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Why would they care about inside walls unless it affected structural integrity of the building/home ? Short of a contractor's vehicle parked outside, how would they even know ?
Why would they care about inside walls unless it affected structural integrity of the building/home ? Short of a contractor's vehicle parked outside, how would they even know ?
I'm no longer surprised by the depths some people in an HOA will go to. One time we got a notice from the building department threatening fines because someone had reported that the basement of our house was finished. All it took was a phone call to tell them to check their own records since it had been permitted, inspected, and approved.
Because it had been done as part of the original construction, there were no material deliveries someone could have seen. The only way someone would know our basement was finished was to have snuck onto our property and peeked into the basement windows. So yes, I can picture someone sneaking around and peeking into windows to see that you had bathroom work done.
Why would they care about inside walls unless it affected structural integrity of the building/home ? Short of a contractor's vehicle parked outside, how would they even know ?
To make you you aren't compromising structural integrity.
Thank you in advance for your comments. Are the CCRs for a condo or townhome set by the complex/development, or by the state/county/town in which they are located? Hypothetically speaking, let's say I find a condo or townhouse that has 1 & a half baths, and I want to add a shower to the half bath by utilizing some surrounding sq footage, say a closet or part of a bedroom. Assuming no integrity is lost to any bearing walls, etc., is something like this allowed by most HOAs?
I would say most are only concerned with the outside, like replace a window or door, add a screened porch or a fence, install solar panels etc. What goes on inside is your business and the town permit department. For example, my dh just took out a bath tub and put in just a tiled shower in a friend’s condo. The HOA was not required to be informed. The same goes for my condo.
To make you you aren't compromising structural integrity.
It’s also a safety issue. It’s a multi dwelling unit. They want permits, licensed trade people, and inspections so some DIY hacker doesn’t set the place on fire or cause extensive damage. In Vermont, I can’t even replace an outlet or light switch. State law is it has to be done by a licensed electrician.
It really depends on the HOA. Older buildings, especially high rises may have restrictions on bathroom remodels and a specific prohibition on installing a washing machine in a unit. This is due to how the building's plumbing was originally installed - it was plumbed based on drainage fixture units (DFU). The high-rise I lived in prohibited washers since the building wasn't plumbed for it; one owner did it and the HOA found out when the unit below flooded...the overflow from the washer came up through the toilet in the unit below. It was the volume of sudsy water that caused the issue.
We found out that this was not unusual. Many older high-rises don't even have plumbing schematics making retrofitting for modern expectations difficult.
Building codes will come into play. For example, in the above case, as more lines are run together, the pipes have to be upsized. Many older buildings don't have vertical stacks (assuming waste is handled from vertical stacks and not horizontal runs) that can handle the additional water from more DFU's. Without schematics, its impossible to reconfigure.
There is an additional issue in high-rises and garden style condos. Where do the limited common elements start? Is it the unfinished surface on an external boundary wall? That might mean that changes to the subfloor can't be made without the HOA's approval. Our documents were written that way and it caused an issue with a homeowner who dug into the concrete floor (for a stupid reason).
I suppose the rule would be know what you own and don't own and what the governing documents say. And know a mistake in the install / work could be an issue if not done right and up to code.
Thank you in advance for your comments. Are the CCRs for a condo or townhome set by the complex/development, or by the state/county/town in which they are located? Hypothetically speaking, let's say I find a condo or townhouse that has 1 & a half baths, and I want to add a shower to the half bath by utilizing some surrounding sq footage, say a closet or part of a bedroom. Assuming no integrity is lost to any bearing walls, etc., is something like this allowed by most HOAs?
They're individual to the development but every state has laws that regulate them. But your question wouldn't really be affected by the state laws I don't think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnff
I'm no longer surprised by the depths some people in an HOA will go to. One time we got a notice from the building department threatening fines because someone had reported that the basement of our house was finished. All it took was a phone call to tell them to check their own records since it had been permitted, inspected, and approved.
Because it had been done as part of the original construction, there were no material deliveries someone could have seen. The only way someone would know our basement was finished was to have snuck onto our property and peeked into the basement windows. So yes, I can picture someone sneaking around and peeking into windows to see that you had bathroom work done.
That's not an HOA thing, that's a nosy neighbor/city inspector type thing. I had a friend that lived in a town with an obnoxious code/permit inspector. He hassled us when we were replacing siding that was damaged on a standalone garage, that had been damaged by someone scraping it with a car. Just ridiculous.
Although your intentions appear innocent enough, you should read the CC&Rs and focus on architectural control. The rules vary by every entity you name because condo is a form of ownership and could be applied to single family homes, apartment conversions, townhomes, high-rise buildings with any number of inclusions, amenities and common property.
The problem, which could range from insignificant to catastrophic, lies in how a change affects the common interest stuff. Example: Adding load to a set, shared capacity--one water line, one drain--likely insignificant. 8 neighbors decide to do the same thing--who knows?
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