Design Review Committee Bad Approvals

Started by ShaneJ3 • 6 replies • 1308 views

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ShaneJ3 (California)
Posts: 21

Posted:

Our property is having a problem with our HOA's Design Review Committee approving residents' requests to modify window and door styles on our mixed use building. The building is starting to look real odd with the mismatched doors and windows fronting our major street and the approvals open the door for future modifications around the whole building. I contacted the DRC when I noticed the first modification was made thinking a homeowners secretly removed their cream colored french doors to add a white slider and they told me that they indeed approved the request. Now another unit has done the same and also changed their window styles as well. What are my options so this stops getting approved?

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

Why not go to the committee and the board with your concerns, suggesting they come up with some design standards? They can review what's been approved and then poll the homeowners asking what styles and colors they would like to see. Then the board can approve the standards for the committee to apply - people who already have their windows and doors will have to be grandfathered in to be fair (the ones who didn't get approval could be compelled to submit a form, but that may get messy). People grandfathered in should receive a letter stating as such, adding future replacements must comply with the new standards.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

ShaneJ3 (California)
Posts: 21

Posted:

Thanks Sheila. I used to be on our Design Review Committee and have worked with the 2 board members who are currently chairing the committee. Being fed up with being the only one showing up to the meetings most of the time I ended up resigning. Our current board is very careless about design standards and upkeep of the property so it will be an uphill battle trying to convince them to look into the matter. The city has strict building guidelines for our neighborhood district so I am going to contact the city as well to see what steps to take and if they can help. Your right though it would probably be hard to get these windows reverted back to the conforming style again after they were approved by the DRC so they would have to be grandfathered into a design standard guideline like you said. Thanks for the tip. (wish I could upload photos but the site doesn't accept them)

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Shane

Is the mis-match between old and new with all the new being alike? If so, be sure the new style stays the same style and let the transition take place.

ShaneJ3 (California)
Posts: 21

Posted:

The new windows and doors do not match each other either.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Shane,

We went through a similar issue.

Initially our windows had to have grids that matched the color of the trim on the home.

One individual submitted a request to have white grids that were internal to the window.
They submitted documentation how the window was better then what was initially on the homes, that there were only limited colors available for the grids and that similar windows had similar issues.

The committee approved the windows.

This caused a mismatch of window types for several years until finally all the homes had windows with internal grids that were white.

The transition from one style to another will take time.
During the transition, some may find it aesthetically unpleasant.

My advise is to live with the transition process.
Otherwise, since it's unlikely that the windows that have already been changed will be changed back without legal fights and the cost of the fights and, perhaps even the cost of changing the windows back, being borne by the Association (i.e. you and your neighbors), the best that will occur is the transition process stopping and the unpleasant aesthetics staying for the foreseeable future.

ShaneJ3 (California)
Posts: 21

Posted:

Unfortunately we have 390 units in our building and only a couple have changed so far. May be better to move than deal with the mismanagement of the HOA for years to come. We are surrounded by luxury apartment buildings that are professionally managed so it is apparent that our building is starting to not fit into the neighborhood. Sad to witness.

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