HOA and Home Brewing Question

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MyCarHasAbs

MyCarHasAbs

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My gf and I are in the early process of buying our first home and we'll probably have to settle with a town house (Northern VA is $$$). This also means we'll have to pay HOA fees. Is anyone aware of HOA not allowing home brewing? I know they have some pretty ridiculous rules. I've heard for example you can have an attic, you just can't use it...which sounds absurd.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
My gf and I are in the early process of buying our first home and we'll probably have to settle with a town house (Northern VA is $$$). This also means we'll have to pay HOA fees. Is anyone aware of HOA not allowing home brewing? I know they have some pretty ridiculous rules. I've heard for example you can have an attic, you just can't use it...which sounds absurd.
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HOA's are absurd. You will have to read the covenant and restriction of the particular HOA to know whether or not HB is allowed. I have heard of some who restrict the use of smokers and grills.
 
not sure my HOA has a clue what's going on in the neighborhood

cars parked in the yard, expired tags/decals, derelict cars, un-mowed lawns

if they complained about my homebrewing, they would look awful funny walking around with propane tanks jammed into their rectums
 
In your house? No. They can't restrict what you cook on your stove.

If you want to brew outside, then there may be some restrictions about grills etc. eg no flames on the deck, grills in the drive.
 
I personally can't imagine them having an issue with brewing beer at home. If you're allowed to brew tea, you should be allowed to make your own beer.
 
billl said:
In your house? No. They can't restrict what you cook on your stove.

If you want to brew outside, then there may be some restrictions about grills etc. eg no flames on the deck, grills in the drive.
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They can however supposedly restrict you from using your own fireplace.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
They can however supposedly restrict you from using your own fireplace.
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There can be deed restrictions not allowing the installation of a wood burning fireplace. However, restrictions on use are unenforceable. Just because it is on the document does not, necessarily, mean it is legally enforceable to the point of foreclosure if you don't pay fines.

Case in point, several of the properties we looked at prior to buying our current home had deed restrictions on black people.

Basically, the only restrictions taht are legally enforceable in a court are those that have potential to reduce property value.
 
The issue will be open flames on your porch or patio. There are HOA rules and township laws. Both tell me I can't grill unless using electric. I still do use a small gas camping grill and brew on a gas turkey frier. I have a decent size fenced in porch and I lock my gear up in a closet on the porch. None of my neighbors complain and it's pretty private, so no one bothers me. I'm sure it would be a problem if the wrong person walked by while I was brewing, but for now, I take that chance. It's been 4yrs with no problems. (KNOCKING ON WOOD)

As a condo owner one thing I'd suggest is exhaust all options to get in a house before you settle for a condo/townhome. We've been in ours for about 8yrs and the BS you have to deal with with an HOA association is ridiculous. Our fees 8yrs ago were $150. They are now up to $280/month. They also just tacked on an extra $50 for the next 4 months to pay for all the snow removal this past winter. I'd like to ask them "What about all the money NOT used for snow removal last year? Where's that? Did you think to put some of that away for a bad winter?".

Long story short, HOAs suck a$$. No other way around it. I'd seriously recommend you try as hard as you can to buy a house if at all possible. My wife and I love our home, but constantly wish we could go back in time and tell ourselves to hold out for a house.
 
dobe12 said:
The issue will be open flames on your porch or patio. There are HOA rules and township laws. Both tell me I can't grill unless using electric. I still do use a small gas camping grill and brew on a gas turkey frier. I have a decent size fenced in porch and I lock my gear up in a closet on the porch. None of my neighbors complain and it's pretty private, so no one bothers me. I'm sure it would be a problem if the wrong person walked by while I was brewing, but for now, I take that chance. It's been 4yrs with no problems. (KNOCKING ON WOOD)

As a condo owner one thing I'd suggest is exhaust all options to get in a house before you settle for a condo/townhome. We've been in ours for about 8yrs and the BS you have to deal with with an HOA association is ridiculous. Our fees 8yrs ago were $150. They are now up to $280/month. They also just tacked on an extra $50 for the next 4 months to pay for all the snow removal this past winter. I'd like to ask them "What about all the money NOT used for snow removal last year? Where's that? Did you think to put some of that away for a bad winter?".

Long story short, HOAs suck a$$. No other way around it. I'd seriously recommend you try as hard as you can to buy a house if at all possible. My wife and I love our home, but constantly wish we could go back in time and tell ourselves to hold out for a house.
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A house is no guarantee against HOA. In fact, depending on the area, they too can be just as rediculous. I have a house, we have a HOA. However it is NOT mandatory to join and is only to maintain common areas. But we also have deed restrictions, which have little to do with HOA, to prevent tall grass, wood shake roofs, junked up properties, RV storage, and basketball goals in the front yard.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Case in point, several of the properties we looked at prior to buying our current home had deed restrictions on black people.
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Are you serious? I'm not oblivious to racism, but there's no way something like that would hold up in any court. I would think someone could be sued just for listing that as a deed restriction.
 
dobe12 said:
Are you serious? I'm not oblivious to racism, but there's no way something like that would hold up in any court. I would think someone could be sued just for listing that as a deed restriction.
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Absolutely serious. And absolutely unenforceable. Area of deed restriction was developed in the 20's and the deed had gone unchaged ever since.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
A house is no guarantee against HOA. In fact, depending on the area, they too can be just as rediculous. I have a house, we have a HOA. However it is NOT mandatory to join and is only to maintain common areas. But we also have deed restrictions, which have little to do with HOA, to prevent tall grass, wood shake roofs, junked up properties, RV storage, and basketball goals in the front yard.
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Ok... but my point still holds true. Try as hard as possible to NOT get into an HOA property, which a house is usually the solution.
 
Being a Libertarian minded kinda guy I would just never live in a neighbor hood that had one. In the south we used to never have them untill yankees started showing up then HOAs came along a few years later. It really depends, but I wouldnt be surprised if they tryed to restrict you.
Not trying to tell you what to do, but cant you find a neighborhood that is not in an HOA?
 
Talk about HOA's in VA always brings back memories. Some of them can get pretty ridiculous. Definitely read through their rules/bylaws carefully, and the best way to find out about the neighborhood is to ask the neighbors.
 
dobe12 said:
Long story short, HOAs suck a$$. No other way around it. I'd seriously recommend you try as hard as you can to buy a house if at all possible. My wife and I love our home, but constantly wish we could go back in time and tell ourselves to hold out for a house.
Click to expand...

I think I'd be perfectly ok with waiting another year to move out..the problem is ...her mother. Her mom is f***in crazy. I come home from work and go straight up to my miniature man cave and I don't come out often because of her mom unless she's down stairs in her little hobby room lol. My gf would attest to this fact.
 
I'd stay the heck away from HOA governed properties. Some may be OK and not run by soup nazis currently, but there's always a chance that can change any day, when some dictator or short-d***ed power monger comes along. HOA dues can be staggering and contain silly, seemingly harmless clauses, until they start haunting or restricting you and your freedom, while you're paying for them with your hard-earned money.

If you can, look elsewhere. Freedom rules!
 
The thing that would usually get you is "no propane tanks on balconies or common areas" which pretty much means everywhere. One indication without much work is to drive around and look for the presence or absence of BBQ grills. I would rather live in a detached run down shack in the woods rather than a classy joint controlled by a HOA.
 
ChemistBrewer said:
Being a Libertarian minded kinda guy I would just never live in a neighbor hood that had one. In the south we used to never have them untill yankees started showing up then HOAs came along a few years later. It really depends, but I wouldnt be surprised if they tryed to restrict you.
Not trying to tell you what to do, but cant you find a neighborhood that is not in an HOA?
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If waiting a year were mentally and psychologically doable for the both of us, I'd be happy to wait it another year as her salary is a bit above 50 a year and I'm just shy of 40. Most of the houses in her parents neighborhood are easily in the $500k range and they're not even close to "upper level living". Northern VA / Metro DC area is incredibly expensive. For anyone familiar with VA we're going for Springfield.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
I think I'd be perfectly ok with waiting another year to move out..the problem is ...her mother. Her mom is f***in crazy. I come home from work and go straight up to my miniature man cave and I don't come out often because of her mom unless she's down stairs in her little hobby room lol. My gf would attest to this fact.
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I hear ya. If one more year will get you into a house, wait it out. Not just because of HOAs, but because you'll want to be in a house shortly after you get into a condo/townhome. That's where my wife and I are now. We bought our condo about 6 months before the housing market crashed in the mid 2000's. We paid $190K and it's now worth $130K, while we still owe about $165K. The initial thought was to buy it and stay for 5-6yrs, sell it for whatever profit we could, then buy a house. Well it's 8yrs later and we're stuck. We try to stay positive about it though. We have a roof over our heads. I have a place to brew, even if it's not technically allowed ;)
 
dobe12 said:
Are you serious? I'm not oblivious to racism, but there's no way something like that would hold up in any court. I would think someone could be sued just for listing that as a deed restriction.
Click to expand...

My parents' house has the same thing. The restrictions were put on long, long ago, probably by the people who built the house, and they are entirely unenforceable now. But they can't be removed from the deed.

I hate the idea of HOAs period. In every neighborhood, you're going to have busybodies/complainers, etc. Most of the time, you have the ability to tell them to go F themselves and to mind their own business, but having an HOA gives the meddlers some muscle that can allow them to tell you what to do. Screw that.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
To clarify, I brew inside on the stove.
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At some point you may want to consider an induction plate perhaps. You can buy a 3500W unit (IC3500) under $200 (including shipping), and you could pull a dedicated 240V/20A line or tap into your existing 240V/30A dryer outlet.

As said before, what you do inside your home seems to be off limits to HOA regulations, but better make sure that's the case and you can live with all the rules.

I'd choose the shack in the woods...
 
JonM said:
My parents' house has the same thing. The restrictions were put on long, long ago, probably by the people who built the house, and they are entirely unenforceable now. But they can't be removed from the deed.

I hate the idea of HOAs period. In every neighborhood, you're going to have busybodies/complainers, etc. Most of the time, you have the ability to tell them to go F themselves and to mind their own business, but having an HOA gives the meddlers some muscle that can allow them to tell you what to do. Screw that.
Click to expand...

It is a catch 22. HOA's that honestly protect property values are good. I personally don;t care to live next to the guy with the 72' Bel Aire on block in the drive for the last 10 years. Nor do I want to live next to the hot pink and purple house. And, to a degree, minimum landscape caluses are nice too. But, in teh same respect if I wanted to paint my house hot pink and purple I don't want anyone telling me I can't. Like I said, it's catch 22.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
I think I'd be perfectly ok with waiting another year to move out..the problem is ...her mother. Her mom is f***in crazy. I come home from work and go straight up to my miniature man cave and I don't come out often because of her mom unless she's down stairs in her little hobby room lol. My gf would attest to this fact.
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Consider moving a good distance away. :mug:
 
If you guys both make decent money, what the heck are you doing living at her mom's house? There is nothing wrong with getting an apartment and taking an extra year or 2 to save up to buy something.
 
The Great Commonwealth is behind the times in a lot of areas, but hopefully you are choosing one that isn't too out of step with reality. Dare you indicate where in NOVA you are moving to?
 
You'd be surprised. Some HOA's have some crazy rules. Some don't. As with everything, it depends, but it really depends in this case.
 
MyCarHasAbs said:
If waiting a year were mentally and psychologically doable for the both of us, I'd be happy to wait it another year as her salary is a bit above 50 a year and I'm just shy of 40. Most of the houses in her parents neighborhood are easily in the $500k range and they're not even close to "upper level living". Northern VA / Metro DC area is incredibly expensive. For anyone familiar with VA we're going for Springfield.
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grew up in Hayfield, used to live in Springfield

ditch Fairfax Co, come out to Loudoun. little more affordable out here and we'll have the Silver Line soon.

we have better breweries too
 
GrogNerd said:
grew up in Hayfield, used to live in Springfield

ditch Fairfax Co, come out to Loudoun. little more affordable out here and we'll have the Silver Line soon.

we have better breweries too
Click to expand...

Does that come with a Tesla? Cause that's what I'll need to afford the gas to get to work every day in Falls Church haha.
 
Here in Houston they can get pretty bad also. My neighborhood is not too bad but it still pisses me off when I get a letter about my trash can being in view of the street (down the long driveway and around a corner) when there is a renter/convicted child rapist 3 houses down. Yea, he has served his sentence and I am not really trying to debate about that. But I will be selling within the next year and the biggest deterrent to someone buying my house is not the garbage cans that are visible from the street or the neighbor home brewer (not that there are any restrictions on home brewing in my neighborhood) but it is the boogie monster 3 houses down.

Anyway to put the thread back on subject, If you can not buy anything that you feel comfortable in, I would wait it out on buying, you will be glad. There was a point a few years back where I thought we were going to have to sell because of finances and other problems. I dreaded the thought of living in an apartment or rental where I did not have the space or freedom to do what I like to do. It was hard but we stuck through it and everything worked out in the end.
 
My girlfriend and I are looking in Leesburg/Ashburn/Sterling/Centerville area. We can't afford anything other than a townhouse. We're also concerned about the ability to brew, and are looking to find a place with a yard and a fence. If the HOA can't see the beer brewing, they shouldn't complain ;-).
Agree with the better breweries. Crooked Run, Lost Rhino, and Flying Dog close by in Frederick. I've visited many of the home-brew shops in NOVA, I believe Kettles and Grains has the nicest/ most helpful owners.
B
 
I'll def be sharing these thoughts with her, but she'll probably get her way and we'll be in a town house by Fall.
As for the HOA, I think I'm just going to stick by this rule, "what they don't know, won't hurt them".
 
syntrikz said:
My girlfriend and I are looking in Leesburg/Ashburn/Sterling/Centerville area. We can't afford anything other than a townhouse. We're also concerned about the ability to brew, and are looking to find a place with a yard and a fence. If the HOA can't see the beer brewing, they shouldn't complain ;-).
Agree with the better breweries. Crooked Run, Lost Rhino, and Flying Dog close by in Frederick. I've visited many of the home-brew shops in NOVA, I believe Kettles and Grains has the nicest/ most helpful owners.
B
Click to expand...

Where is Kettles and Grains? I'm only aware of mLHBS.
 
i agree with many of the above that it really depends on the HOA.. we live in a community of 37 houses and we have an HOA, though there are no specifics in the docs regarding anything that pertains to brewing.. i brew out in my garage and i know that at least 75% of them have either seen or stopped by on a brewday.. it really depends on the people in the neighborhood as well.. even if it technically isn't allowed if nobody complains then it really doesn't matter
 

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