I hear you on the “new interpretation” front—our HOA once tried to claim my original wood windows weren’t “in harmony” with the neighborhood. Took three months and a binder full of emails to sort that out. Has anyone actually seen these rainbow gutters in the wild, or is this just a theoretical nightmare?
Has anyone actually seen these rainbow gutters in the wild, or is this just a theoretical nightmare?
I've walked a lot of neighborhoods over the years and honestly, never once spotted actual rainbow gutters outside of maybe a quirky art house or two. Most HOAs I've dealt with would lose their minds over something like that—usually they're all about beige everything, not the other way around.
Your story about the wood windows rings true though. HOAs seem to invent new “interpretations” whenever it suits them. It’s wild how they’ll nitpick original features but then toss out curveballs like this.
If this ever does go from theory to reality, I’d be more worried about resale value than harmony. Buyers usually want neutral, not circus tent vibes. At the end of the day, I’d document everything and push back. These “in harmony” arguments are almost always subjective and negotiable if you show enough precedent.
I’ve never seen rainbow gutters in the wild either, and I’ve spent way too much time peering at rooflines for historic details. It’s usually a battle just to keep original copper or half-rounds, let alone add a color wheel up there. The “in harmony” clause is so vague—one board’s “harmony” is another’s fever dream. I’d be curious how they’d justify rainbow gutters as historically appropriate. If this ever actually happens, I’d be breaking out the old photos and city records to show precedent... or lack thereof.
- Never even heard of rainbow gutters until this thread, honestly.
- That “in harmony” thing is super vague, yeah… what if the board just likes wild colors?
- If they ever try to push this through, I’d want to see some actual proof that’s a thing in the area.
- I’m new to all this, but wouldn’t city records or old photos pretty much settle it?
- Feels like sometimes “historic” means whatever someone thinks looks cool that month...
I get where you’re coming from about “historic” meaning whatever’s trendy. But just a heads up—city records and old photos aren’t always the slam dunk people think. I tried that route when my neighbor wanted to paint their porch neon green. Turns out, nobody kept detailed color records in the 1920s, and old photos are black and white or faded. If the board wants rainbow gutters, they’ll probably argue it’s “creative interpretation.” Honestly, unless there’s a bylaw with clear color rules, it gets messy fast.
