What Are the Design Rules for Homes at Tennessee National?

The design rules at Tennessee National come down to three things: homes are custom built, every plan goes through design review, and the specifics live in a written set of design guidelines.

That matters because when you buy a homesite, you are also buying whatever gets built next door. This page will not paraphrase the guidelines. Rules like these can change, and a blog is the wrong place to learn a setback. What follows is how design review works in general and what to ask before you sign.

Does Tennessee National have design rules?

Yes. Homes at Tennessee National are custom built, and plans go through design review before construction starts.

That applies whether you build next spring or ten years from now. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite, but when you do build, the plans get reviewed first.

"Custom built" does not mean anything goes. It means the home is designed for you and for your homesite, inside a frame every owner shares.

What do design guidelines usually cover?

In most planned communities, design guidelines cover what can be seen from the street, the water and the golf course. The table shows the usual topics. It is the general pattern, not a summary of Tennessee National's rules.

Get the current Tennessee National design guidelines and read them against this list. Where the document is silent, ask.

How does design review work?

Design review is a check of your plans against the written guidelines before you build. The details differ by community, but the steps usually look like this:

1. You get the guidelines. Ideally before you buy, and certainly before your architect starts drawing.
2. You submit plans. Often a site plan, floor plans, exterior drawings and a materials list.
3. A review group reads them. They compare the plans to the guidelines.
4. You get an answer. Approved, or approved once certain items are fixed.
5. You build what was approved. Changes along the way go back for another look.

Ask your land consultant how the process runs at Tennessee National today: who reviews plans, what to submit, how long to allow, and whether there is a review fee. Then build that time into your plan. Our guide to how building a home works shows where review falls among the other steps.

What should you ask before you buy a homesite?

Ask for the documents first, then ask about the specific piece of land. Eight questions cover most of it:

1. Can I have the current design guidelines and the recorded covenants before I sign?
2. Is there a smallest or largest home size for this homesite?
3. Where can the house sit? Show me the setbacks and any easements.
4. Which trees can I remove, and which have to stay?
5. Are there requirements for builders, or can I bring my own?
6. What does review cost, and how long should I allow?
7. If the homesite is on or near the water, what are the rules at the shoreline, and what does TVA control?
8. If I build years from now, which version of the guidelines applies?

That last question matters more here than in most places. Because there is no deadline to build, a lot of time can pass between buying and building, and guidelines can change in between. Get the answer in writing.

It also helps to read the land itself before you design. See how to read a homesite's slope, sun and views and how to choose a homesite. If you plan to stay in the house for good, how to design a forever home covers the features to draw in from the start.

Do design rules limit what you can build?

Yes, and that is the trade. You give up some freedom. In return, every neighbor gives up the same amount.

In most communities with design review, what you keep is most of what makes a home yours: the floor plan, how the rooms face the view and the finishes inside. What you share with the neighbors is the outside frame. The current design guidelines say where that line falls at Tennessee National.

For many buyers that is a fair deal. A home is a large purchase, and what goes up beside it affects how it feels to live there. For some buyers it is not a fair deal. If you want to build whatever you like and answer to nobody, a gated community with design review is the wrong fit, and land outside one will suit you better. Better to know that before you buy than after.

The honest bottom line

We can tell you three things for certain. Homes at Tennessee National are custom built. Plans go through design review. There is no deadline to build.

We will not list the specific rules here, because the current design guidelines are the only source that counts. Ask for them, read them before you fall for a homesite, and have your architect or builder read them before they draw a line. Pricing is in the info pack. When you schedule a visit, bring the eight questions above and ask them standing on the homesite.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.