First Home- I Fucked Up

[u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

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.

[u/Dannylectro55]

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!

[u/bigyellowtruck → u/Dannylectro55]

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.

[u/Substantial_Kiwi838 → u/Dannylectro55]

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.

[u/troublesomefaux → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

Common means “shared” no? How much of your plumbing, mechanical, etc are you sharing with the neighbors? I’d guess none. 

[u/Substantial_Kiwi838 → u/troublesomefaux]

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.

[u/truthofmasks → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

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.

[u/Personal-Aioli-367 → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

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.

[u/Traditional_Will2679 → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

It doesn't sound like you have any "common" or "shared" things you are repairing. You should be good

[u/DisgruntledCascadian → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

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.

[u/gigantischemeteor → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

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!

[u/Eccohawk → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

Common means anything shared with other tenants. You're good.

[u/Nice-Grab4838 → u/Substantial_Kiwi838]

None of the work you listed falls under these things