Architectural Review: Notable Findings

With our homes approaching (and in some cases surpassing) the legal age for alcohol consumption, the AC noted a number of instances of unsightly stucco mold and faded paint (mainly on wooden elements). To be sure, there were other conditions requiring repair, but these two stand out as a bit more common. The good news is that in no case did the AC see conditions requiring demolition of the structure! (Whew.  :-)  )  

Also on the plus side: over the past 12 months, we've seen a record number of homeowners pick up the gauntlet of home maintenance by repainting their homes.

WE also noted that a full repaint is not always the only solution. Some cheaper options:

• Power wash. Oftentimes, those black stucco spots are not mold but mineral deposits -- dirt that has splashed off the roof in a rain. One of our neighbors had their house power-washed, put in a vinyl fence and had nice plants planted upfront - the house looks like new!
• Partial/select repaint. Just taking care of a rusted railing or south-facing front door and shutters particularly vulnerable to the effects of UV (paint fading/flaking) will dramatically improve the overall look.

We hope the AC updates have been informative and will answer at least some questions that may arise as the Board strives to fulfill its duty to preserve the appearance of our neighborhood and protect our property values.

-Your Architectural Committee

Architectural Review Process

To ensure maximum fairness and objectivity the AC has evaluated each home based on the following criteria:

• Mold / dark stains on the stucco
• Moisture damaged stucco
•  Chipped, peeling, or substantially faded paint
• Exposed wall anchors
• Bent, loose or missing siding
• Gutters and/or downspouts in disrepair
• Rusting metal surfaces
• Broken or missing shutters / other decorative elements
• Badly weathered/ deteriorated "hardware" (metal door handles, knobs, and locks; exterior, metal light fixtures attached to residence, etc.)
• Significantly dented/ damaged garage doors
• Extensive, visible termite damage, broken/missing/rotted elements (to fences, visible architectural elements, etc.)
• Improvement maintenance (e.g., driveway strips)

(These minimum standards were previously developed by the AC and approved by the Board - please see the documents on the right.)

The AC then adopted a rating scale for its volunteers to use to reflect the degree of severity/urgency of each maintenance condition for each house: 

1. No adverse observations 
2. Limited adverse observations, monitoring recommended, no action recommended at this time 
3. Limited adverse observations, monitoring recommended, warning recommended 
4. Fairly significant observations, action recommended
5. Significant observations, action required

Each committee volunteer was allocated a group of houses (excluding his/her own) to evaluate. Pictures were taken to document noted areas of concern.The AC then used the above scale (along with a total scoring for each house) to prioritize the most problematic houses in need of attention.

Once it's double-checked the scores needing action (3,4, and 5) the AC will forward its recommendations to the HOA Board of Directors for ultimate disposition.

We will share the most notable findings here.

- Your Architectural Committee

Driveway Hardscape Conversion Pitfalls

If you have recently converted or are considering converting your driveway to a hardscape, please bear in mind:

1) You MUST have the sprinklers professionally capped.

2) Please be mindful of the irrigation pipes under the driveway. Our irrigation is 20 years old and getting brittle. It does not take much to accidentally break an irrigation pipe under the driveway when removing the old sod or installing a hardscape. In one unfortunate instance a broken pipe leaking water under the hardscape was discovered AFTER concrete was poured in, necessitating cumbersome and costly repairs.

3) Please control the weeds. Driveway hardscape is your property and your responsibility. Stones seem to be a popular solution but weeds will grow between them if a weed barrier is not installed properly.

New Plantings

Finally! The new plantings have arrived at the affected front yards!

The plants were carefully selected from the Approved Plant List for maximum variety and cohesive look and professionally matched to a specific location (house orientation, sun, proximity to the driveway, surrounding plants, water and maintenance requirements).

This marks the beginning of Mendocino's planned transition from woody, "heavy", sculpted shrubs to a "softer", natural, drought tolerant look.

From the Architectural Committee:

One of the benefits of living in an HOA is having neighbors who share your interest in maintaining and enhancing the value of your (probably biggest) investment and have the means to act on that interest, at least to the extent that the appearance of the neighborhood impacts your home's value. Without an HOA, pointing out how your neighbor's maintenance (or lack thereof) is adversely affecting Your investment might be considered -- well -- downright rude! Isn't it good to have community volunteers willing to undertake this job?

The Board has delegated to the Architectural Committee (AC) the task of identifying home (non-landscape-related) maintenance issues that are visible to the rest of the community and which are in need of remediation in order to preserve everyone's property values and maintain the appeal and appearance of the neighborhood. 

The AC currently comprises two non-Board homeowners, one Board member, and technically the President in an ex-officio capacity who is not participating in the AC work - all of whom are your neighbors. Of course, we'd expect the main beneficiary of these repairs to be the homeowners' of those properties themselves. (Remember: "a stitch in time saves nine" - that fading flaking paint isn't protecting that wood, stucco or metal like it used to, and who needs the added hassle and expense of dealing with rotted wood, damaged stucco, or rusted metal?) But even if that benefit doesn't pay off monetarily immediately to the homeowners undertaking the repairs, there could be such benefit to their neighbors in the form of restoration of Their property values, not to mention the intangible value for everyone in living in a beautified community.  

The AC is in the process of assessing the conditions of all 71 homes in Mendocino based on the common criteria approved by the HOA Board of Directors, and will be sharing periodic updates here.

- Your Architectural Committee

Landscaping on the Corner of Via Vantebria and Garden View Rd

Many homeowners are concerned about the landscaping (or rather lack thereof) on the corner of Via Cantebria and Garden View Rd. Why is it so uneven, with such abrupt boundaries?

Parking strips (the narrow strips of land between the sidewalk and the road) belong to the city but must be maintained by the homes bordering on them, thus the responsibility to landscape and maintain the corner of Via Cantebria and Garden View Rd. rests with the two non-Mendocino homes on the corner. The even narrower strips between the fence and the sidewalk are the property and responsibility of those homes.

The city approved the construction of the two homes on the condition that they create and maintain the outer perimeter landscaping to the city standards but has not been enforcing its own rules; and the non-Mendocino homes have not done anything with the landscaping. Mendocino HOA does its best to maintain the parking strips up to the boundary of its responsibility - hence the abrupt change in appearance.

It's unfortunate that the two non-Mendocino homes subtract from the neighborhood appeal while benefiting form the proximity to Mendocino. One of the homes has recently done some landscaping but it still falls short of the responsibility of the Garden View HOA which those two homes comprise.

Approved Plant List

An updated Approved Plant List is available upon request from MMS.

We want to have a unifying landscape theme throughout Mendocino while allowing for variety and individual character.

Vendor Library

If you have a vendor you can recommend or need to find one - check out our Vendor Library on the right.