Reference
The Skyecroft Glossary
Estate architecture and covenant governance each carry their own vocabulary. Here is the plain-English version of the words that matter most in this community.
How To Use It
Forty-plus terms, three families of language.
Most confusion about Skyecroft is vocabulary confusion. A buyer reads "four-sided architecture" in a listing, "ETJ" in a county document, and "estoppel" in a closing package — three unrelated fields of language describing one property.
This glossary defines them together: the community and geography terms specific to southern Union County, the covenant and governance terms that control what you may build and pay, and the architectural terms used throughout the Architecture Guide and Architectural Styles chapters.
Definitions are general editorial explanations of common usage. They are not legal definitions, do not interpret any specific recorded document, and should never be relied on in place of the actual governing instruments or professional advice.
Terms
Community & geography.
- Skyecroft
- A gated residential community of European-inspired estate homes on approximately 400 acres in southern Union County, North Carolina, carrying a Waxhaw mailing address and assigned to the Weddington school attendance zones.
- Waxhaw Address / Weddington Schools
- The common local situation in which a property's postal address, municipal jurisdiction, and school attendance zone are drawn by three different authorities and do not match. Skyecroft is the frequently cited example.
- ETJ (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction)
- An area outside a town's corporate limits where the town still exercises planning and zoning authority under North Carolina law. A property can be in a town's ETJ without being inside the town.
- Union County Public Schools
- The school district that draws and periodically revises attendance boundaries for this corridor. Only the district's official determination governs a given address.
- Gatehouse
- The architectural structure at a community's controlled entrance. In Skyecroft it functions as both an access point and the community's most recognizable built landmark.
- Common Area
- Land and improvements owned or maintained collectively for the benefit of all owners — typically entrances, streetscapes, lakes, trails, and amenity parcels.
Terms
Covenants & governance.
- CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions)
- The recorded declaration that binds every lot in a community. It defines what may be built, how property may be used, how assessments are levied, and how the rules are enforced. CC&Rs run with the land and transfer automatically to each new owner.
- Declaration
- The umbrella recorded instrument that creates the community and its owners association. The CC&Rs are contained within it, and amendments are recorded against it.
- Bylaws
- The internal operating rules of the owners association: how directors are elected, how meetings and quorums work, and how officers act. Bylaws govern the organization; CC&Rs govern the land.
- Owners Association
- The nonprofit corporate entity created by the declaration to maintain common areas, administer assessments, and enforce the covenants. This guide is independent of any such association.
- Assessment
- The periodic dues owners pay to fund common-area maintenance, insurance, amenities, and reserves. Amounts and schedules are set by the association, not by this guide.
- Special Assessment
- A one-time charge levied outside the regular budget, typically for a capital project or a shortfall. Procedures and any owner-approval requirements are defined in the governing documents.
- Reserve Study
- A professional projection of the useful life and replacement cost of common-area components, used to set reserve funding so that major repairs do not require emergency assessments.
- Design Guidelines
- The written standards, adopted under the CC&Rs, that describe acceptable materials, colors, massing, landscaping, and site treatment for exterior work.
- Architectural Review
- The formal process by which proposed exterior construction, additions, or alterations are submitted for approval against the design guidelines before work begins.
- Variance
- A discretionary, usually written exception to a stated standard, granted for a specific property and set of facts. A variance is not a precedent for other lots.
- Setback
- The minimum required distance between a structure and a property line, street, or feature. Both the county and the covenants can impose setbacks; the stricter one controls.
- Plat
- The recorded survey map showing lot lines, easements, common areas, and rights-of-way for a subdivision. It is the authoritative picture of what a lot actually includes.
- Easement
- A recorded right for someone other than the owner to use part of a lot for a defined purpose — drainage, utilities, access, or landscape maintenance.
- Resale Certificate / Statement of Unpaid Assessments
- The disclosure package a buyer typically requests before closing, showing assessment status, governing documents, and any pending violations or claims against the lot.
- Estoppel
- A written association statement confirming the assessment and compliance status of a lot as of a date, relied on at closing.
- Enforcement / Cure Period
- The notice-and-opportunity-to-correct sequence a community must generally follow under its documents and North Carolina law before imposing a fine or other remedy.
Terms
Architecture & construction.
- Massing
- The overall three-dimensional composition of a building — the arrangement and relative size of its volumes. Estate architecture is judged first on massing, before detail.
- Elevation
- A scaled drawing of one exterior face of a building. In review, all four elevations matter, not just the street-facing one.
- Four-Sided Architecture
- The design standard requiring the same quality of material and detail on every face of a home, rather than a rich front elevation with plain sides and rear.
- Porte-Cochère
- A roofed structure extending over a drive, allowing passage from a vehicle under cover. A recurring motif in French- and manor-inspired estate design.
- Quoin
- The dressed stone or masonry units that emphasize a building's outside corners, common in Georgian and French Country vocabularies.
- Dormer
- A roofed projection with a window, set into a sloping roof. Dormer rhythm and proportion strongly signal architectural style.
- Hipped Roof
- A roof that slopes on all four sides to the walls, with no vertical gable ends. Characteristic of French Country and many Georgian-influenced estates.
- Gable
- The triangular wall section between the two slopes of a pitched roof. Steep, closely spaced gables are a Tudor and English Manor signature.
- Half-Timbering
- Exposed decorative timber framing infilled with stucco or masonry, the defining Tudor Revival surface treatment.
- Pediment
- A low triangular or segmental gable over a door, window, or portico. A classical device central to Georgian composition.
- Cornice
- The projecting horizontal molding that crowns a wall or roof edge. Cornice depth and profile are among the clearest indicators of build quality.
- Fenestration
- The arrangement, proportion, and rhythm of windows and doors across an elevation.
- Casement Window
- A window hinged at the side and swinging outward, typical of French and English precedent, as opposed to a vertically sliding double-hung sash.
- Slate / Synthetic Slate
- A premium roofing material — natural stone shingle, or an engineered composite imitating it — associated with manor and chateau vocabularies.
- Stucco
- A cementitious exterior render. In estate work, the distinction between traditional hard-coat stucco and synthetic EIFS materially affects durability and value.
- Millwork
- Finished interior woodwork — paneling, casings, moldings, built-ins, and stair components — typically the largest visible differentiator between builders.
- Coffered Ceiling
- A ceiling divided into a grid of recessed panels by beams, used to give scale and order to large estate rooms.
- Groin Vault
- A ceiling formed by two intersecting barrel vaults, frequently used in estate entries, loggias, and wine rooms.
- Loggia
- A covered outdoor room open on at least one side, integral to the house rather than appended to it.
- Hardscape
- The built exterior landscape: drives, terraces, walls, steps, and pool surrounds. In covenant communities, hardscape usually requires review.
Keep Reading
Where these terms are used.
Covenant vocabulary appears throughout The Covenant Living Guide and Architectural Review. Architectural vocabulary appears in Architectural Styles and the Architecture Guide. For quick answers, see the FAQ, or search the whole guide from the search page.
This is an independent editorial reference. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for the Skyecroft association, its developer, or Union County. See Disclosures and Terms of Use.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions.
What is the Skyecroft glossary?
It is an independent, plain-English reference defining the covenant, architectural, and community terms buyers and residents encounter in Skyecroft — with a detail page for each term.
What do CC&Rs mean in a community like Skyecroft?
CC&Rs are the recorded Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions that bind every homesite. They govern exterior standards, use, and assessments, and the recorded documents always control.
What is architectural review?
Architectural review is the process by which a community board evaluates proposed exterior work — new construction, additions, roofing, paint, fencing, pools, and hardscape — before it begins.
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