HOA refuses to approve new design plans, architects move forward anyway, sparking neighborhood feud: 'For 2+ weeks we didn't hear anything'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 6, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

The funny thing about HOA board members is that they love to stir up trouble until they actually have to deal with the consequences of their own actions. Sure, it gives these entitled individuals some kind of sadistic satisfaction to ruin the days, months, and years of other residents in the neighborhood by bringing to light niche rules and regulations from the HOA handbook. 

That being said, enforcement of said policies does require some follow-through on their part, and as soon as the HOA has to be held accountable for something, their false sense of authority begins to show. Of course, these folks have no problem holding everyone else accountable, but here's the thing about rules and regulations: If you don't have the energy to enforce them, shouldn't you not be the ones in charge?

Keep scrolling below for this tale from the perspective of the architects of a newly designed home in an HOA neighborhood and the chaos that ensued prior to construction.

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    Cheezburger Image 10502092544
    via Avi Waxman

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • When the author, an architect, announced an upcoming build on social media, a member of the HOA board in the neighborhood immediately took issue with the design. However, upon submitting the project for further review, the HOA did not respond for over two weeks despite numerous attempts on the part of the architects to communicate. That's when the architects discovered a loophole in the HOA handbook that would allow them to move forward anyway… and let's just say that the HOA will not be happy about this move.

  • 02
    Hey all so we own a design build firm and one of our clients had land a small community that has an HOA. Also I should
    via firetothetrees
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    caveat this by saying the HOA is weird as it's in our small town, most people don't live in the neighborhood full time. and it's not like they actually do anything.
    via firetothetrees
  • 04
    So being a builder we often post on FB about cup coming projects and we had some renderings done of this place. I
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  • 05
    posted saying it was going to be in that neighborhood... Your basic coming soon post.
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  • 06
    Well someone from their Architecture review board saw it, commented that they were from the HOA and that he had concerns with the design.
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    Now being the architect we are we had a full copy of their HOA guidelines and we designed everything a according to them.
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    Cheezburger Image 10502092800
    via Unsplash+ (Pablo Merchán Montes)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    So I emailed the guy very politely, and just said that the project was still in design, has not been submitted for permit and I'd welcome his feedback... I never heard back.
    via firetothetrees
  • 10
    Well we finally submitted the designs to the HOA since it was required and for 2+ weeks we didn't hear anything. Our client was basically ignored
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  • 11
    then we finally got something from them asking us to update the drawings with a few things so that they could review it.
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    We did that ASAP and btw this neighborhood has been around since the like 80s so it's like what could you all possibly be reviewing,
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  • 13
    especially since this house is going to be one of the best most architecturly well designed properties there.
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  • 14
    Well we got ignored more and more and more. Then one of our architects found in the HOA documents that if we didn't get a direct approval or dis approval in 30 days of submission then it's considered approved automatically.
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  • 15
    So we just decided to not bother anymore and just submit for permit with the county.
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  • 16
    I'm just expecting they are gonna show up at some point at the site and complain about something. Like they had
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    restrictions on how we had to organize the site and this is with clients that have multiple acres lots.
    via firetothetrees
  • 18
    tendonut ⚫ Our HOA has a similar rule. My wife used to be on the board. The management
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    company was just awful and wasn't forwarding communications in a timely matter. A few ARC requests got
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    auto-approved because of these rules. They weren't bad or anything and would have gotten approved anyway, but the rule is definitely real.
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  • 21
    TheShort... I voluntold myself for our ARC, much to the chagrin of my homeowner (that'd be my wife), who is on the HOW board,
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  • 22
    and my neighbor, who is also the HOA president. My goal is to let EVERY request go beyond the 30 day review. You want an 8 foot chain link fence with barbed wire? APPROVED!
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  • 23
    You got a sweet deal on 50-year paint, in PURPLE? APPROVED!
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  • 24
    If I can't immediately defund the HOA, why not create roadblocks, Shenanigans and skullf ery?
    via firetothetrees

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hoa hoa stories house neighborhood design neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories entitled people karma entitled people hoa members
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