Home Design and Remodels

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Home and Remodel Design Considerations

When planning the layout of your building site or the design of your buildings and landscape, incorporate alternatives that reduce storm water runoff. Many of the storm water management alternatives that are recommended for new construction can also be incorporated into remodels.

  • Work with your contractor or site engineer to reduce the overall lot imperviousness by incorporating alternative driveway, walkway, and patio surfaces into your design.
  • Consider building designs that reduce rooftop surface areas. For example, a two-story house has less rooftop surface than a rambler while still accommodating the same interior square footage. Less rooftop surface reduces the overall impervious surface area on your property. Other examples for reducing rooftop surface area may include building a two-story garage that has your shop/studio above the parking area rather than two separate buildings.
  • Direct rooftop runoff to a pervious area on your property such as a grassy swale or other vegetated area rather than to an impervious surface such as a driveway. There are a variety of on-site infiltration approaches that can be incorporated into your home design that will hold water on-site and slowly release it back into the ground. Work with your contractor or an engineer to identify an approach that will work for your site.
Alternative Surface Suggestions
Driveways 
Lattice Concrete Pavers/ Modular Pavement,  Porous Asphalt, Pervious Concrete
Walkways Lattice Concrete Pavers/ Modular Pavement,  Stepping Stones, Brick, Crushed Stone, Wood Chips
Patios  Lattice Concrete Pavers/ Modular Pavement, Brick, Wood Decking

Home Design and Remodels References

Storm Water Management Manual for Western Washington, BMP Reference (2005):

Available at:  http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html

  • Better Site Design – BMP T5.21, Volume V, Runoff Treatment BMP’s
  • Porous Concrete & Asphalt – BMP T5.40, Volume V, Runoff Treatment BMP’s
  • Porous Pavers – BMP T5.41, Volume V, Runoff Treatment BMP’s
  • Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement – BMP T5.42, Volume V, Runoff Treatment BMP’s 

Low Impact Development Technics for Puget Sound, Puget Sound Action Team

Available at:  http://www.psat.wa.gov/Programs/LID.htm

  • Roads, Driveways and Parking (Medium to High Density) – 3.1.1 Site Planning and Layout
  • Roads, Driveways and Parking (Low Density/Large Lots) – 3.1.2 Site Planning and Layout
  • Building Design – 3.5 Site Planning and Layout
  • Porous Asphalt or Concrete – 7.1.1.1 Permeable Pavements (7.1), DOE Low Impact Development Design and Flow Modeling Guidance
  • Grid/Lattice Systems (Non-Concrete) – 7.1.1.2 Permeable Pavements (7.1), DOE Low Impact Development Design and Flow Modeling Guidance

Whatcom County Development Standards (County Code)

Available at:  htthttp://www.mrsc.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=whatpage.htm$vid=municodes:Whatcom

  • Impervious Surface Limitations – WCC 20.71.302
  • Stormwater Special Districts Requirements – WCC 20.80.636

City of Bellingham Development Standards (Municipal Code)

Available at:  http://www.cob.org/web/bmcode.nsf/ 

  • Impervious Surface Requirements – BMC 16.80.090
  • Impervious Area Credits – BMC 16.80.100
  • Development Standards for Residential Single Development – BMC 16.80.080
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