You'd think a Shed in a yard is not a hard thing to accomplish
Discussed and received verbal guidance from HOA management employee "didn't care what is done in the back yard 'if not seen from the street' but if you have questions do a Design Review Committee (DRC) submission"
You can't see it from the front but if you have a good baseball arm you can see another street maybe 100 feet away... so, gotcha! now I have to sort out how to accomplish what I am being asked to do
Preface - How to find a conflict the wrong way
This is where our journey begins.
Author will update this page with a detailed story of the direct conflict with the HOA Management Company (CCMC). It is difficult to determine where the HOA Board or who was even involved in any of this conflict. Can't get any answers on anything - completely ignored every question.
- Was it the HOA board members directly?
- Was it the management company for the HOA?
- Was it some special committee like the covenant committee? hey handle and push for enforcement
- Was it a neighbor and specifically the one's next door who are very active in the HOA (e.g. covenant committee member)
- Was it the same neighbors next door - the one who just got voted in as the first HOA director from the community?
- Was it a bird, a plane, a ghost named Casper?
Everything asked has been ignored, any processes assumed in place are not confirmed by anyone. So, I wish I had a better outcome to answer this - I don't.
Here is what can be stated - before confirmation that the Author knew any of the HOA concerns with the build of shed - the attorney demand letter was received by email. Though the governing documents state the HOA and Management company would send this by email - they didn't. Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain (Wizard of Oz)
Through this whole story you will see a continual reminder - no answers
Conflict was identified at this point: February 21, 2025: Received and email from the HOA Attorney with a demand letter. This was the FIRST notification of any direction from the HOA or HOA Management company
So I put my combat boots back on and began to decipher - how did we get to this point and what next?
Story Relevant dates and events - Kickoff to find the conflict
| What was done | What we knew or thought |
|---|---|
| December 2024 (wish I knew the day): discussed the desire to build a shed and was told "we don't care what you do in your back yard if it is not seen from the street - if you are, I'd recommend you start the DRC process". If you don't know, Design Review Committee (DRC) - that is what that acronym means | HOA Manager and Employee Visit to tell us the neighbor concerns with a Trashcan run concern they brought to the HOA. Incidentally, the neighbor with the concerns; yeah, he is the newly elected director from the HOA residents. - so we are thinking, well, this is not seen from our street so we are okay to proceed |
| January 2025: (not sure the date) | Friend starts helping build the shed |
| January 29, 2025: HOA Email: have to do the DRC process before complete: - we see you building the shed and you need to do the DRC process before the shed is complete | January 29, 2025: Thinking: Okay, oops, let's do that - submits that same day |
| February 13, 1025: HOA drafts a letter declaring STOP building until DRC is approved | February 13: we did not see this letter - it was in the mail over President's Day weekend and first chance we could have seen this was February 17, 2025 |
| February 21, 2025: Email - Attorney demand letter dated February 20. 2025 | Thinking: WTF? and made calls to HOA manager - Phone call: AUTHOR of this website to HOA Manager (CCMC company) - Author to HOA Manager "We have asked back and forth with HOA-Management-Employee on status and this is completely catching us off guard". - HOA Manager response "I've seen what we sent you and you are not compliant" - Author statement "Do I have to take this down?" - HOA Manager "Not saying that, you have to stop and follow the process" - MAILBOX - Author finds HOA letter dated 2/13/25 - STOP Constructions (note: this was mailed where the first possible time it could show up is after Presidents day on 2/17/25). HOA letters gives 15 days to respond, Attorney letter was sent within 7 days. Was actually drafted on the 20th and emailed on the 21st. |
| Time space vortex - (this section have to put this series in) - February 13, 2025: HOA letter drafted and sent Feb 12, 2025 stating you have 15 days to respond | I started making phone calls and the first one - HOA Manager. Pretty much "dismissed" my concern because we were blindsided. Had no idea this Attorney action was coming, what the HOA demands were. It is all settled though because the HOA manager stated "I have seen what we sent out and it is clearly in the documents sent to you." The fact I had not received this letter; that does not matter. It was somewhere in the world and by osmosis -- I should know what it says |
| Time space vortex - (this section have to put this series in) - February 14, 2025: Letter sent by certified mail (or some kind of USPS stamp) - by the way, we never signed for this ... not sure who confirmed any delivery | |
| Time space vortex - (this section have to put this series in) - Feburary 17: First chance that would show up due to Presidents day - we were not home - but it was in the physical mail box | |
| Quick note: Based on governing documents --> the rules say this should be emailed if that is on file. Our email is on file and were communicating back and forth... not sure why this was not done (emailed) - because the day before the Attorney letter - Literally emailed the HOA-Management-Employee checking status of the DRC and not one word this letter from the HOA existed | |
| Time space vortex - (this section have to put this series in) - February 20, 2025: Someone pulled in the attorney's so tghey would draft a letter | |
| Time space vortex - (this section have to put this series in) - February 21, 2025: Email Letter arrives to the HOA resident (me) - kicking off a bunch of events in this story | |
| February 28, 2025: DENY DRC by email - with questions never asked | Thinking: WTF? what are these questions? reached out to HOA management company- NO ANSWERS |
| March 2, 2025: Submit again - Attempt #2 - provided a detailed submission | No thoughts, just numb at this point - no questions answered - complete placation |
| HERE: somewhere in here we submitted another DRC beause dont know if it was denied or required - so call this Attempt #3 now | |
| March - Generally - lots of communications -NO ANSWERS | HOA Manager, HOA company CCMC VP, HOA Employee - nope, nothing. Just follow our direction and shut up |
| March 27, 2025: went to HOA Meeting - spoke to HOA President - opening spoiler | remember if you read elsewhere: HOA President was aware and any discussion on the lack of transparency was redirected into "and you submitted so we are good then right? okay, bubbye bubbye now, bubbye... (LET THEM EAT CAKE) Oh, good to note one thing upfront: spoilers: by March 2025 during the HOA Annual Meeting, had a direct discussion with the HOA Board President (not named, uncertain what is legally allowed yet). I attempted to discuss my concerns on this lack of transparency (obfuscation). Rest assured thought, it was handled quickly. The HOA President continually deflected the discussion to explain how I failed the "process" She did know that we had just resubmitted from our recent "deny letter." It is good to know - The HOA President was aware - not sure how - NO ANSWERS - The HOA president is willing to spend the time and pat you on the head like a good little boy with "thank you for bringing that to my attention." - Interesting that the conversation keeps coming back to what I need to do and not the concerns of obfuscation. Of course though, nothing is going to happen now with that conversation. Within a few weeks after this placated discussion, application was denied (again - attempt 2 or was it attempt 3?). I am getting ahead though, keep reading. |
| April 7, 2025: Email from HOA asst manager / employee - Deny #4 DRC and statements on inputs required NEVER ASKED or already responded to. Also --> and you need to remove the frame you have for the shed | Thinking: oh goody - I spent lots of money on this because of the miscommunications from the beginning and now I start from whatever square I am at to get to my mission end state "build a stupid shed" |
| April 11, 2025: Shed is down | Thinking: Well, they can badger and frustrate me but they can't take my 1st ammendment rights - so, let's advertise this so everyone is aware of just who they are dealing with. LET THEM EAT CAKE |
| NEXT STEPS: "guess" again in what you need to do with the submission process --> go for attempt #3 (could be #4, not really sure - read the emails and you can see where my questions on that were not answered) | |
| April 20, 2025 | Resubmit to attempt and gain approvals through DRC proces |
| April 23, 2025: HOA Management directed "To help streamline the review process, we kindly ask that you resubmit only the new application along with the corresponding building plans, grading plans, and color and material list. This will ensure we’re able to process your request efficiently and accurately" | Declined to accept the package until the communications process information was removed from the package submission - responded within 1 hour to comply and send this package back. I broke the commincations details into a separate slide deck to track this HOA Management company "communications" they brag about on the corporate page |
| May 16, 2025: Deny #4 with 12 additional requirements - some never heard about - some just petty and minor | |
| May 24, 2025: Resubmit package | These 12 new things - 3 are repeated, 1 is that they did not like my "cartoon representation" and picked it apart and a few other things to just frustrate. Some one did put something together that may help this package. Only took 5 months to get something back that was useful. |
Does the Story matter?
It is an interesting story and the author will chronologically lay out the conflict whereas any problem/concerns were identified, communicated, acknowledged and the fun filled story where the author was (and still is as of April 2025) completely ignored and placated, but maybe the author was wrong completely? Not misguided in December 2024 by a conversation. I did not attempt to understand compliance. I am just dumb. I deserve this painful experience.
Perhaps dear reader - you are thinking --> YAY HOME TEAM!!! That HOA and HOA Management - you sure taught you a lesson. I mean, how dare you try to build a shed with out the blessing and your process of the HOA. You are trying to get over on them because you are just a bully! a miscreant! a jerk!
Well, I see your point. I mean, we can ignore all the governance, questions from the HOA resident, any effective communications shaped to solve conflict at the lowest level. We can skirt past the facts you processes are not real, there is no clarity on requirement gathering, analysis, communications to the HOA resident to update those things required for evaluation. I guess my expectation might be bit "steep" - you can read the package and the communications and judge that reader. From my life experience, I would disagree.
Worthy of popcorn - right?!
There are emails in the attachment of the shed submission in chronological order. I will summarizing the type of questions that were not answered
- how did this get to this level with no awareness by us?
- what process did this follow?
- what is the governance driving this?
- who is escalating this by name or group?
- why is it that the date you sent a letter from HOA management dated 2/13/25 gives me 15 days but the attorney letter was drafted in 7 days?
- why do I have to pay charges for attorney when I was never given any chance to resolve this before it got to this level?
- what is the dispute process?
- what are the requirements for inputs to the DRC for the approval?
- who is on this DRC and what is their decision criteria?
- what is the actual DRC process? what is used to adjudicate these submissions?
I will continue though
I had to figure out what to do with this conflict so - WITH NO ANSWERS - I began to read the governing documents. What are they? good questions. This is the charter, bylaws and other documents legally required for publication. This is about 200 pages and you can't search them - it is literally a scanned PICTURE.
Not done, sorry, gets worse (or better if you like pain).
I downloaded everything to read. This is about 200 downloaded documents. The governing documents alone are 200 pages. There are updates to the "governing documents" but it does not tell you what changed. You have to read the updated versions and correlate what changed from older documents (also not searchable)
Reviewed documents included policies... here is interesting facts on these policies and documents
- There is a dispute process: high level summary: states you have to give someone (one of the overlords in the community) - 30 days to handle disputes. They show a process (kind of) but it was not followed in my case. I may be wrong, maybe it was. Remember - no answers to any questions
- There is an ENFORCEMENT Process - first paragraph states something summed up as - we have this suggestion on what we will do but we don't have to follow it if we don't want to
- There is a process where you can't insult a board member. I actually agree with the sentiment. Not sure anyone gets to vote on this though because the HOA Board can FINE YOU if you insult them. Interesting compromise of first amendment rights. Not sure the HOA can take your rights from you, because they are elected and therefore they chose to take this on. This will be interesting when it is attempted for enforcement.
- Minutes: They are a regurgitated agenda with a few facts in them. NO HOA Resident comments are really captured (because, we care about you - the mission - the residents) - (SNL - Stuart Smalley "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog gone it, people like me!")
Just like my military career
- "Denied, resubmit in 90 days for future denial!"
- Leadership/Management that "Doesn't have to answer you" - they are the boss you are the peasant
- Processes that are not actual processes - merely suggestion - because they are neither defined nor followed (from my use case)
- Governance that has escape clauses where it isn't really governance. Governance does three things. 1) establishes a structure (like the organization 2)sets expectations on how to accomplish an objective or task (like DRC process) and 3) defines how to navigate conflict. I mean, it does more that that but at a basic this is what governance does. What you actually have is protection of THE FOUNDERS (developer) and very rough concepts of processes to follow. Which, in my case, no one will confirm these were followed.
Shed Coordination - File
Author Notes:
Spoilers - it is a lot of communications. You may think I am a jerk with a few of the comments and I am okay with that. The level of flippant disregard, what I see as disrespect shown to community members (obfuscation) has often gotten under my skin. Why this is so hard. I don't think it should have been this hard. When the HOA decided to go NUCLEAR assault with Attorney letters and I tried to get answers; I witnessed obfuscation and frustration
The one thing I can se though is this HOA (or minions) seem to have a process to deny with new requirements, resubmit, deny again with new requirements until you guess it all correct. No clarity on anything when ask about governances, which process, who is in the process, who is making decisions.
The attachment is a PDF File that has:
- Attempt #4 submission - 4/20/25
Attempt #4 Submission - Shed Data Only (after objection to original package by HOA Management company CCMC Email received on 4/23/25)