Just venting.. Homeowner Associations suck some

[hemi68charger]

Man, I tell you what.. Talk about being ticked off!!!
I was just told that I can't do an expansion on a house garage so I can have my Chargers with me at home and still protect my daily Ram's.... Seems they're afraid I'm going to start some business or something and any future owner may not be able to build a pool.. What??? future owner !!!?

It ticks me off that I, a man of service, have served 18+ years and counting to live MY American dream and two guys apparently don't think it's cool to do what I want...

Luckily, I'm smart enough and had the foresight to ask ahead and tell the "powers-that-be" what I want to do.. I'm not going to fork out bucks and inspections fees to a house I can't make my home.. Pisses me off since my wife and I both liked the house.. The funny thing about it is that the deed restrictions they referred me to say you can have a 4 car garage and I know you can have a portacache.. Deed restrictions don't mention anything about the combination of both... I want my Chargers AND trucks protected... They have lost out on a very active and responsible neighbor...



Troy

[golden73]

That sucks man... sorry to hear that. Isn't there any higher power you can appeal to?

[ChargerAndy]

Did you know about this when you bought into it? Usually there is something called "covenants and restrictions". Mine actually state that I can raise chickens if I want and believe it or not I could open a gas station where my home is. If you saw the neighborhood you would realize how stupid these rules are. Is there anything in your deed that supports what these anti-charger communists are saying? Andy

[hemi68charger]

Did you know about this when you bought into it? Usually there is something called "covenants and restrictions". Mine actually state that I can raise chickens if I want and believe it or not I could open a gas station where my home is. If you saw the neighborhood you would realize how stupid these rules are. Is there anything in your deed that supports what these anti-charger communists are saying? Andy

I did my research. I've been talking to one of the three head homeowner association approving members and he's a car guy as well and on my side, but there are two other anals that don't like the thought of a garage full of classic cars... I read the deed restrictions and construction guidlines and no where does it say you can't have a 4-car garage with a portacache. The deed restrictions specifically state that there will only be a minimum of a 2-car garage and a maximum of a 4-car garage. Carports are forbidden. Cool enough. That's why I wanted a portacache which ARE allowed.. Again, no where does it state you can't have both.... I'm doing all this during the option period of the contract, so I have my way out and as a matter of fact, I'm supposed to have the house and termite inspections tomorrow. Along with them, I was having two of my four bids for the expansion project made... Since it's not mine yet, I'm not going to waste alot of energy and disappointment on it, I'll just walk.. But, I'll make it known that they blew off a very good potential home owner who treats and upkeeps his house with the best of them.....

Troy

[Old Moparz]

That pretty much sucks, but like you said, at least you didn't purchase it yet & find out later.    I like being in the woods where nobody can see what's going on unless they're trespassing. One thing you have to do is skip the realtor entirely, & speak to people in the town building dept about restrictions if you find something outside of a neighborhood association. A realtor may not be aware of something, & even if they are, do you think they want to lose a potential sale?

[hemi68charger]

That pretty much sucks, but like you said, at least you didn't purchase it yet & find out later.    I like being in the woods where nobody can see what's going on unless they're trespassing. One thing you have to do is skip the realtor entirely, & speak to people in the town building dept about restrictions if you find something outside of a neighborhood association. A realtor may not be aware of something, & even if they are, do you think they want to lose a potential sale?

My realtor's been pretty cool.. Due to some legal beagle stuff, there's some things they can't venture down.. So, I take the bulls by the horns and do my research.... I just got off the phone with the homeowner's association lead guy of three and they said flat out, 'No'........ I feel for my wife for it was a nice Victorian home,,, but in the end, I can't live a life where my cars are miles away in some storage facility and I have no protection for my daily's.......... This boody sucks..... guess it's time for us to keep looking and hopefully my new baby's going to have a permanent nursery come June..... Momma's nesting instincts are really going now... 

Thanks for the words fellas....

Troy

[PocketThunder]

I hate the suburbs and their stupid rules and regulations.   

[Johnny SixPack]

Damn sorry to hear this, Troy.

The pix you showed me of the place were awesome, but I gotta agree with PT.

Good luck with the continuing hunt, and thanks for the grille pix!

[bull]

I know a lot of people who complain about restrictions in neighborhood associations but if you think about the basics for a second, which is worse? Living in a neighborhood with rules where things are clean and kept up or living in a neighborhood where people park junk cars on their front lawn, let the grass grow knee-high, let their pit bulls run free or throw together a crappy lean-to with one of those green, wavy, semi-opaque roofs on it to store stolen lawnmower parts? If I have to live in a hood where the houses are 10 feet apart I would much rather live with rules in place that restrict the white trash way of life than see my neighbors 28' boat parked in front of my house. Otherwise I'd buy four acres and not worry about the neighbor who lives a half mile away. But that's just me. I'm sure that you would probably do a professional and attractive job on your addition but the rules are in place for those who wouldn't. And you know someone would build something hideous if the rules weren't there. And that would drive your home's value down and cost you money.

[Todd Wilson]

Thats what you get for being a high roller living in a fancy hood!   



Todd

[hemi68charger]

I know a lot of people who complain about restrictions in neighborhood associations but if you think about the basics for a second, which is worse? Living in a neighborhood with rules where things are clean and kept up or living in a neighborhood where people park junk cars on their front lawn, let the grass grow knee-high, let their pit bulls run free or throw together a crappy lean-to with one of those green, wavy, semi-opaque roofs on it to store stolen lawnmower parts? If I have to live in a hood where the houses are 10 feet apart I would much rather live with rules in place that restrict the white trash way of life than see my neighbors 28' boat parked in front of my house. Otherwise I'd buy four acres and not worry about the neighbor who lives a half mile away. But that's just me. I'm sure that you would probably do a professional and attractive job on your addition but the rules are in place for those who wouldn't. And you know someone would build something hideous if the rules weren't there. And that would drive your home's value down and cost you money.

Bull: I'm totally with you, I couldn't agree more.. But, their reasons aren't objective, they're personal.. It's a simple case where they think I'm going to run some sort of business  out of the garage. They have no problem with someone who collects dolls... It's a stigma that encompasses car collector's in that they are all grease-heads and bubbas.. They're also worried about a future homeowner of the property and whether or not they could build a pool !!! Now, that's BS.... What about a future family that doesn't want a pool and wants more backyard......... They couldn't even point me to the regulation in which they're referencing, for I know it has nothing to do with the combination of a 4-car garage and a portacache, because there isn't one in the deed restrictions.. Since I'm pulling my offer, I'm not going to waste my time in fighting it. I'll focus on finding.......................

Thanks for your cool words all........  Todd, I think you're right, it's what I get for thinking you could live in a very nice neighborhood and still collect classic cars and GOD forbid, you do what you wish on your own property.. Little do they know that the three cars I have are worth more than their homes....   

Troy

[MOPARHOUND!]

So....if the seller loses out too, I take it they will have some unkind words for these Association people?

[hemi68charger]

So....if the seller loses out too, I take it they will have some unkind words for these Association people?

I doubt it.. There were four more offers after we made ours.. So, the house will sell.. But if it didn't, then they would have just cause to fight them for screwing up a sale.... I have a friend on a Homeowner's Association Board in another part of Houston, believe it or not, and he told me about that..... ... He's actually in the same boat I am, but didn't get his 2 Mopars until after he had already moved there and can't expand his garage.. He may do the portacache route to protect his dailys....

Troy

[PocketThunder]

So what exactly is a poracache?  Google images only came up with this picture:

http://digitalphotonut.com/dpn/dpnhome.nsf/0/492476B24263731286256CD200089E76/$FILE/PortaCache.jpg

Is it basically a garage with out the door?  Does it usually have side walls?

[Blue Pentastar]

Hi Troy

Sorry to hear about the house but maybe this means there is even a better deal for you and your family. I am sure you will come up with something maybe with the 4 car or more garage already there hopefully.

good luck with the search.

Mike

[hemi68charger]

So what exactly is a poracache?  Google images only came up with this picture:

http://digitalphotonut.com/dpn/dpnhome.nsf/0/492476B24263731286256CD200089E76/$FILE/PortaCache.jpg

Is it basically a garage with out the door?  Does it usually have side walls?

Hey Paul..
Down here, a portacache is a carport in which the roof line ties in with the existing roof line, usually that of the garage.... Most times they are open all the way around like a regular tin-roof carport.. They are much more appealing to the eye I do agree and less likely to get damage during high winds like a carport might....

Troy

[hemi68charger]

Hi Troy

Sorry to hear about the house but maybe this means there is even a better deal for you and your family. I am sure you will come up with something maybe with the 4 car or more garage already there hopefully.

good luck with the search.

Mike

Thanks Mike,
That's what Kim and I say, it was meant to be, hence me not pushing the issue too much...... But, it was a very attractive Victorian with tons of potential,,, But well, you can't take the garage out of the man.......

Troy

[Charger_Fan]

Maybe they don't have any rules for how t a l l your garage can be.

[Old Moparz]

That's pretty funny looking, who'd get all those lifts & cars in a small space like that.

[hemi68charger]

Maybe they don't have any rules for how t a l l your garage can be.

Yeap, they do.. Only the bottom floor space can be used for cars....  I'm telling ya, it's a conspiracy against the classic car sect.....

Troy

[sixpack70]

My place in El paso has no homeowners association but you would think there is one. Since I am in the military and my time is extremly limited I only have som much time to work on stuff around my house. I do it a bit at a time every month. Some people don't like this idea and call the city because my far back corner, which you could only see if you walked up to my fence and looked over, weeds grew up a foot in a couple days from a rain storm. It was a weekday, I do yard work on the weekends. The jackass called the city on me and the city guy came out and left an nast gram on my door to fix it or else. I also was called on when I moved in after 4 days that my dog was being abused because the weeds were grown up and he had no room to move. My lawnmower wasnt even at my new house yet! I was still moving in the inside. And btw my dog loves weeds. he rolls in them, jumps in them and bites them. We used to take him for walks to weeds so he could play. But oh no they cant have my dog playing in the weeds. The last straw was my chargers two front tires went flat. I had to go to the field for a week so I got two used tires to get it off the ground and put two jack stands, barely putting the car an inch off the ground, so air wouldn't leak out. Low and behold I get called on by a jerk for a JUNK CAR. Its sad when the people who probably called on me drive an 80s ford tempo or other depreciating pile of crap. So I have some classic car haters in the neighborhood who cant tell the early 90's crushed monte carlo in the front yard is wrong, my 70 charger on concrete parked in my side parking is worth more in its present condition than their brand new econo box pile of junk. At least my biggest headache had the house he was renting sold out from under him. So no more phone calls from him!

I feel your pain man.

[bull]

There's a wide line between the busy-bodied rule Nazis and the negligent white trash who don't give a rip about anything. Ah, the joys of living in neighborhoods.

[hemi68charger]

There's a wide line between the busy-bodied rule Nazis and the negligent white trash who don't give a rip about anything. Ah, the joys of living in neighborhoods.

And there's the guys that will do something that even the Prez. of a HOA would be proud of and not given a chance..... I look forward in one day maybe being a member or officer if I should be so lucky, or unlucky, to live in such a community.... I could be a double agent.. 

[rare69]

sounds to me like you need to find a nice place in the country and build your own little piece of heaven, i would not let Any body tell me what i am going to do with my own property i guess thats why i live in the country and wouldn't move for Any amount of money.

[PocketThunder]

Maybe they don't have any rules for how t a l l your garage can be.

See the single Rustang in the bottom corner?  that reminds me of the sesame street skit where ♪♪"one of these kids is doing his own thing"♪♪