Painting the home exterior
 

Do you have to get committee approval anytime you paint the outside of your home? I like the colors used on Havana country club. Can you use those colors for your own home?

Yes, you need to get ARC (architectural review committee) approval to paint the exterior of your house. Read your deed restrictions document.

Note that this applies to almost every house in The Villages, except possibly the older manufactured houses on the north side.

If you DO NOT change color you don’t have get ARC approval. If you do change colors MAKE a sure you have documentation that it was approved.

OP this is great advice, there were a few recent cases where people did not get approval, and the homeowner was forced to have the house repainted.

It also applies to manufactured homes on the north side. Our color options aren't as limited as some of the other areas but we still have to get approval first.

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However a preowned house may not be original paint, and chose not to get ARC approved. Our old neighborhood owners painted the house a weird brown, “it’s our house who’s going to complain”. 14 months later house sold, and a very informative letter from Community Services, arrived to new owners, paint not on approval ARC list. 30 days to correct, or fines will be accessed.

One needs to be diligent while looking at preowned, then checking ARC records. Not every resident follows the rules.

Then the weird brown was not listed on the approved color palette. If you choose an already approved color, ARC approval is not required but is often recommended. I changed the trim color on my home and had a noisy neighbor complain only to get a letter stating the color change was already on the approved list.

The point was that the new owner had no idea that the weird brown was not listed on the approved color palette or even what an approved color palette was. The new owner bought the house, made no changes at all, and later found out the previous owner had sold him a problem requiring an expensive solution.

Just because the colors are on the palette does not make them approved for your particular home - the weird brown very well might have ben on the approved palette. The ARC may not like the base/trim pairing or they may feel there are too many green houses on your street. If you paint the same color then your deed restrictions may not require approval but if you change colors, even if the colors are on the approved palette, then you need to submit an application.

It is likely that the original color is no longer available or reasonably easy to find (mine wasn't). I could have repainted with something close without getting approval but why take the chance? The forms are easy to fill out and approval takes about two weeks.

I agree with Bill 14564, one of houses in District 7, the approved original color had been deleted from the color pallet. First quote from a well known painting company in TV, said don’t worry about it, nobody’s going to complain if I color match. He also refused to submit ARC. Red Flag.

Second quote Steve Kling, “Original color is no longer approved” I will submit a color close to ARC. Color was denied. We changed course with an approved color, and Steve made sure we had ARC approval, stated just in case ARC changes the color down the road. District 7 has deleted and added at least 25 colors, that we know of.

I strongly recommend, when you apply for ARC keep paperwork, color swatch, and pic of date painted. Our color was deleted 2 years later. When we sold we gave all the paperwork to the new owner just in case there should be a problem, down the road.
We also gave them all of the ARC approval for landscaping and the before and after pics with dates.

Go to the district office, they have paint samples for all the approved colors for both the body and trim. They can tell you if you live in an area that has to go through ARC approval, even if you pick colors on their approved chart. In my area, I didn’t have to get ARC approval because my color combination was up there.

It all depends on which district you live in. Ours, District 13, does not have a color palette of approved colors. We were having the house painted last year, and a color change was in order. I knew ARC approval was required, and obtained a document from the ARC office at Lake Sumter listing what was to be included in the application. They required a current photo of the house, a photo of the houses on either side of mine, and sample swatches of the proposed new colors for the body, trim and accents. We went to the ARC meeting, and the approval process was quick and easy.

I had my house paint this year and I did change the color; my house stands out among the rest in the neighborhood.
It was not a major inconvenience, I showed up to the office in Spanish Springs, I told her my address, she asked what color I intended to paint my house. It was white with green trim, and I showed her some sample I bought from Lowes. She told me I could not use any of the green colors I bought her and directed me to a board with the green shades I could use, and it had to be Sherman Williams. This hold process took a few minutes.

That process does not apply to everyone!. You don't mention which CDD you live in but it would not apply to CDD10 where my house is located. My CDD requires ARC approval to change the color from what it was originally. The woman in the office in Spanish Springs (I would go to Brownwood) might advise me on the colors that are likely to be approved but nothing she said would protect me from a future complaint which the approval letter I received from the ARC should.

We just had our house repainted. We had to send photos of the houses on either side of us as well as photos of the paint and trim to the ARC. They don't want every house on the block the same color. The review took about 2 weeks. If you don't change the color, no approval needed.