Home Design Philosophy
At The Cascades at Soldier Hollow, we have the opportunity to design homes and a community that bring about a traditional community and capture the grace, individuality and compatibility of an old world country elegance that blends Midway’s history with its future, much like the country communities of Europe.
To achieve this, we have adopted design guidelines that will assure a basic consistency to The Cascades at Soldier Hollow neighborhood, with timeless old-world heritage and country charm. To this end, all prospective new home designs will be required to follow a single European Genre for that specific home. Please click on the link below to view a brief video that illustrates this concept. Although The Cascades at Soldier Hollow features a variety of settings, home types and lot sizes, our Architectural Design Guidelines will knit them together in a cohesive neighborhood characterized by:
* An appropriate fit of the house to the lot and to the adjacent homes and relationships to common open space.
* Timeless, traditional old-world architecture such as steep gable roofs, towers, arches, portico entries, carriage houses and deeply set windows and doors * Materials of permanence and quality such as roofs of slate, walls of stone, brick and stucco, brick and stone paving, divided lite windows, heavy timber doors and detailing, wrought iron light fixtures, etc. * A lush landscape setting that will accent and blend The Cascades at Soldier Hollow homes into a unified neighborhood
At The Cascades at Soldier Hollow, our goal is to achieve a level of overall architectural unity that still allows variety and individual expression. It is also our intent to avoid incompatible architectural and landscape styles that will diminish the value of adjacent properties. The guidelines still leave latitude in the design of individual homes. Further, we will be happy to consider variations to these guidelines, if designs are demonstrated to be consistent with one of the authentic European styles shown in the video and compatible with the overall Cascades at Soldier Hollow image.
Home Design Approval
Prior to receiving a city building permit or beginning construction, home designs with color selections and landscaping plans must be approved by the Design Review Committee which is chaired by a member of the HOA Board and assisted by residents appointed to the Committee by the Board. The process for submitting designs, colors, and plans for review and receiving approval from DRC has been updated and is described here. There is more information on design requirements in the Architectural Design Guidelines and in the Cascades at Soldier Hollow CC&Rs. Please download and review the Architectural Design Guidelines and Article VIII from the amended CC&Rs relating to Design Guidelines to understand the restrictions and requirements in the construction of your home.
All documents are to be submitted in PDF format to Sheryl Hendrickson (hendricksonsixfam@gmail.com) who will make sure the submission is complete and then distribute to other members of the DRC and design/construction professionals for evaluation.
A $1,000 payment for the Design Review Process is to be made at the time of Preliminary Documents submittal and is to be paid to the Cascades at Soldier Hollow HOA. Please reach out to Ralph Carpenter at ralph.carpenter@gmail.com so he can create an invoice in PayHOA.
The DRC is committed to helping you through this process. However, to have your application considered, you must submit a complete application which includes all of the required items in each phase as you proceed through the approval process. The DRC will not begin their review of your home until your application is complete. Once the complete application is submitted, the DRC is committed to responding within 2-3 weeks. There may be questions or issues that come up as part of the review, so be sure to include your phone and email information on the "Submission Application For Phase I-Preliminary Review" form. There is a link to this form on this page.
Please note that once the DRC has approved your plans for construction, payment of the $10,000 refundable construction deposit is required before the approval letter will be issued to the owner and Midway City. This deposit is to be paid through PayHOA. When ready to pay, request (ralph.carpenter@gmail.com) that an invoice to be created in PayHOA. The entire $10,000 construction deposit is refundable once the home is completely finished according to the approved construction plans and all landscaping is also completed according to the approved landscaping plans. No partial refunds will be given for partial completion.
The Formal Design Review is a four-phase process as outlined below. To schedule a meeting with the DRC, please call, text or email the DRC Chairperson, Sheryl Hendrickson (hendricksonsixfam@gmail.com).
The Formal Design Review Phases are:
A) Phase I - Design Concept Review: Lot owners are invited to meet with the DRC to discuss ideas and concepts and submit inspiration photos, indicating the single European Genre design style they would like to pursue. The DRC Chairperson will give feedback and ideas that will help in creating the preliminary design. Doing this prior to engaging an architect or designer will save you time and money in the design and approval process and minimize the possible rejection of your design.
B) Phase II - Preliminary Design Review: This phase assists the owner and their design team in understanding the design requirements associated with building in The Cascades at Soldier Hollow. This includes, at a minimum, both front and rear elevation drawings and a site plan with the home location for a basic review and DRC feedback. In the submission please note any exceptions from the above design guidelines, particularly in exterior materials or design elements. This will allow constructive feedback prior to incurring significant costs. Construction plans should not be submitted nor completed at this phase. Typically the DRC meets monthly and you will receive feedback on your preliminary plan within two weeks after the meeting .
C) Phase III - Construction Plan Design Review: These are the final construction plans that you plan to file with the City of Midway for your building permit. The DRC will not accept partial submissions. The submission deadline for this is the 1st Wednesday of every month. The DRC meets the fourth week of each month to consider all submissions.
D) Phase IV - Exterior Materials Selection Board and Landscaping Plans. Upon successful completion of "Phase III-Construction Plan Design Review", the applicant must submit a sample board with all exterior materials and a landscaping plan for approval prior to the installation of any exterior materials and landscaping. The DRC will not review partial submissions. Currently, the submission deadline for these is the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
Phase I Submission Items:
A. Statement of the single European Genre that will be used as the inspiration for your new home
B. One or more inspiration photos that illustrate the concept or vision for your home
C. Any preliminary sketches or illustrations showing front elevation or 3D view, if available
D. Any concerns or exceptions you would like the DRC to consider
Phase II Submission Items:
A. Completed "Submission Application For Phase I - Preliminary Review" form. This can be found by clicking the link above on this page.
B. Site Plan @ 1” = 10’ or greater scale and must include the following
a. Property boundaries
b. Setbacks annotated
c. Building and any accessory buildings footprints
d. Topographical survey map of the lot with current contours and also preliminary final grading shown
C. Preliminary Elevation drawings with roof pitches and preliminary materials rendered
D. Written Summary of all requested exceptions from the Design Guidelines sections 1-9.
F. A payment for the Review Fee of $1000 can be made through PayHOA. Initiate a request to be invoiced for this fee and it will be entered for payment (ralph.carpenter@gmail.com).
See the Architectural Design Guidelines for complete information on Phase III and IV submissions