Custom homes, renovations and concrete across Loudoun County
Loudoun County changes from east to west, and a custom home builder working here has to change with it. The county's comprehensive plan treats most of the east as suburban, the western two-thirds as rural, and a transition area as the ground between. A kitchen near Route 7 and a new house in the Loudoun Valley are different projects long before the first footing is dug.
Blackline Builders designs and builds custom homes, renovations, additions, outdoor living spaces and concrete work across the county. Every project starts with one question: which rules apply to this lot?
How approvals work in Loudoun County
Loudoun County's Department of Building and Development issues building permits for the whole county, towns included. Zoning is split. The county handles zoning outside the incorporated towns. Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville and Round Hill each apply their own zoning ordinance, and the town's approved zoning permit goes in with the county building permit application.
Further layers depend on where the lot sits:
- County historic districts. In Aldie, Bluemont, Goose Creek, Oatlands, Taylorstown and Waterford, most exterior changes need approval from the Historic District Review Committee before work begins, including alterations, demolition and new construction. The Beaverdam Creek historic roadways district is narrower: its guidelines reach only consenting parcels, close to the designated roads.
- Town historic review. Leesburg and Middleburg run their own historic district review, and Purcellville's architectural review board looks at projects other than single-family homes along its historic corridor.
- Environmental overlays. County zoning includes floodplain, mountainside and limestone overlays, plus standards for stream corridors, sensitive soils and steep slopes. Shrink-swell clay in the east and karst north of Leesburg are two reasons foundations here are designed for the site.
- Airport noise. Near Washington Dulles International Airport, new homes and additions in the overlay's Ldn 60–65 noise area need acoustical treatment.
- Community associations. Brambleton, Broadlands and other planned communities review exterior changes.
Towns and communities we serve in Loudoun
Ashburn
Kitchens, basements and additions in planned communities, where association review runs alongside the county permit. See remodels and additions in Ashburn, including Brambleton, Broadlands and One Loudoun.
Leesburg
The county seat. Inside town limits, the town's zoning permit comes before the county's building permit, and exterior work in the Old and Historic District needs a certificate of appropriateness. Read about building in Leesburg, from Old Town to Lansdowne.
Sterling
Neighborhoods built across several decades near Dulles. Here we lead with kitchens, baths, additions and driveways. Explore renovations and concrete in Sterling, covering Countryside, Cascades and Sugarland Run.
Aldie
A mill village on Route 50 with its own county historic district, beside Willowsford and its preserved open space. Start with custom homes in Aldie.
Purcellville
A Loudoun Valley town with its own zoning permit, where the architectural review board looks at projects other than single-family homes. See building in Purcellville.
Middleburg
A historic town in hunt country, where exterior changes visible from the street in its historic district need the town committee's approval. Read about estate work in Middleburg.
What we build across Loudoun County
- Custom home building on suburban lots and rural land, with the foundation designed for the soil.
- Room and second-story additions, planned around setbacks, association guidelines and, near Dulles, the noise overlay.
- Covered porches, pavilions, outdoor living spaces and garages.
- Kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations and basement finishing.
- Concrete driveways, patios, walkways, steps and retaining walls.
Questions about approvals
Loudoun County issues the building permit wherever the house is. Inside one of the seven incorporated towns, zoning comes from the town, and the county expects the town's approved zoning permit with the application. Outside the towns, the county handles both.
Historic districts add design review, whether county districts such as Aldie and Waterford or the town districts in Leesburg and Middleburg. Floodplain, mountainside and limestone overlays, steep slopes, sensitive soils and the airport noise overlay can each add requirements.
No. The Act's list of Tidewater localities includes Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties, but not Loudoun. Loudoun protects its streams through its own river and stream corridor standards, which are worth checking early on any lot near water.
To talk through a project anywhere in Loudoun, book a free on-site estimate or call 571-200-3100.
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