Home designs along the Jersey Shore can vary depending on what town or, should we say, “What Exit”, off the Garden State Parkway you are in. A prevalent design in some areas, like Long Beach Island towns consist mainly of homes that are more traditional New England inspired designs with old, weathered cedar shakes and Cape Cod style exteriors. Many of the areas along Cape Cod from Sandwich to Hyannis Port through Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and up to Provincetown all share similar home styles with details like gabled dormers and eyebrow windows that blend perfectly with the seashore environment, while capturing the essence of New England design. When it comes to rebuilding the homes along the New Jersey shore after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, many homeowners are concerned with how the overall look of their elevated homes will change the look of their towns. With the new elevation requirements in many shore towns the affect this will have on the overall landscape of their neighborhoods is hard to visualize. Many new custom homes in towns on Long Beach Island were already designed and built elevated and on pilings with breakaway boards.With a New England inspired design and style, comes the fact that many of the homes on Long Beach Island have been handed down over generations and are even owned and shared by several family members as second or vacation homes. Over the years, it is rare that major repairs or renovations are made and things like shakes on the siding are repaired and replaced as needed and left to weather over time to match the rest of the siding. The homes were all built decades ago, on the ground, and the prospect of maintaining the historic design and timeless style of these homes when you elevate them seems nearly impossible.
We know from our experience in building custom homes on LBI that it is definitely possible to design and build an elevated home that will capture the feeling and design of a traditional Nantucket home. The lower levels that are under the elevated living space can provide more space than the original ground level home in the form of a covered porch, storage or garage area. There are many exterior building products that offer the look of the traditional seashore home, but are made to withstand the harsh seashore elements and strong storms that are prevalent along our shore areas. From siding to windows and roofing products, everything you need to recreate the look of your Cape style home is available for new construction. In addition, many of these products come in greener forms as well as higher energy efficient materials for added protection from the environment.
If you are interested in building or rebuilding a custom home on Long Beach Island or in one of the mainland towns, one of the most important things you can do before rebuilding is to discuss the design and exterior finishes with your builder and architect. By determining the look and feel of the exterior materials prior to construction not only will you will be able to ensure that the look of your home will fit with the designs that are prevalent in your neighborhood, you will be able to meet the new elevation requirements that FEMA currently recommends, which are meant to help protect your newly built home from the future storms that may find their way to our beautiful Jersey Shore. For more information on our Cape style designs, building a custom home or elevation requirements, please feel free to contact Stonehenge Building and Development today.