HOA's are a pain in the US. Your system is seriously corrupt. Over here you can do pretty much anything to your property unless the development substancially alters it's appearance or exceeds a certain size re;ative to the original building, in which case you need planning permission. eg. I just had a 60 ft x 6ft high stone walll built down the side of my property, (result of a car crash into the lower one that was there prior), with no permission needed. Same with the black slate number plaque I put on the end of the wall. I could have stuck a Donald Duck one on there had I wanted although my neighbours might have complained about that one!