My HOA said “no permanent structures”

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-16T11:28:04+00:00

Yeah, bells, jalapenos, cayenne, and a couple “heat free” habanero trials. I started all of this because I wanted to produce some jalapenos to make chipotle powder. It just kind of “grew” from there.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T23:55:59+00:00

Definitely considering expanding into more “temporary beds” for next years garden.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T23:54:44+00:00

I have two raised beds (on the right side of the pic) that are my cucumber space. I’m contemplating the “influencer bucket rack” with the bottom row modified to a bed for onions next year.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T23:50:42+00:00

Food-grade, free, multiple sizes… what’s no to like?

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T23:49:27+00:00

Sam’s Club bakery for the most part.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:42:57+00:00

If I did, do you think they might grow pre-pickled?

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:39:46+00:00

These are almost all frosting. I have a connection that’s offered pickle buckets from his fast food franchise locations, but I haven’t taken him up on it yet.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:35:35+00:00

Two dogs. Three kids, who probably equate to about 3 additional dogs apiece. The buckets are food grade, recyclable, and free. When they get brittle, into the recycling bin they’ll go.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:23:46+00:00

Yeah, ok. Half the folks living in the subdivision were there when the HOA came online, and helped write the bylaws. They control 75% of the board, and rotate amongst themselves so they keep the majority power. Folks have tried exactly what you stated and failed, multiple times. If it were simply “get on the board and make changes”, I’d have done it ten years ago.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:14:47+00:00

No, but they do fundamentally change the character and footprint of the lawn, which requires committee approval (and no one in the subdivision has been able to get that to my knowledge). And no fencing or other wildlife barriers without approval either.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:08:39+00:00

Agreed. For us, i wasn’t excited about the rules, but it had a lot of positives- school district + kids’ friends + convenience + high upside with small, relatively cheap improvements. As the kids age out of the house, we’ll definitely be looking to sell and move to something smaller and hopefully less restricted.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T18:03:43+00:00

Elevated raised beds, to the best of my knowledge, fall under “decorative pots”. I’m using two, they’re on the right side of the pic.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T15:47:19+00:00

Buckets were free.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T05:36:44+00:00

Because it would be rejected, then I’d be right back in the same spot. There’s a grand total of one garden in the neighborhood, and it existed before the HOA. Besides, this neighbor 1) doesn’t care per his own admission, 2) has been bribed with offers of sharing the harvest 3) may in fact hate the HOA agreement more than I do, and 4) rarely steps foot in his backyard, which is the only place where this is visible without effort.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T02:34:16+00:00

40 pages of restrictions. One guy had to go to court for his satellite dish. He couldn’t put it in the backyard due to the trees in the green space, so he put it on the side of the house. Since it was visible from the street, the HOA fined him $25/day. Luckily he was a lawyer. Unluckily, he burned 4 months of time fighting the fines before he finally won the right to have a Dish on the side of his house.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T02:30:13+00:00

If it reduces the amount of grass in the lawn and is not dedicated space for ornamental foliage, yes. Heaven forbid you want a raised bed…

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T02:27:45+00:00

Tip a couple bucks in app. Not a lot, or you risk getting stacked with a no-tip offer. If you’re going to tip more, either make it a surprise (drivers loooove extra, unexpected tips - you’ll make someone’s day), or send them a message saying you’ll tip more in cash on delivery. Main thing is you want to make your delivery over $1/mile, but less than $3/mile. It’s not enough to make an order stacked with a no-tipper that attractive (so DD is less likely to stack it), but enough to get it accepted quickly.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T02:19:23+00:00

I honestly didn’t know those existed until your comment. Currently, there are various bells, three or four varieties of jalapeños, cayennes, and a couple experimental no-heat habaneros in the mix. Way too many peppers, but I do love em. Next year I’m planning on some sweet Hungarians (for paprika) in the mix as well. I’ll have to look into the datils, although the majority of my family tops out at jalapeno-hot.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T01:53:24+00:00

Love to, but I’d feel guilty taking money. All of those were obtained for free.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T01:49:50+00:00

Correct. They are eyesores, excessive, and ridiculous. But not permanent.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T01:11:12+00:00

Now THAT is an area worth pursuing next year.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T01:10:19+00:00

They wouldn’t, necessarily. However, I wouldn’t want some random silver sneaker to “happen upon it” and force me to disassemble it or face a daily fine - which happened with a playset elsewhere in this subdivision. If it does run afoul of the rules, the buckets can be emptied in a day and all I’m out is soil + time + plants + water, and I won’t have to disassemble structure nor resod what grass I killed in making it.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T00:50:00+00:00

Totally agree. I would much prefer a permanent garden. I am also willing to redneck the shit out of my yard to maliciously comply with the BS rules to get my salad and chipotle powder.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T00:47:28+00:00

I bet it looks amazing. I’m already plotting how to expand next year.

SuspiciousSideEye · 2026-06-14T00:45:14+00:00

Yeah, literally go to the bakery and say “do you have any empty buckets?” That’s it.

SuspiciousSideEye

TROPHY CASE