Best Practices are different than the guidelines suggested in Step 2. They are different than existing codes and existing private property laws. Best Practices address the individual responsibility of homeowners, architects, builders, realtors, city staff and officials. Communicating and being sensitive to the needs of each other will foster mutual respect.

Homeowners interested in Building and Remodeling:

• Find an architect and a builder who are sensitive to building in an established neighborhood
• Visit the site with your architect; have him show you how tall and how close your project will be relative to the adjacent homes
• Discuss your plans with your neighbors; show them a copy of a perspective rendering of your project
• Leave ample room in your budget for landscaping

Neighbors:

• Respect that the construction site is someone else's private property
• Communicate directly with the owner in a positive manner if you have concerns about what is being built in your neighborhood
• Know the existing building codes, especially those dealing with safety, noise, and keeping the site clean
• Call the builder or the City promptly to deal with problems
• Advise children of the dangers of a construction site
• Try to be patient; construction is noisy and messy
• Wait until the home is completed, landscaping is done and the new family has moved in before making a judgment regarding how the new construction fits into your neighborhood
• When selling your home, discuss your marketing strategy with your realtor; avoid marketing your home as a teardown
• Ask your realtor to market your home to builders who have been sensitive to your neighborhood in the past

Builders:

• Respect that you are building in established/quiet neighborhoods
• Post a perspective rendering of the project on site
• Post a phone number and contact person on site
• Mail a perspective rendering to neighbors with your demolition notification letter
• Protect as much existing landscaping as possible, especially large, older trees
• Work with an arborist or landscape architect/designer
• Pay special attention to the exiting codes concerning safety, noise, and keeping the site, streets and alleys clean
• Advise your subcontractors of the importance of these codes
• Before starting your project, fence your job site to ensure maximum safety and check on a regular basis to be sure it is intact
• Check the trash situation on a regular basis
• Alert your subcontractors that they are working in neighborhoods where there are children; safety is of great concern
• Deal with construction complaints from neighbors quickly and fairly
• Complete the exterior of the home and landscaping as quickly as possible to lessen the disruption to the neighborhood

Architects:

• Visit the site and complete the neighborhood site evaluation prior to beginning the design process
• Visit the site with your client and describe to them how tall and how close the new home will be relative to the existing homes
• Illustrate and discuss the benefits of a smaller, well-designed home
• Discuss the benefits of building a home that blends into an established neighborhood

Realtors:

• Avoid marketing homes as teardowns
• Familiarize yourself with building professionals who show sensitivity in established neighborhoods

Local Government:

• Deal with construction complaints from neighbors quickly and fairly
• Have copies available of the safety, noise, and trash codes
• Post a phone number and contact person (on site) for dealing with complaints