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By SHARON KILPATRICK
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Building Inspector Richie Burke said that construction picked up during 1993, but more and more of the houses being built are “upper scale.”
There were 49 permits for new home construction in 1993, compared to 48 in 1992. The dollar amount of the construction was also up from $5.7 million to $6.5 million, but Mr. Burke estimates that the actual value of houses being built is much higher.
Fees for the basic building permits are based on square footage of the building, not on the actual cost, so Mr. Burke’s office uses cost estimates supplied by the builder or owner. In many cases the actual cost of the house is higher, he estimated.
Mr. Burke said that there are fewer and fewer permits for low cost houses, and even moderately priced houses are dropping, while permits for houses with 5,000 to 6,000 square feet are less unusual.
Permits for remodeling, additions and renovations were down in 1993. There were 87 such permits issued in 1992 with a construction amount of $2 million. In 1993 there were 57 permits for additions or remodeling with a cost of $1.3 million.
The numbers of permits for commercial construction, storage shops and barns, as well as electrical upgrades, and swimming pools were about the same. There wrere three permits for removing underground storage tanks in 1993, and none listed for 1992.
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94.8%