fisshforfun said:A couple of years ago I made the mistake of purchasing a lot in the prestigious Watersound St. Joe development here in South Walton County. After years of trying to get plans approved by their design and review process, tons of headaches, threats of $2500.00 per month fines for not stating a project on time, a total disrespect of owners, I could never recommended anyone to purchase a lot in a St. Joe development! Even though you are forced to select an approved Watersound architect, the Watersound DRB committee jerks every lot owner around for months at a time. There is an official pattern book, but this committee only uses it for reference, so owners and architects are left with becoming mind readers! There is no parity or equitable toward their reviews, and you can expect your plans to have to be redrawn at least a half dozen times. Guess its job security of the architects (and the DRB board members) who on average charge 10% of total build out costs. Personally, I recommend anyone to think twice before every purchasing a lot in any St. Joe development!
I'm reluctant to get in the middle of this but.....
as I deal with the Watercolor/St. Joe review boards and their approval process frequently maybe I can shed a little light on this subject.
First, Watercolor is by far the most difficult community to get your house plans approved in our area.
But, most homeowners, working with experienced architects who have worked with the St. Joe review board before will get their plans through the review process in about 3-4 months.
Of the projects I have been involved with in Watercolor:
60% went smoothly
30% involved several revisions and re-submittals
10% were nightmares!
I don't doubt FFF's experiences, and I can relate to it; but I can say it is not typical of the average review process.
When dealing with a St. Joe development, keep the following in mind:
1) Give yourself a realistic timeframe for completing the review process. Many homeowners wait until their build-out date is looming and try a last minute sprint to get their house underway.
2) Accept the fact that it is a heavily regulated community, and when the review board DEMANDS that you follow certain guidelines, they are not picking on you personally.
3) Either work with an architect who is experienced with the St. Joe review process, or accept that it will take longer to get your plans approved. There are many quirks about working with their ARB that are not in the rulebook (as FFF mentioned) so it helps to have done it before.