A homeowner is facing the wrath of their local homeowners association and considering a drastic solution to their problem.
In the r/Reno subreddit, the homeowner explained that they have a patch of lawn that is dying and that four landscaping companies have offered different solutions. The situation has left the homeowner wondering what is the best step forward. They added that their lawn is on a slope toward the sidewalk.
In the meantime, the Redditor asked the community for opinions on using lawn paint to hide their dead grass and keep the HOA out of their hair while they figure out how to fix the problem, but they don't want it staining or being rinsed off when their sprinklers run.
"My neighbor did this to get hoa off his back, not sure what he used but his dead lawn stayed green all winter. He eventually had everything ripped out and new sod placed but I found it nice seeing a luscious green lawn throughout winter," one person offered.
Keeping up with the HOA's demands for a green lawn can be tricky. Many grass paint companies promise their products are safe for families, pets, and the environment, with biodegradable and nontoxic components that won't inhibit lawn growth.
However, a green lawn often costs time and money in other ways without the paint, such as using excess water resources to combat drought conditions, consuming fuel and releasing pollution from lawn mowers, and preventing native plants from flourishing.
Many HOAs make unreasonable demands on homeowners to meet green lawn standards, often blocking helpful eco-friendly changes such as switching to native plants or adding solar panels.
Thankfully, more laws are being passed to prevent HOAs from blocking these changes. Earlier this month, the Native Landscaping Act in Illinois was passed, protecting homeowners from restrictions on native plantings and keeping HOAs from enforcing height restrictions on the landscapes.
In response to the Reddit user's paint idea, many people chimed in with greener alternatives.
One person shared a link to Nevada's legislation regarding the rights of homeowners to install drought-tolerant plants, adding: "Obviously you would likely need to get plans drawn up, but it would put the ball back in the HOAs court. The other good thing is you could put in some things that are super hardy that would likely be impervious to whatever is poisoning/diseasing/affecting your lawn."
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