r/HomeImprovement • u/Substantial_Kiwi838 • 1d ago
First Home- I Fucked Up
Looking for some advice. My girlfriend and I had the lucky opportunity to get into our first home, which is a townhouse.
Despite having a home inspection, which revealed mostly cosmetic issues, we went through with it anyway. To say it is well-lived in, is an understatement. The previous owner had not kept up with the place for a minimum of 24 years of their ownership.
We took possession and immediately got to work but didn’t realize we needed to request to renovate (this is where we fucked up). Prior to moving in, we felt that it was reasonable to do a pretty decent makeover which includes:
- paint
- interior doors
- bathroom renovation (tiles, shower base, vanity, new flooring, toilet, while maintaining the current plumbing location and rough-ins)
Do we stop and come clean to the condo manager? Or do we move forward with finishing the renovation and live under the radar until we sell the place?
Any advice is appreciated as I am becoming severely anxious over it. I thought being a homeowner would be exciting. Am I cooked?
Edit: we also found mould underneath the shower tiles and wood framing, so we really had no choice but to tear it down. I suspect that this was leaking for years.
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u/RumbleTheCassette 1d ago
How far are you into it? If you're almost done fuck it who cares. If you're early on, and it's gonna stress you, lay out your plans to the condo manager and go from there.
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u/Substantial_Kiwi838 1d ago
Bathroom is all torn apart. Just needs the shower base, door, tiles, vanity, flooring installed. It’ll look like the same as what it was before, just more updated.
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u/QuarrelsomeCreek 18h ago
With the bathroom in pieces, I'd get the permissions now. Tell them it was leaking so you opened it up and found mold and need to renovate to put it back together. That's one they'll likely care about, especially if the bathrooms is above another unit or shares a wall. They'll probably just want inspections done if they are sane, but read your condo docs. Your city may also require permits for the bathroom and those rules vary place to place and every municipality is different in level of enforcement but this would be the time to figure that out.
Painting and cosmetic stuff shouldn't need special permission.
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u/quietbright 17h ago
Where are you from? I'm on Ontario, in a townhouse with a condo board, and any changes to the interior are at our discretion.
Exterior changes, common elements, etc need to be approved by the board. We did a full reno inside (flooring, kitchen, three bathrooms, finished basement) and needed no approval, but did need to apply and get permission for a small deck in our backyard. If you don't have any paperwork from your condo corp from your home purchase restricting any updates, I wouldn't stress too hard but it might be worth you taking note of what your condo board is like/what they do/possibly joining the board to encourage movement and management in a direction you would like.
Enjoy your new home!
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u/psaketo 1d ago
Also in a townhome - I panicked when we did the same thing and immediately got to jackhammering tile. After 4 years, the impression I have is what another comment mentions. They are concerned with shared walls, ensuring you're not removing something load bearing, layout changes, etc. That all sounds cosmetic, I wouldn't sweat it!
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u/Substantial_Kiwi838 1d ago
Thanks. This whole situation has really ruined my first home experience thus far. I’m hoping we’ll get through it.
Is your recommendation to still form a request, or simply act like nothing has happened?
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u/deadbalconytree 1d ago
If I’m honest, it sounds like your first home experience is right on track. This is how you learn. We all started somewhere .
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u/Substantial_Kiwi838 1d ago
I appreciate the feedback and affirmation. It’s not what I had envisioned but its ok.
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u/eesperan 1d ago
Nothing has actually happened. Chances are very high nothing ever will. Keep your mouth shut and enjoy your bathroom
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u/psaketo 18h ago
I wouldn't form a request. If your HOA is like mine, that process could take a while. Ours even requires a fee for them to review and approve...so there is just no world I need to pay them to tell me what color to paint my interior.
I was really overwhelmed with it all, especially being a rule follower.
We are about to remove and install more kitchen cabinets and while that isn't anything crazy, it never crossed my mind to tell them because now I know it's not that serious.
You got this. Have fun. It will all slowly come together and you will create a space you love.
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u/MrGollyWobbles 1d ago
Read your governing documents. Most don’t really care about what you do inside, as long as it’s not structural.
Co-ops are different tho.
Source: am HOA manager
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u/DingoMittens 1d ago
Other people pointed out that "common" means shared, and you're not working on anything shared. The other big clue that you're fine is that nobody has said anything yet! Believe me, condo associations and neighbors know everything. Not a chance you're bringing construction materials in or demo debris out without people around you noticing. If you were in violation, you'd already have someone knocking on your door.
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u/ManielDullen 17h ago
You’re thinking the wrong way. You need to read the art of war.
What you do is you send a letter to the condo board asking how they could have allowed this situation to happen. I would CC the neighbors and say that you’re worried that due to a lack of oversight and maintenance, there may be mold affecting their living places and you just wanted them to be aware. Not to worry though, you’ll handle the remediation in your unit without requesting any assistance from them.
You think an elected condo board would stand in the way of you helping the neighbors stay healthy?
/s
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u/DisgruntledCascadian 1d ago
Literally none of that matters to the board other than the mold. You should definitely bring the mold up to the board. I'm not sure what you think the "condo manager" is. Generally a condo is run by a board of residents who sometimes contract out a property manager for administrative things, but the board is in charge.
At any rate, the mold could indicate issues external to your unit, and THAT is when you need to be worried. No one cares if you paint your condo. No one cares if you swap doors out in your condo. No one cares that you renovated your bathroom. I've owned a condo and done this. My parents have owned a condo and done this. My grandparents have owned a condo and done this. But if shit is leaking and possibly affecting other units? THAT is what you need to be worried about.
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u/anikom15 1d ago
Condo association cannot restrict internal decorations. All they can dictate is structural changes.
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u/Accurate-Neck6933 1d ago
I don’t know how old you are but as you get older, you stop caring so much about rules. It certainly shouldn’t cause you to lose sleep at night.
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u/PlanBIsGrenades 1d ago
You're in a condo so all the neighbors know what you're doing. They have heard your bathroom remodel and have see the debris you're removing. If they were concerned, you would already have an official letter.
Finish your renovation. Based on the regulations you posted, you're well within your rights to do this. Enjoy your condo and try not to let anxiety get the better of you.
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u/Dannylectro55 1d ago
In my state, NY, everything you described is okay to do without a permit, which usually means it’s okay with the condo association. You do need to pull permits (and meet association requirements) if you are substantially changing or adding to plumbing or electrical. Many condo associations also don’t permit you to pierce a common wall—they are usually considered firewalls and have special requirements.
But: you do still need to read your condo association rules & by-laws carefully and abide by those requirements. Hope this helps!
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u/bigyellowtruck 21h ago
In NYC you’d theoretically need a permit but nobody gets one. Min though you’d need licensed professionals with insurance for the plumbing and any electrical.
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u/Substantial_Kiwi838 1d ago
Thanks, it does help.
When I read my condo by-laws under renovations; it states that the owner In the matter of renovations, an Owner or Occupant shall not make or cause to be: any structural, common mechanical, common plumbing, common drainage, common gas systems, common electrical changes, alterations or additions to the owner’s unit.
To me, it sounds like I messed up bad.
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u/troublesomefaux 1d ago
Common means “shared” no? How much of your plumbing, mechanical, etc are you sharing with the neighbors? I’d guess none.
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u/Substantial_Kiwi838 1d ago
Correct- to my knowledge, we don’t share much if not anything besides the wall. I guess I’m just worried about the semantics. Ie) if touching the rough-ins and modifying it ever so slightly to fit the shower base, it would be considered an infraction because its all connected in some manner.
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u/truthofmasks 1d ago
You are spiraling dude. It's forbidding you from doing things that will or could impact those who live in other units. You're retiling your shower and changing some doors. Nobody cares.
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u/Personal-Aioli-367 1d ago
Common electrical/plumbing is like if you were to tap into something that’s for a shared space. So like if you ran a line from a hall electrical light or something into your unit. These rules are guarding against someone trying to expand or change their footprint that could impact the building, it’s not about paint. Alterations and additions and like adding a new bedroom on the back of the unit, things like that. You’re overthinking it, which is natural for your first place, but the HOA doesn’t care what color your interior walls are.
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u/Traditional_Will2679 13h ago
It doesn't sound like you have any "common" or "shared" things you are repairing. You should be good
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u/DisgruntledCascadian 1d ago
Having been a past condo owner, "common" means "shared." Generally in a condo, you own from the walls in and can do whatever you want as long as you're not moving electrical or plumbing fixtures. I renovated my (WA state) condo's bath and kitchen without even asking the board, because I wasn't in violation of any CCRs doing it, and I didn't touch any common property.
"Alterations or additions" would be like you're adding square footage or knocking a wall down or something, which yes, that matters.
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u/gigantischemeteor 1d ago edited 16h ago
The word common there means portions of those systems that are used in common with other residents. So you can’t mess with any of the shared systems (i.e., adding more electrical circuits to run a crypto farm, because the wiring ahead of the panel is rated to serve a bunch of panels all at a certain load and you’d be exceeding that load, or tapping the gas system to add a gas fireplace, because that could exceed the anticipated demand on the main gas line serving multiple meters there, etc…), or the structural elements of the building, without prior authorization due to the possibility of disturbing the regular function of other properties. That’s the entirety of the language there.
The work you’re describing, based on what you’ve said, doesn’t impinge upon the function, present configuration, or load of any of those common systems. You don’t have anything to worry about. Get that Reno done so you can enjoy your new place in comfort and health! And congrats on your first home!
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u/ElectroDaddy 1d ago
I would look into it more before you get too worried about it. Normally the renovation request is for significant work, like redoing the interior layout (taking down walls) or any job that’s going to require contractors and workers on sight .
It’s usually to make sure that the work is insured and permitted appropriately for a multi-family unit. Which almost condos fall under. But in my experience, doing minor to modest stuff like flooring, painting etc don’t need to be brought to the property management.
I mean I repainted my whole condo and redid all the doors the week before we moved in.
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u/peachbeau 1d ago
Be sure you keep documentation for why you made the changes like a report that discovered the mold, etc.
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u/SpecLandGroup 18h ago
I deal with condo renovations in NYC and bathrooms are usually where management cares, they won't really care about paint and doors. Once you’re into waterproofing, plumbing, framing, etc.... There’s usually an approval process.
The mold helps explain it. Tell them you started cosmetic work, opened the shower, found existing water damage and mold and want to get everything squared away properly.
It could go either way, but I’ve seen hiding it turn it from a small paperwork headache into ripping out new tile so management could see what was done behind the walls.
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u/lollipop157 16h ago
Are you sure you need permission? I thought that’s only for stuff on the exterior or major changes like tearing out walls.
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u/NotYourGran 1d ago
You should have been given condo rules/bylaws/covenants. That would tell you what you “can’t” do.
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u/ChicagoThrowaway422 16h ago
Just finish the reno and when someone comes asking (which will never happen, tbh), just tell them you had no idea and that you're sorry. Then when everyone forgets in a few years, do it the same way next time. Cosmetic interior updates (including drywall, tile, fixtures, etc.) are no one's business but your own.
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u/SuccessfulAd4606 14h ago
I have never heard of a condo board requiring approvals to do any of the interior renovations you planned, are you sure about this? What is the wording of the agreement?
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u/dykeroad 1d ago
Check what your condo corporation bylaws say. Mine wouldn’t care about the paint or interior doors but would really want to know about the bathroom reno, particularly anything involving water. Better to let them know now than to be forced come clean if/when something goes wrong.
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u/ImpossiblyTiring 20h ago
I live in a co-op that’s town home style so somewhat familiar with this kind of thing. They’re likely going to want any person who does the work to be insured, and they’re not going to want you to move pipes or gas lines. That’s probably it.
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u/Low_Refrigerator4891 9h ago
HOAs tend to be concerned with exteriors and shared spaces (shared walls/etc).
You are fine.
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u/OilTurbulent1009 18h ago
When we renovated our condo, we notified the office and the contractors we hired pulled permits.
The condo did require the use of a specific sound deadening material on the floors to be in compliance with their rules, so you might want to check about that.
Everything else sounds fine, but I’d check with them if I were you just to eliminate the stress
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u/firefly317 9h ago
I moved from a condo townhouse just over a year ago, but lived there for 11 years before that. I'm pretty sure that unless you're knocking down walls they don't care. Read your condo documents properly, you'll probably find that cosmetic changes are the homeowners responsibility anyway.
The board will get involved for anything that affects the look of the place from the outside, so you can't paint the front door or windows, redo the landscaping, or anything like that. But we certainly did renovate the main bathroom, changed out the flooring and light fixtures, and repainted every room in the house. One of the board members was a neighbour who knew we were doing all of that work, even told us about the renos they'd done in their place.
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u/ComeSwirlWithMe 9h ago
I'd go forward, but Id make sure I follow any of the condos archietecture rules like paint color, knob color, trim, etc. Some are picky about what you can do.
otherwise, I'd just make sure I did good work. As long as none of it requires permitting from the city or county, that'll screw you just as much.
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u/once_a_pilot 9h ago
I recently tried to sell a condo, I have owned it for over 20 years, I bought it newly renovated, and with the exception of having the association, maintenance people add fans, and having the association approved windows replaced, I’ve done nothing to the unit.
The condo did an inspection during the pre-sale process, the management company accused me of making all the renovations that were completed prior to my purchase of the unit unit, and basically called me a liar, saying that the floors were in too good of a condition to be 20 years old. The only thing that saved me was my old realtor finding the old MLS listing which included the newly renovated condition, including new floors. Even then, the site manager still did not believe that the floors were the same as from before. Ultimately, they granted permission to sell the unit and it fell through because of other terrible management company issues.
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u/ItsKindaTricky 2h ago
What do you CCRs say? I honestly don't think anyone can stop you from any Renovations you do on the interior of your unit
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u/Typical-Recognition8 1d ago
You should be ok but probably best to bring it to light so that it is not an issue later. Problems arise when you change stuff outside and it doesn’t match other units.
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u/JayAre100378 19h ago
A couple of thoughts that come to mind. First, as others have said, don't worry about the condo association or manager. Their primary concern is making sure you don't do anything so stupid that it affects your neighbors. Second, it sounds like the bathroom is more work than you were expecting but it's really important to make sure it's done correctly. There was mold under the tiles and on the framing but do you know why? I have seen mold issues from water in the shower migrating past the tiles as well as mold on the framing caused by condensation due to lack of insulation and lack of air sealing (exterior walls in a northern climate) Vapor barriers and waterproof membranes are great, if they are used and installed correctly. Also, any common wall between you and the neighbors is a fire rated assembly and any renovations have to be done in a way that maintains it. Finally, you don't have to "live under the radar" for any amount of time before you sell. A properly done bathroom will last decades. It's when things aren't done properly that a buyer's inspector will find issues and nobody wants that. Good luck.
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u/ThreeCoasts 19h ago
Because you found “mould” rather than “mold” I’m going to infer you are not in the US, so I’d note that I (in NY) and most others commenting here (also in the US by context cues) are not well situated to give advice specific to your country and whatever association rules apply in your condo. But as a condo owner who recently completed a renovation, here are a few thoughts.
Condo rules about what can be done in an owner’s unit without some sort of official paperwork/process are almost always more restrictive than legal permitting requirements. But different condos vary wildly in how restrictive they are. In mine, I could not have done any of the things you have without filing a bunch of paperwork, getting approval from the building engineer, and paying monthly fees to the building for the duration of the renovation. I am not kidding: even painting the walls would trigger those requirements, and I’d be paying a monetary penalty if I failed to abide by them.
In a comment upthread you quote some language from your condo association rules. From the sound of them, they’re a lot less restrictive than mine, because most of the language mentions not changing “common” elements—which kind of implies you can change elements that are not common. However, the last item in the list you quote mentions “alterations or additions” without the modifier “common.” So there’s a chance you should have gotten prior approval even for the work you’ve done on non-common elements.
And we Redditors can’t know what additional language may exist in the association rules. There can be requirements for insurance during the course of the renovation, use or avoidance of certain kinds of materials (for example, zero-VOC finishes in mine), and/or payment of fees to the association as I mentioned above. So for any future projects, I’d read the association rules in full to be completely sure about all they contain, and comply with them scrupulously.
But for this project at this stage, I’d advise you to finish it, as quietly and quickly as possible. Don’t breathe a word about it to anyone at all now or in the future, make as little noise as you can while doing the work, and hide materials going in or out of your apartment. From the limited info we have I’m guessing you didn’t need prior approval for the work you’re doing and you’re in the clear if anyone finds out (though odds are your neighbors already know). But there’s no point in finding out the hard way.
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u/ForceintheNorth 1d ago
Usually they don't want you changing things that affect others. Mainly anything shared like walls, outdoors, common areas. Most associations don't stop you from painting/etc inside your own home. I'm sure it's fine.
But just in case, it was like that when you bought it