Reviewed by John Tortorich, Director of Field Operations at Westchase Painting Company
Tampa Palms exterior paint is a Residential Modifications Committee item. The association does not publish a short list of named Sherwin-Williams codes the way some communities do. It publishes the test the committee uses. The sources are the paint criteria, the modification rules, and the declaration rules.
This is not the Westchase HOA painting process. Westchase talks about an ARB packet. Tampa Palms talks about an RMC form.
What has to be approved
Any exterior change needs a request before the owner applies to a government agency or a sub-association. The form has to include dimensions, design, materials, location, color samples, and the site. The committee does not review an incomplete application. Written authorization is what allows the work to start. A denial comes back in writing with the reason, so the owner can amend it.
The same rules say no permission is required to repaint an originally approved color scheme. A new scheme is the application. Interior paint is called out separately: an owner may paint the interior any color.
If the committee does not approve, disapprove, or ask for more information within 45 days after submission, the rules say the plans are deemed approved.
The paint criteria, in the association’s words
The architectural standards discourage bright colors, other than white, as the dominant color. Colors the committee finds inharmonious are discouraged. There is no numbered palette on that page. The committee is judging the scheme against the houses around it.
The paint application has to include:
- Exact samples of the proposed body, trim, and front door color.
- The current body, trim, and front door colors.
- The exterior colors of the homes on either side.
Homes directly next door should not be painted exactly alike. The scheme has to sit with the rest of the neighborhood.
The lighter of the two shades submitted is the one that goes on the garage doors.
Trim, in this criteria, means the fascia, shutters, exterior window casings, and doors. A contrasting color on the sides of window casings, on chimneys, or on other architectural elements is prohibited.
If the committee cannot decide from the sample, it can require the applicant to paint a section of the house for a site visit. That test patch is part of the review, not the finished job.
How long the committee has
The published rules give the Residential Modifications Committee 45 days after submission. If it does not approve, disapprove, or ask for more information in that window, the plans are deemed approved. An incomplete application is not reviewed. A denial comes back in writing with the reason, so the owner can amend it and send it again.
Any exterior change still needs the form before the owner applies to a government agency or a sub-association. Written authorization is what lets the crew start a new scheme. Use the 45 days to keep the samples together: proposed body, trim, and door, the current colors, and the colors of the houses on either side. If the committee asks for more information, the clock in the rules is tied to a complete application, so send the missing piece instead of starting the prep.
Garage doors, trim, and a test patch
The lighter of the two shades submitted goes on the garage doors. Trim, in the paint criteria, means the fascia, shutters, exterior window casings, and doors. A contrasting color on the sides of window casings, on chimneys, or on other architectural elements is prohibited.
If the committee cannot decide from the chip, it can require a painted section of the house for a site visit. That patch is part of the review. It is not the finished job. On the estimate, mark the garage as the lighter of the two shades and list trim as fascia, shutters, exterior window casings, and doors. Leave the sides of the casings, the chimney, and the other architectural edges out of a contrasting color. If a test patch is required, schedule that patch before the full repaint.
Original scheme, new scheme, interior
Repainting the original approved scheme does not need permission. A new scheme does. The application has to include exact samples of the proposed body, trim, and front door, the current body, trim, and door, and the exterior colors of the homes on either side. Homes directly next door should not be painted exactly alike.
Bright colors, other than white, are discouraged as the dominant color. The criteria do not publish a numbered Sherwin-Williams list. Interior paint is separate: an owner may paint the interior any color. A same-color exterior, meaning the original approved scheme, can be estimated without a new RMC file. A changed body, trim, or door waits for the written authorization, or for the 45 days to pass with no answer, no denial, and no request for more information.
What the crew paints
Exterior painting starts after written authorization, or after you confirm the job is the original approved scheme and no application is required. The estimate should match the samples the committee has: body, trim, door, and the lighter shade on the garage.
Tampa Palms houses are covered on the Tampa Palms area page. The association office is the place that takes the form. The painter does not issue the approval.
Call (813) 320-8710 or request an estimate once the colors are the ones the committee has, or once you know the repaint is the original scheme.