of items that would have been considered violations under the old standards are no longer out of compliance. Now is a good time to review Lakeport’s Cluster Standards at http://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/cluster-standards.html and then conduct a thorough check of the outside of your home to make sure the its various features are in compliance (and to identify any maintenance issues you need to address). More information on the 2020 inspections is available in the Ripples article “RA Inspections Next Fall.” Feel free to contact Kelly (kmdriscoll@outlook.com) or the Board if you have any questions about standards or whether you are in compliance.

Reminder: Before you do any work on the exterior of your home, be sure to check Lakeport Standards at http://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/cluster-standards.html. If Lakeport doesn’t have any relevant standards, you also need to check Reston Association Guidelines (https://www.reston.org/PropertyOwnerResources/DesignReview/DesignGuidelines/ClusterHousing/tabid/377/Default.aspx). The “Getting Started” document will walk you through the steps, including where to find the application form needed for a DRB application.

New Garage Door Standard: The Board was recently informed that the RA Design Review Board approved Lakeport’s new standard for garage doors (see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JYdQZqwLP9LJPKvlvLfe92-u0Pet51bs/view). The color requirement was the only change in the new standard, which now allows a “close match” to the home’s trim color for doors with factory-installed finishes (previously an exact match to trim was required):

• Color: If the garage door is painted after installation, it must match the home’s trim color (see Lakeport Color Summary). If the garage door has a factory-installed finish (e.g., “powder coat” or “baked enamel”), the door color must be a close match to the home’s trim color. If the door color is not a close match, a DRB application must be submitted and reviewed by Staff for approval of the color (and submission is recommended to ensure that RA approval of the color is on file).

Warning: Although this change means that many recently installed garage doors are no longer in violation due to color, an owner who recently sold her home alerted the Board that a board added to reinforce the bottom of the garage door and/or cover damage was found to be in violation of Lakeport standards by the RA resale inspector.