HOA on my butt

[Rich Stern]

Some of you may remember that I built a driveway extension and brought home my boat from paid storage after a couple of break-ins, theft of fishing gear, prop, etc.



Well, now my home owners association is busting my chops, because my boat is parked outside, when it is supposed to be in my garage (I couldn't fit my 17' Nitro in the garage, no way a 20.5' Sprint will fit.



So, I'm looking at either extending the driveway toward the back of the house to move the boat out of sight (expensive because of the sloping and amount of fill/construction needed, or moving the boat somewhere again.



I'm ticked off. Not because of the HOA rules (I signed a contract, which I will honor), but because of the very selective enforcement. My home is neatly manicured, my wife and I work hard to keep it up. The boat is not very visible from the street, and generally speaking it's stored in such a way as to not do anything to detract from the property. In the meantime, dozens of other "infractions" go un-enforced.



Gonna start looking for that 10+ acres to retire to, with clear lanes of fire in all directions.

 

[TrepMan]

Rich - I can bet "expensive because of the sloping and amount of fill/construction needed," I remember when I picked up the Nitro what you had already done, and the drop off behind it where the basement is!!!



I was on the board of our HOA for 3 years in our old neighboorhood, they got me because I would complain about illogical enforcement of rules, so they finaly said "if you don't like the way we enforce our architectural commitee by-laws, they there is an open board position you can fill and get involved to change it!" Famous last words!!! LOL



We had a similar situation where the VERY last street the 2nd to last house on the cul-de-sac inherited a motor home from a relative, They put up a very nice privacy fence, and were still getting nasty letters from the HOA. It turned out that IF you sat in just the right spot on the street at just the right time of day, you could see just a hair of the top of the motor home over the fence!! I went to the homeowner's side and it was an ugly fight, turned out it had NOTHING to do with being able to see the motor home but the guy around the block who's land was adjascent to this home, didn't like "seeing" a motor home from his back yard, which is tough luck as thats not in the by-laws, and he know when he bought his house he could see down into otherfolks yards (he's up a hill).



Good luck Rich!

 

[Mike Zechman]

I just built a new home, and have a steep driveway also. I put 400SQFT of driveway extra around the side of my garage and all the way back, it cost 1100 dollars, I thought that was a good deal

 

[Mike Taft2]

Rich,

I agree with your observation about selective enforcement. You don't hear from them for months, then a neighbor gets a letter out of the blue about something minor, when I

see infractions that stick out like a fart in church all day long.



This is my last dance with an HOA. Looking for my own 10 acres...

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

Rich, you hear this kind of thing over and over. Folks just cannot stand someone having something, they don't have. If it were me, I would take pics of the other offenses. I would also tell the HOA, I will be glad to take care of the problem, when all the others are fixed. Someone, maybe even your next door neighbor reported you. Tell the HOA thanks for doing such a good job, but don't stop here, cite the others too. Good Luck.



Bubby

 

[Edward Lea.]

With my Stubborn streak and resistance to authority I am afraid a HOA and me could never co-exist. Nothing like a place in the country

 

[Larry Harp]

Makes me happy to be livin' in the ghetto.



Harpo

 

[Jim in VA]

HOA's are the very reason we bought in a NON-HOA neighborhood. Give some folks a wee bit of power and it gets ugly quick. Moving to the country doesn't always help as with new developments, the dreaded HOA's just follow. Sigh.



Rich - on a more practical note, is there a way to put up a shelter over the driveway extension to house the boat? Not a new garage, but one of those aluminum jobs that can be enclosed? Perhaps a fence? I also like bubby54's suggestion about pictures and establishing the fact that the HOA is only doing selective enforcement. That way if the HOA won't budge, you'll have some recourse if they threaten to go to the next level. HOA's have been shot down in the past for "selective" enforcement, which was nothing more than harrassment of a single homeowner. Problem with that approach, of course, is that its a formal dispute either through arbitration or the courts.



J.

 

[Pat Goff]

"Lawn Nazis"

After too many years in the country, moving to a POA neighborhood reminded what my grandfather always taught me about feeble minded people in positions of authority.



I do have my ten acres with a good field of fire, piss on the grass, change the oil, park my toys, and sit in my hot tub, and no one cares, or knows.

 

[Tony Payne]

Damn Pat... time to find a new place to piss dontcha think?

 

[Larry Harp]

I've always wanted to live someplace where I could mow necked. :lol::wacko:



Harpo

 

[Thomas (Tom) Nation]

Rich we have the same thing in our neighborhood. We have been in our house for 15 years, never a HOA meeting or nothing. Everybody went by the rules for awhile, then things got a little slack. Well it all started last year when I came home from Germany. The homeowner at the entrance put a fence in his front yard, not allowed. Well HOA started up again. To make a long story short, he is now the pres. of the HOA and his house is painted SMRUF BLUE. They told me I could not park my new boat beside my garage because it was not on concrete. This really made me mad. I went to Lowes and bought 3, 2foot sq. pads one for each tire and one for the jack, it is on a pad. They had a fit. Well I had planned on paving the area anyway and putting up a alum. cover that would match my house. HOA Said I couldnot put up the garage even tho it was not in the rules. Well now my boat is in the garage and other boat that was in there is at my brother-in -laws. I know thay dont like me because the new pontoon is on 7 little pads. HAHA.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

That's why the lake is FULL and OFF colored Simmy!:lol::lol:

 

[Rich Stern]

I'm entirely in favor of people being able to get together, as private citizens, and agree to maintain their property according to a certain standard. That's a fundamental freedom: Contracts between private citizens. I'm not even in favor of the recent flag law that overrides HOA contracts. To me, that's a government intrusion into the freeom of people to enter into whatever agreements they see fit.



I have a choice: Live in such a neighborhood, or not. I chose to live here. And, if the rules are going to be enforced across the board, I'll tow the line.



One of the HOA rules is that garage doors must be kept closed except during times of ingress/egress. As you might imagine, that rule gets violated a lot. At any given time, about 1/4 of the garage doors in the 'hood are open, and a lot moreso on weekends.



And the president of the HOA, the guy that's on my a** about the boat parking? His garage door is open most of the day, nearly every day. How do I know? Because I bike ride nearly every day. And it's always open. That's the kind of crap that burns me.



Here's my "transgression"...as you can see, I am destroying property values in the neighborhood with poor appearance.

Rant over. Thanks for the supportive comments!

 

[fatrap]

Hey Harpo don't the HOA in Oklahoma INSIST you have SOMETHING on conrete blocks in the front yard?



fatrap

 

[Donnie Matney]

Well I don't have 10 acres but I got 7 with a 1 acre pond. Here is my spread, pics taken from the drive way/pond dam. The pond is to the right in the 1st pic and on the left in the second (after the 1st pic I turned around and snaped the other). I was tired of sub divison life. We were fortunate beacuse we where in phase 1 and the HOA was not mandatory then. Now I can pee off my back porch and smell cows and horses all day long.

 

[Bryan McDonough]

Camo netting.... What boat?......I don't see a boat?

 

[Greg Meyer]

Hey Rich... ask the HOA if the boat looks better now that you have mounted a pair of twin .50s on her deck....



How about getting the phone and power company to starighten up there equipment. They are not perfectly perpendicular and that looks like heck!....



We have a new city ordinance prohibiting boats in driveways, sideyards, or anywhere other than an enclosed garage... I had mine out while I was working on it and got a nasty letter from the city... when I called and said I had it outside because I was doing some mechanical work on ity... the lady said; "oh... okay"... "call us next time you are going to leave it outside more than a few hours". A few days later I got another letter telling me that mechanical repairs were permitted only in commercial zones.!!!! So, welciome to the "Brave New World"....

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Is that the boat down beside the garage? Geeezy-Peeezy.. First off, I hope you were reimbursed for your losses from the paid storage place. If you were paying them it was their job to take care of your property.

Why don't you send a letter to the HOA describing your mood over their letters, why the boat is suddenly there, how well you keep up your property, etc... Then toward the end is when you remind them that you ride your bike around the neighborhood and will start taking notes and pictures of the violations you see and that it would behoove the HOA to have copies of the letters they sent to those people on file. That you do agree with rules but not discrimination.



Uncle Billy

 

[Marty Klein]

Have you considered/estimated building a 4-5 foot extension to the front of your garage? I'm thinking it would be less expensive than the fill and pave plan. You could tie in the roofline with the existing "notches" below the window. I don't know how long your current garage is, so 4-5 feet may not give you enough.



Share your pain on HOAs.

 

[C C]

Rich, I would like to suggest the simplest course of action for you. Send a letter to the Board explaining your intent to correct the situation and when you expect to complete the project, be specific and request a time extension to cover your self. Don

 

[TrepMan]

Rich - Beka had an idea, cheaper one at that, how about a 6ft privacy fence just across that section with a gate?

 

[Edward Lea.]

Marty Klein has a good idea there. Put one of those wall extension's on that looks like the garage is just bigger. Then the boat will be behind it and out of site. You will have to come up with some sort of "garage door" to back the boat through. This should also avoid any issues about a fence.

 

[Rich Stern]

Trep, we can't build a fence line forward of the rear dwelling line (another often violated issue). As for building a garage extension, yes, possible, but would require HOA approval also, and I don't think it would be more economical than extending the driveway. Remains to be seen.



Cass, I have no intention of getting into a lawsuit over selective enforcement, or a lawsuit of any type with the HOA. Generally speaking, lawyers win lawsuits, and everybody else just gets worn out.



I just want consistency. Basketball goals...not supposed to be permanent...there are dozens of them. Portable basketball goals...supposed to be stored out of sight...left in the driveways and streets permanently. Trash bins. Play equipment. Weed infested lawns. The list goes on. I just happen to be in the cross hairs at the moment.



So be it.

 

[TrepMan]

Rich - I'm familiar with the "can't build a fence line forward of the rear dwelling line", is it worth proposing getting formal approval TO build the fence at that location in the front, given how hard it is to see, with an explaination to the board of the other violations and that in good faith you are proposing a solution to be approved as an exception, vs just ignoring them, like the others have done? Just a thought. And I know it depends on the specific mood and inclination of the board members at that time.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Rich,



A frioend of mine has/had a similar "problem". He solved it with five or six plants in a box on wheels... Rolls the planter box over to the side to roll out his travel trailer and moves it back in front of the RV when it is stored... You cannot see it through the vegetation when it is placed in front of the trailer... It is on trailer wheels (8 or 9 inchers) and is easy to move despite being about 8 feet wide and filled with plants... just takes plant upkeep but they are evergreens...

 

[Steve Rizza]

Damn Pat... time to find a new place to piss dontcha think?

Now that was funny right there..:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[Edward Lea.]

Hey Greg, now that's innovative, thats what I love about this country......plants cool.

 

[Steve Rizza]

You could put a few neatly pruned shrubs in the front yard..

 

[Larry Harp]

Hey Harpo don't the HOA in Oklahoma INSIST you have SOMETHING on conrete blocks in the front yard?



fatrap

:lol:That's how you can always tell rich folks in Oklahoma....They have TWO old junk cars up on blocks out in the front yard.:lol:



Harpo

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Rich,

Same crap in my hood. i had to put up a privacy fence to hide it......

 

[Bill McElroy]

Rich,..tell the guy you'll deal with the boat when he keeps his garage door shut....."You'll follow the rules when HE follows the rules!!":angry:

 

[Greg J.]

Years ago, while living in base housing in Charleston, SC, I came home one day and found a note on my door stating that I had left my front porch light on during the day....and they would be back the next day to re-inspect .

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Gotta love the BASE housing police!!!!!!!! Bet it was fun to clean when you went to check out too!!