Post #241252 by Bay Park Buzzy on Thu, Jul 6, 2006 12:38 AM

I used to be in code enforcement for a large homeowner's association in SoCal. I used to deal with this stuff all the time. I do not no the specifics of you CCR and its design review and permitting process, but no matter how discreet you are, your neighbors will rat you out. Always. Even if they are nice to you in person.
You might want to wait a little bit for your new landscaping to mature. It might screen out some of the structure and make what you do to it unnoticeable. Once again, I do not know whether or not you can just add a couple more trees or a medium size hedge or bush in front of it without getting association approval. Right now, it's out in the open and easy for everyone to know what you are doing, so you might want to first hide it, then decorate it. Another route would be the," It's better to do it and ask forgiveness than to beg for permission" one. How tough is your Association board? What we used to do was apply a $500 special assessment for infractions. If it was unpaid and the problem was not rectfied, it went to a lein. That would only occur after all other measures were exhausted. We wouldn't forclose on a $500 lein, and I do not think you actually could. What would happen is that when the property sold, the lein was collected. If you plan on living in your house forever, build your hut the way you want, sit back and have a Mai Tai under it, ignore the association stop work orders, and let your kids worry about it when you leave them an estate with a lein on it.