Topic Index

Community

• SkyecroftCommunitySkyecroftA 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 SchoolsCommunityWaxhaw Address / Weddington SchoolsThe 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)CommunityETJ (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 SchoolsCommunityUnion County Public SchoolsThe school district that draws and periodically revises attendance boundaries for this corridor. Only the district's official determination governs a given address.
• GatehouseCommunityGatehouseThe 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 AreaCommunityCommon AreaLand and improvements owned or maintained collectively for the benefit of all owners — typically entrances, streetscapes, lakes, trails, and amenity parcels.

Covenants

• CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions)CovenantsCC&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…
• DeclarationCovenantsDeclarationThe umbrella recorded instrument that creates the community and its owners association. The CC&Rs are contained within it, and amendments are recorded against it.
• BylawsCovenantsBylawsThe 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 AssociationCovenantsOwners AssociationThe 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.
• AssessmentCovenantsAssessmentThe 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 AssessmentCovenantsSpecial AssessmentA 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 StudyCovenantsReserve StudyA 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 GuidelinesCovenantsDesign GuidelinesThe written standards, adopted under the CC&Rs, that describe acceptable materials, colors, massing, landscaping, and site treatment for exterior work.
• Architectural ReviewCovenantsArchitectural ReviewThe formal process by which proposed exterior construction, additions, or alterations are submitted for approval against the design guidelines before work begins.
• VarianceCovenantsVarianceA 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.
• SetbackCovenantsSetbackThe 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.
• PlatCovenantsPlatThe 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.
• EasementCovenantsEasementA 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 AssessmentsCovenantsResale Certificate / Statement of Unpaid AssessmentsThe disclosure package a buyer typically requests before closing, showing assessment status, governing documents, and any pending violations or claims against the lot.
• EstoppelCovenantsEstoppelA written association statement confirming the assessment and compliance status of a lot as of a date, relied on at closing.
• Enforcement / Cure PeriodCovenantsEnforcement / Cure PeriodThe 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.

Architecture

• MassingArchitectureMassingThe overall three-dimensional composition of a building — the arrangement and relative size of its volumes. Estate architecture is judged first on massing, before detail.
• ElevationArchitectureElevationA scaled drawing of one exterior face of a building. In review, all four elevations matter, not just the street-facing one.
• Four-Sided ArchitectureArchitectureFour-Sided ArchitectureThe 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-CochèreArchitecturePorte-CochèreA roofed structure extending over a drive, allowing passage from a vehicle under cover. A recurring motif in French- and manor-inspired estate design.
• QuoinArchitectureQuoinThe dressed stone or masonry units that emphasize a building's outside corners, common in Georgian and French Country vocabularies.
• DormerArchitectureDormerA roofed projection with a window, set into a sloping roof. Dormer rhythm and proportion strongly signal architectural style.
• Hipped RoofArchitectureHipped RoofA roof that slopes on all four sides to the walls, with no vertical gable ends. Characteristic of French Country and many Georgian-influenced estates.
• GableArchitectureGableThe triangular wall section between the two slopes of a pitched roof. Steep, closely spaced gables are a Tudor and English Manor signature.
• Half-TimberingArchitectureHalf-TimberingExposed decorative timber framing infilled with stucco or masonry, the defining Tudor Revival surface treatment.
• PedimentArchitecturePedimentA low triangular or segmental gable over a door, window, or portico. A classical device central to Georgian composition.
• CorniceArchitectureCorniceThe projecting horizontal molding that crowns a wall or roof edge. Cornice depth and profile are among the clearest indicators of build quality.
• FenestrationArchitectureFenestrationThe arrangement, proportion, and rhythm of windows and doors across an elevation.
• Casement WindowArchitectureCasement WindowA 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 SlateArchitectureSlate / Synthetic SlateA premium roofing material — natural stone shingle, or an engineered composite imitating it — associated with manor and chateau vocabularies.
• StuccoArchitectureStuccoA cementitious exterior render. In estate work, the distinction between traditional hard-coat stucco and synthetic EIFS materially affects durability and value.
• MillworkArchitectureMillworkFinished interior woodwork — paneling, casings, moldings, built-ins, and stair components — typically the largest visible differentiator between builders.
• Coffered CeilingArchitectureCoffered CeilingA ceiling divided into a grid of recessed panels by beams, used to give scale and order to large estate rooms.
• Groin VaultArchitectureGroin VaultA ceiling formed by two intersecting barrel vaults, frequently used in estate entries, loggias, and wine rooms.
• LoggiaArchitectureLoggiaA covered outdoor room open on at least one side, integral to the house rather than appended to it.
• HardscapeArchitectureHardscapeThe built exterior landscape: drives, terraces, walls, steps, and pool surrounds. In covenant communities, hardscape usually requires review.