Comments on: Tree Falls Into MAK District Home

By: decaturdad

decaturdad — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:54:06 +0000

I just drove by the house on Kings Hwy and it looks like the owners have it well under control. The tree is off and the roof is well tarped in record time. The damage is bad, but it doesn’t look nearly as bad as it did with the tree sitting on top of it.

My guess is that the HPC will be reasonable (it looks like just the roof needs to be redone) and that the repairs will be done quickly and well.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:26:54 +0000

There have been other houses in MAK damaged in the past worse than this home appears to be and they were rebuilt following the historic guidelines and the insurance did cover. One home simply repaired the damage returning the home to it’s original design. Another was hit by two trees and they owners used it as an opportunity to renovate (obviously the renovation portion wasnot covered by insurance) within historic guidelines.

Of course, by living in an historic district adds an additional step to the rebuilding process. This is to insure the appearance supports the original home and neighborhood aesthetic. It is not to prevent homeowners from rebuilding.

By: Bic Schaeffer

Bic Schaeffer — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:51:36 +0000

If only these intown forested neighborhoods would have followed the previous administration’s healthy forest initiative, that tree and others of that ilk would have been sold off to the timber industry and tragedies like this would have been avoided.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:43:44 +0000

The key thing in historic districts is appearance, not detailed materials and specs. For instance, insulated windows can be used as long as the glass has the appearance of the original 6-over-6 or whatever panes. I think a homeowner and qualified architect and competent builder could pretty easily come up with plans that would satisfy the criteria.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:41:48 +0000

I agree that we should wait to see exacty what the situation here is before drawing any conclusions. However, the homeowner should beware of the situation they now find themselves given that they live in the MAK district.

Doubt that? Take a look at one of the more recent HPC meetings posted on the Decatur City website where HPC commissioners discussed how the homeowner must enlarge the size of his front portch depsite the increased financial burden it would impose because it was important that “the front porch allows transition from public to private space” and that even though the homeowner and his wife preferred double doors, that a proposed single door with side lights was more fitting for the property.

Good luck!

http://www.decaturga.com/cgs_citygov_resboards_historicagendas.aspx (See Nov 11, 2008 minutes)