Fences are governed as structures and all specifications covering the allowed location, size, design, and materials of fences are covered in the Wawaset Fence Guidelines dated January 1997 below. Plastic fences are not allowed. 

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January 1997 - The Trustees' policy on these questions is guided largely by the principle of maintain the open spaces in the set-back areas between our houses and the sidewalks to provide park-like vistas, uncluttered by structures of over-planting. This pricniple was inherent in Edward Palmer's design of the Park in 1918 and is an attribute that continues to provide enjoyment and value for residents and visitors. The following specifications were approved unanimously by the Wawaset Maintenance Corporation Board of Trustees and is effective immediately.

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Guideline I - Before any new fence is added or any existing fence is modified or replaced, the property owner is required by Sub-Division VII of the Wawaset deed to submit plans to, and get the written approval of, the Architectural Committee of the Wawaset Maintenance Corporation.

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Guideline II - These plans must show the proposed design, dimensions and materials of construction of the fence and its proposed location relative to the house delineated on a plot plan of the property with location measurements. For fences which run parallel to (a), the front of any property or (b), the side street of any corner property, a landscape plan must also be submitted showing how the appearance will be softened or screened by plantings.

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Guideline III -The maximum height of any fence shall be 6 feet above ground level. For certain fences on corner properties, the maximum allowable height is 4 feet (see 6 below).

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Guideline IV - For a fence with sides having different appearances, the finished (good) side shall face the neighboring property.

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Guideline V - With one exception (see 6 below), no part of any fence shall be constructed closer to any front or side street than the 2 or 3 story portion of the house.

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Guideline VI - For a corner property, a fence may be located closer to the side street (but not closer to the front street) than the 2 or 3 story portion of the house provided the fence is:

          (a) no higher than 4 feet above ground level and,

          (b) set back at least 3 feet from the side property line (which is usually about 1 foot back from the inner edge of the sidewalk) and,

          (c) designed with a face having at least 30% open space and made of wood or decorative iron (not wire mesh or chain-link) and,

          (d) landscaped with appropriate plantings and,

          (e) approved by both the Architectural Committee and the Trustees.

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A number of residents have asked for more details on the subject of hedges as well as suggestions about hedges located in front or side yards. To clarify this situation the Board of Trustees, after considerable review, has outlined and documented the Park's policy for installation of fences and suggestions on hedges.

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Suggestion I - It is desirable to keep hedges, which are located closer to any front or side street than the house, trimmed to a height of 4 feet or less.

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Suggestion II - A hedge adjacent to a driveway should be set back sufficiently from the sidewalk and trimmed low enough so as not to block a safe line of sight between the driver of a vehicle backing out of the driveway and nearby pedestrians or drivers of on-coming vehicles.

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Suggestion III - Hedges should be trimmed so that they don't extend over sidewalks impeding pedestrians.

Windows that are being replaced must match the original style of the home. Windows that have mullions (grills) must include permanent mullions on the inside, middle, and exterior of the glass. No snap in “grills” are allowed. Vinyl windows are not allowed. Homes with double hung sash type windows (typically the colonial homes) should use the same type when they are replaced. English Tudor style homes normally have a casement style window so this is the style that must be used during replacement.

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Some examples of approved window manufacturers and designs are:

• Pella manufactures an “Architecture Series Window” that are “Divided Light” and “True Divided Light”

• Marvin

• Kolbe and Kolbe

• Anderson Woodright Series 400

• Andersen A Series (Architect Series)

• PlyGem Mira Series

Exterior doors that are being replaced must match the existing design. The same requirements for windows apply for doors. Wood doors are preferable as these match the original doors built with the homes in Wawaset.

Shutters must be solid material, like wood (Cedar, etc.), or a solid composite plastic (PVC), like Endurian (Timberlane). Shutters must be attached with hinges and have hold backs. Hollow plastic shutters are not allowed. Shutters cannot be screwed to the house.

Gutters and downspouts can be aluminum or copper. If aluminum is chosen, the color should be chosen to match the home. No plastic is allowed.

No vinyl siding or vinyl soffit is allowed. Brick, stone, stucco, cedar siding are acceptable materials for exterior walls. Hardie Siding is a cementitious composite option for siding. It is a cementitious material that is very durable and will last essentially forever. Although thinner, this material is indistinguishable from real cedar siding when painted.

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No aluminum trim or soffit are allowed. Wood was the original material therefore wood or a solid composite material should be used for replacement or any exterior trim, molding, etc. No wrapping with aluminum is allowed. All trim must be wood or a solid composite material such as Azek, Boral, Trex, or solid PVC. New material will be considered but these must be submitted to the Architecture Committee prior to work beginning.

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Plastic railings or plastic flat roof railings and balusters are not permitted.

Roofing material must be tile (clay or similar), slate, synthetic slate, or an approved asphalt fiberglass. If an asphalt material is to be used it should match the existing material in size (exposure) and color. This is especially true when a new roof is being installed on a semi-detached home that the new roof material is next to the existing material. The roof material and color must be approved by the Architecture Committee for any project.

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Standing seam copper or tin roofs are acceptable on smaller additions or porch roofs, but not the main roof of a home. Standing seem roofs of this type are generally used on small roofing areas such as additions, side porches, front porticos, A-frame dormers, shed dormers, etc. Some factory painted standing seem roofing is acceptable on these smaller roofs. Standing seem roofing was not used originally on a home’s main roof in the Park, so this is not permitted. Please discuss with the Architecture Committee. Corrugated roofing is not permitted.

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Examples of Synthetic Slate Material:

• Lamarite Slate, P.O. Box 1404 Joplin, MO 04802 800-641-4691. Please note this material was used on the alumni house and the football field concession building at Tower Hill School and installed in 2007.

• PlyGem makes a synthetic slate roofing material that has been used on various homes in the Park.

• Davinci Synthetic Slate. This material provides a good shadow line and looks great on a roof. This has been installed on a 1102 Westover Road in Westover Hills as well as 728 Nottingham Road.

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Some examples of Asphalt Roof Material that are allowed are as follows:

• GAF Slateline – Gray

• GAF Timberline Ultra HD

• CertainTeed Grand Manor – Stone Gate Gray

• CertainTeed Landmark Pro

• Owens Corning Tru-Definition Duration

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No asphalt roofing material can be used on the side of dormer windows. Originally dormer window sides were covered with wood siding or slate. Slate, wood, or Hardie Board can be used. Asphalt shingles cannot be used on the side of dormer windows.

Doug O’Connell Roofing, a roofer in Wilmington, has installed reclaimed slate on several homes in the Park and the pricing is very competitive to high end asphalt shingles.

No vinyl siding or vinyl soffit. Brick, stone, stucco, cedar siding are acceptable materials for exterior walls. Hardie Siding is a cementitious composite option for siding. It is a cementitious material that is very durable and will last essentially forever. Although thinner, this material is indistinguishable from real cedar siding when painted.

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No aluminum trim and soffit are not allowed. Wood was the original material therefore wood or a solid composite material should be used for replacement or any exterior trim, molding, etc. No wrapping with aluminum is allowed. All trim must be wood or a solid composite material such as Azek, Boral, Trex, or solid PVC.

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All aspects of the above guidelines apply to additions as they encompass roofing, windows, doors, shutters, gutters, etc.

Free standing garages in Wawaset Park generally match the main house in exterior material and color. Any proposal for a new garage must follow the same continuity of materials of the associated home. New garages must have a masonry base that extends up by at least 3 feet from the finished grade.

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All other aspects of a garage must conform to the guidelines above.

A new or replacement garage door should match the character of the garage and/or previous garage door. The majority of garage doors are colonial with raised panel sections a set of windows on the second section (from the top). There are other designs of garage doors on some of the more modern homes, but once again we encourage residents to match the proposed design to what was there previously.

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Wood doors are the material for all original doors, so a wood replacement door is acceptable. There are many steel garage doors that are factory painted so are very long lasting and require essentially no maintenance.

No vinyl doors are permitted.

A deck (wood or other solid material) or hardscaping (masonry, etc.) is considered a structure, so this is governed under the Wawaset Deed. An application needs to be submitted to the Architecture Committee. No vinyl is permitted.

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Although the Wawaset Deed specifically maintains that the Park should have open vistas, landscaping of plants, etc. are not under the purview of the Wawaset Deed.
 

No black asphalt over-top of sidewalks for a driveway.

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Solar Panels are not permitted. The trustees unanimously rejected the use of Solar panels in their current form. If a proposal is submitted with a solar array that looks like an existing roof material this configuration will be considered by the trustees.

Dish antennas are allowed but the placement must be approved by the Architecture Committee PRIOR TO INSTALLATION.

Sheds are not permitted.

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Political signs and contractor signs are allowed but they must be placed in the main yard of the home. They cannot be placed in the curb strip between the sidewalk and the road.

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Dumpsters are allowed, but the placement must be approved by the Architecture Committee, and there needs to be a signed document showing the duration the dumpster will be at the proposed location.

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A Port a Potty (Portable Toilets) cannot be placed in the front of a house. These must be placed in the back of a home, out of sight.

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Air Conditioners are not allowed in the front of a home. The placement of air conditioning refrigerant lines that supply an upper floor and are mounted on the side of a home need to be enclosed in a downspout to cover these lines. Their placement needs to be discussed with the Architecture Committee.

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Children’s playsets, swing sets and playhouses are allowed. These should be in the rear or side yard of a home.

The specific manufacturer’s products are subject to change and this document will be revised on a regular basis. As new materials become available or manufacturers discontinue or change their products, we will change this document accordingly.