Few questions.... (Dallas, Plano, Garland: fit in, insurance, custom home)

[Dorothy1960]

Yes here I am again, while I'm not coming to Dallas tomorrow, it will be in the next few years as soon as hubs completes this current work assignment. We have a plan..... Specifially we're thinking the Garland/Richardson area -- definitely the North/NE area from Dallas (got that figured out, THANKS to Momof2 ) I need a nice established neighborhood close to shopping and fun things do to... and also near downtown. We'll be happy to leave Virginia and all the snow we had this year. Hubs travels ALOT, so guess who had to shovel? I want warmth & sunlight & good texmex!

Anyway I have been reading & reading, seems that the older homes have pier & beam foundations and the newer ones have slab. Which one is the best?

Also what is everyone's opinion on Zero Lot Line Homes? Are they actually like a single family (or are you in your neighbors face, literally) or more like townhouse living?

Believe me living here in Northern Va is a constant grind... no way can the traffic in Dallas be worse than here!

[hamiltonpl]

Pier & Beam moves with the soil. Slabs can crack. Therefore, pier & beam is better for Texas' expanding and contracting soil.

I'm not completely sure about zero lot line homes. I've never lived in one. But my impression is that they are like townhomes. You share a wall with a neighbor. But you don't share anything else.

[Lakewooder]

You will have to look mostly south of Northwest Highway for pier and beam. Those homes are built like fortresses.

Visit us in Lakewood, you'll love it. And there's no traffic - it's a village in the city.

[kaykay]

We lived on a zero lot line house once. We did not share a wall. The houses were just very close to our neighbors' house. We lived on the corner lot so it didn't feel quite so tight.

[momof2dfw]

Zero Lot Line Homes: Not all of them share a wall w/ their neighbor. There is a new development by me on the Firewheel Golf Course called Irongate that is zero lot custom homes. VERY NICE! They do not share a wall w/ the neighbor, the garages are 2-car front entry, a small pool would take up the backyard. I do know of one person that bought two lots as they liked the development but wanted a tad more yard. What I really like about this development is someone actually thought ahead. There is parking for guests provided, small little parking lots accessible to every street so that guests do not have to park in the streets. Which also helps it feel more "open" so that you don't have cars crammed on the streets and w/ the front entry it limits the amount of street parking.

Then there are many homes being built and not being sold as "zero lot" that should be. I know of one in McKinney that literally the front drive is so short that my Suburban would not fit into it. YIKES! Sad thing is the ones that are "zero lot" by me actually fit my Suburban, lol. Anyway, these in McKinney are so small that a weedeater would be sufficient to mow the front lawn. No thanks.

Foundations: I have known houses that were pier and beam that needed foundation work and more piers put in. So don't let that fool you into thinking they are completely free from trouble. Slab on grade can be just fine if the ground is properly prepared and the slab done right and the homeowner takes care of it. Here is what NOT to do w/ either:
Don't let it dry out and get large cracks around it.
Don't let water pond next to the foundation.
Don't plant large trees w/in 10-15' of the foundation.
Don't plant large shrubs up against the foundation and let them grow up to the eaves (red tip's are the WORST about this).
If you do notice something get it checked out and fixed right away and you will probably save yourself larger headaches down the road. Prevention is the best remedy. Besides, the majority of homes in the Dallas area DO NOT have foundation problems. Even if a house has had foundation problems if it was minor and corrected properly the house will be just fine.

Welcome back Dorothy

[socketz]

What is the true definition of a zero lot line ?

Where does 'small yard' stop and 'zero lot line begin' ?

Personally, I like more compact residential areas that have lots of open space around them. I'm not a huge privacy freak and don't mind walking outside and running into my nieghbor at the mailbox which is next to his...

I grew up with homes on huge wooded lots in Maryland, so I already know what I'm supposed to be missing.

For instance, Preston Lakes on Preston in Willow Bend is 0 lot line, and the area is really nice (excellent builders). Most of the folks there are empty nesters and prefer to live in a small mancured yard vs a large one. Lots of open space in the community. What's wrong with that ?

[GoPadge]

There's nothing wrong with it, if it's what you're looking for. I use to have a co-worker who's dad lived in Miami. His 'yard' was smaller than a two car garage. He got tired of cutting the weeds, and had the whole thing concreted over.

[TriumphOfTheSprint]

Originally Posted by socketz

What is the true definition of a zero lot line ?

Where does 'small yard' stop and 'zero lot line begin' ?

If a wall of the house touches the property line - that is a zero-lot line. I suppose that could include duplexes, etc. if they have their own lots per unit with a shared wall, but I usually see it here to refer to a house where one wall of the neighbors house is on the property line. If there is a setback, then it is just a small yard.

[Jay Robbins]

There are plenty of older homes on pier and beam foundations. They were typically built before 1960. Richardson, Plano, and parts of North Dallas will have homes on pier and beam foundations. I like a pier and beam home, because they're easier to repair - and you'll need to repair your foundation at some point. It's also much easier to complete major plumbing or remodel projects, because the plumbing is easily accesible.

[socketz]

Most new homes have post tension slabs, so they also make repairs to the foundation possible. Pier and beam foundations are the ultimate in home construction in the metroplex, do insurance companies offer discounts for homes with these types of foundations ? I know that for new construction with post tension discounts of 30-35% are offered.