HOA, the Good Taste Police

I just had the outside of my house painted and, believe me, it needed it badly.

The color that I had originally wanted was not accurately translated by the painters. It is now a medium brown, which will do, I guess, because I really have no choice.

The door, at least, came out as I envisioned—but we’ll get to that.

All of the trim was painted a clear white, including the massive overhang in the back (It originally took a battle royale to get home owners' association permission to build it).

For me, it was a necessity. I love the rain and needed to have a place outside where I could sit and feel and hear and smell the rain, yet remain dry. Most people who are from back east understand this.

To personalize the overhang, I had the underside of the solid roof painted sky blue, as they do in the South. Perhaps I read too many shelter magazines. I had seen pictures of the blue ceiling on porches and thought it was an enlightened idea. When I sit beneath it, the sky seems to be shining right through the overhang, without the heat of the sun.

My final touch for the house was something I have wanted for a long time. We painted our front door bright red. It is a single door, so it doesn’t overwhelm the curb view. If that were the criteria for ugly—a bad curb view—then I would have to say the designs that place all of the garages squarely in the front of the houses, with the actual houses appearing to be a mere afterthought, would win. 

Remember, the tract was designed in the early 1980s. The original colors were chosen to move the houses quickly.  Even the plants that grace the front yards must be listed as acceptable with the HOA. These exercises in mindless power were enshrined in our HOA contract forever. Why would one person’s idea of what might sell quickly in 1985 be the best choice for a quarter century later? Let’s all remember the tracts of the 1970s. No one wants to go there again.

Mindless uniformity might be why my HOA is very concerned about my red door. I am in the process of finding just the right door knocker for it and will be changing out the old and cheap porch light. It will look so wonderful that, in my mind, I can see the forbidden white picket fence. Wally, Beaver! Come to dinner!

Coincidentally, one of my brothers in the Chicago area just painted his house, too. And, without any discussion between us, painted his front door red.  Serendipity. I think what is needed for me to keep my red front door is support from the neighborhood and others. So, if you drive around the Willows across from the high school and spy a red door, and you like it, let me know. Even better, paint your own front door red. Heck, the Farmer’s Almanac just predicted for 2012 that bright red front doors will be a trend. How radical can it possibly be?