Finish carpentry for Wellington homes and equestrian properties

A village with its own design checklist

Wellington’s Land Development Regulations set minimum design and material standards, and every building permit for a principal or accessory structure carries a signed affidavit that the plans meet them. Several lines shape the woodwork as much as the architecture:

• Accessory buildings, freestanding garages, cabanas and additions use the same color and materials as the main house. Stables do too.
• No house facade may be identical to the house next to it.
• A pitched roof covers at least 70 percent of the air-conditioned space, at a minimum 3:12 pitch.
• Plans contain no reflective glass or reflective window film.

So a new cabana or guest wing should carry the trim language of the main house. If the house has stained beams and cypress doors, the cabana’s beamed ceiling and doors should read as part of the same family.

Inside the Equestrian Preserve

The village describes its equestrian community as about 9,000 acres in the western and southern parts of Wellington. It is shown on the Future Land Use Map as the Equestrian Preserve Area and regulated by the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District, adopted in 2003 to preserve the area’s farms, venues and lifestyle. The area includes Wellington International, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, and the National Polo Center, and the village maintains more than 100 miles of public bridle trails.

Farm houses here suit wood that looks honest about its structure:

• Exposed truss or tongue-and-groove ceilings in great rooms and covered porches.
• Wide plank or board-and-batten paneling in mudrooms and entry halls.
• Heavy paneled or Dutch-style doors between living space and outdoor rooms.
• Simple, sturdy stair railings with square balusters and a stained rail.

Dust and humidity are the enemies on a working farm. Seal every face, and use hardwoods over softwoods on anything that gets handled.

Submitting through ProjectDox

The Building Department only processes permits electronically. The completed application goes to the village by email, a permit technician enters it, and plans are uploaded through ProjectDox as PDFs at 8.5 by 11, 11 by 17 or 24 by 36 inches. The login is the contractor’s registered email, so registration comes before the first upload.