[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by West Coast GTO

Neighbors Complaint:
What I don't understand is why you, as a member of the Association, should have to pay for exterior maintenance/ rebuild of an exterior component of the Association.
I believe that most, if not all, HOA 's have to have a reserve study performed on a regular basis that lets the Association know what financial strength the Association has, including costs for end-of-life improvements/ maintenance.

In other words, since exterior components do wear out, Association dues are collected to be able to afford needed maintenance and needed repairs. If the Association and it's paid-for management company are doing their respective jobs, there should be no special assessment charges to the individual member for maintenance and repair items.
Special assessments can be levied for unexpected items that arise( faulty plumbing, mold issues, etc.) but that should be the exception, not the rule.

That's the rub. The HOA By-Laws state "(HOA shall) provide for normal maintenance of unit exteriors, i.e. tuckpointing, painting on a phased schedule, wood replacement, roof repairs, etc."

The HOA does not consider replacement of wood decks as "normal maintenance". In their published Budget, they state "Owners will be responsible for the cost of replacing or repairing their decks. This will be in addition to the assessment."

The operative words are owner, responsible and cost. In other words, whenever and however we spend, you pay.

Like many things in life, you just have to say WTF and pay the bill.

[SRR]

Your price isn't bad. I was quoted $3000. plus to replace my front porch, wife had a fit because they had already got us for 13K for a new roof and back patio cover. I, with the help of two friends with carpentry skills redid this for around $1100. in materials. Took over two weeks. I used a lot of pressure treated wood also to help ward off termites.

[bird72]

Originally Posted by SRR

Your price isn't bad. I was quoted $3000. plus to replace my front porch, wife had a fit because they had already got us for 13K for a new roof and back patio cover. I, with the help of two friends with carpentry skills redid this for around $1100. in materials. Took over two weeks. I used a lot of pressure treated wood also to help ward off termites.

That material only cost to contract estimate ratio sounds about what I have experienced lately.

[mgoblue]

With regard to the OP's assessment of $3136 and several posts stating that the cost is not completely out of line for a 5 x 12 Trex deck. Keep in mind that condo associations maintain a Reserve Fund. Part of each owners monthly assessment goes into that Reserve Fund. It's possible that the Reserve Fund paid for a portion of the cost of the new decks with the owners paying the balance. If so, the total cost of the new deck would be more than $3136.

[mikes2nd]

i built my own huge 24 * 20 composite deck for 1800$.

I found some closeout composite at a local builders supply.

I love it and its built like a tank, i could park my cars on my deck.

HOA's are pretty much run like the mob... Many times the builder will let their "aunt" or cousin handle these or keep them themselves.

They raise the price to pay the salary of one of their employees or they sell them off to the highest bidder.

Your HOA should be run by owners only and very transparent. Elect a hoa manager and fire them at will. Make sure they aren't "back dooring" you on projects like many do... "hey Jimmy you give me the mowing job and ill kick you back 20%!"... Lawyers must draw up the "presidents powers" and the accounts should be transparent. Impose penalties on corruption.

Honestly though you went for Trex, that is the overpriced decking so you guys obviously don't mind burning money.

[agator]

The 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo with a large 2 car garage that I bought 15 years ago fit most my needs at the time and I was happy not to have to deal with cutting grass or snow removal. And for my $150.00 a month they also paid water, sewer and trash so it wasn't a bad deal.
But the board wasn't socking away money for future improvements and maintenance because nobody wanted to raise the fees. the same board members had been in office for over 10 years and the mismanagement began to catch up to the community.
Less than a year after I moved in they did a siding(stucco) and deck project which was $4,000. Then a few years later a new roof followed a few years later by an assessment for updating the clubhouse and pools(2). A few years before I sold it there was an issue with the materials for the new roof that needed to be replaced and while the manufacturer warrantied the materials we were accessed for the labor.
The point is that older associations that have been badly manged are a time bomb and once they go off it can get pretty bad pretty quickly. As a homeowner you basically have little to no input as to how the place you live and have invested in is run and landlords can infiltrate the community and essentially nullify your best interests.
Freedom loving men and women should stay away from these types of communities. Less headaches that way.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by mikes2nd

Your HOA should be run by owners only and very transparent.

Mine is. I'm glad we have an HOA with reasonable standards.

When reviewing the covenants before purchasing my lot (mine was the first house built in the development), I knew that I could live with every provision in there and that I could live in that development with no fears of some idiot doing something that would hurt my property values.

When we need to have a meeting - we just all get together and discuss things that need to be done.

Of course, there are only 18 lots in our rural sub development, so we all know each other.

I think it has been about 5 years since our last meeting.

[fiedlerh]

More importantly, how big is your garage?
When we become empty-nesters, we want a townhouse, but with a decent sized garage. Very hard to find in our area.