Cheap Living: Approval!
It has been two weeks since I updated my readers on the progress of our deck…That’s because until today there had been no progress.
A not-so-quick recap: My next-door-neighbor Jay and I are getting decks built on our houses at the same time by the same builder. By approaching him together we got a nice little discount. The builder does everything including purchasing all materials, pulling all permits, and of course building the deck. The only thing that we had to take care of ourselves is obtaining approval from the HOA. Sounds easy, right? Not so fast.
To get this approval, we were required to jump through a series of fiery hoops. First, we had to fill out the “Architectural Improvement Application” and attach all the required information. The application included a description of the deck, including all dimensions, materials, and construction techniques. The builder provided us with an architectural drawing of the deck, which was also required. Then we had to get signatures from neighbors on both sides that they are aware of the proposed construction. Additionally, we were responsible for digging up the original plat drawing of the property with all dimensions and measurements, making a copy, and asking the builder to draw a to-scale copy of the deck on the plat. Next, we had to take a picture of the rear of the house and sketch the deck to scale on the picture. And finally, we had to attach a copy of the contract with the builder. I was surprised that they didn’t want a pound of flesh and a date with my wife.
All unfunny joking aside, I can see why the HOA would reasonably expect all of these things to be submitted with the application. They want to know that we are doing it right and that we’ve got all our ducks in a row. But here’s the kicker: approval takes 45 days. To me this is ridiculous. It is the first spring in a brand new development right after tax time. It is to be expected that young couples in their new houses would want to make some improvements like decks, fences, and patios. Once you pay the builder, you want your deck now. We are customers of the HOA. We pay them quarterly and as their customers, they should service us in a timely manner. Not to mention that the deck design was one the builder has constructed previously and received approval for in Loudoun County.
I think you can see that I’m a little fired up about all this. Actually, I started out with a bad attitude towards the HOA because Jay had submitted for his deck waaaaaay back in March and as of early this morning he had STILL not heard anything. So I started with a chip on my shoulder right from the get go. When I submitted the application I called and asked the HOA representative how the approval process works. She informed me that the Architectural Board meets once or twice a month. When I asked when the next meeting was, she lied to me and said that she didn’t know. I was prepared for this after talking to Jay. I told her I was going to call back every single day until someone could give me some answers. “I don’t know if that’s going to work, Mr. Picard,” she lazily told me, to which I calmly replied, “Well, we’re gonna find out.”
I actually got tired of calling every day because it was clear to me that the people on the other end of the phone did not care that I was upset. I somehow obtained the email address of the President of the Board and wrote to her. She replied to me with the company line… And I quote: “Your application was forwarded to the Architectural Committee when it was received on April 26. The Committee has up to 45 days in accordance with the Association guidelines to render a decision.” Definitely not what I wanted to hear. Now what? As of that moment it was looking highly unlikely that we would receive approval before our target build date of May 20.
A few days later as I went out for my Sunday morning run Jay pounced on me like a jungle cat. He told me he ran into the main sales guy for our development in a restaurant Saturday night and explained the whole situation. He told Jay to email him the specifics and to have me email him my specifics and he would get something done. I immediately wrote an email and received an immediate reply to expect to hear something on Monday.
This morning I received an email that they have received many complaints about the HOA and they are actually in the process of being replaced. He said to expect to receive approval no later than Wednesday this week. Halleluiah! So now we are all systems go – the deck will be constructed per our contract with the builder on Saturday, May 20.
I can’t wait to document the whole process for everyone. Expect a few pictures and more than a few bad jokes. And the final picture will be one from my dreams--yours truly out on the deck, with an ice-cold beer in my hand, grilling some steaks, smiling from ear to ear.
