Paint Audit – 2019

The Rio Crossing Homeowners Association Board of Directors initiated a project in March 2017 to review the condition of exterior home paint throughout the community.

If you’ve been reading our newsletters and mailing list, hopefully you’ve seen references to “the paint audit”.  We’ve put this web page together to provide as much information as possible in one place.

Why a Paint Audit?

One of the duties of the association is to ensure that the governing documents are followed, including section 8.2 of the CC&Rs entitled “Lot Owner’s Responsibility,” which includes the following:

All buildings, Residences, landscaping and other Improvements shall at all times be kept in good condition and repair.

CC&R Section 8.2, “Lot Owner’s Responsibility”

What’s the Audit Process?

Note: This information has been updated March 2, 2019! The original planned tour/review date was late January 2019, but this was canceled due to illness, and rescheduled March 11. All other “deadline dates” have been pushed back 2 months, per the board’s decision at the February meeting. The new dates are reflected below.

The Community Manager will make a tour of the community in March 2019 and review the exterior paint condition of all homes. One or more board members will accompany the Community Manager on this tour to assist in evaluation and record keeping. They will be looking for a variety of things, including discolored surfaces, uneven colors, cracked or stained paint, unpainted areas, and areas painted with unapproved colors.

When Do I Need to Complete Painting?

After the tour, owners of homes that need painting will receive a Courtesy Letter indicating that painting is needed. The initial Courtesy Letter will state that there is a 90-day window for the owner to complete the repainting.

Extensions to September 1, 2019

We know many people will need more time to arrange for and complete the painting process, so the board has authorized the Community Manager to grant an extension to September 1, 2019 to anyone who requests it. To request this extension, send an Email to our Community Manager from this link.

Extensions to February 31, 2020

Knowing that this effort may be a hardship on some owners, the board will consider requests for extensions to the end of February 2020. Send an Email to our Community Manager from this link, but be sure to indicate that this is a request to extend to February 29, 2020, and include a brief reason for your request for an extension. She will forward this request to the board for review at the next board meeting.

How Should I Proceed?

When you’re ready to start the painting process, there are a few steps to go through. They’re not really complicated — though they might be a little confusing at first.

1 – Select The Color Scheme

You need to select the color scheme you’re going to use. You must use one of the approved color schemes (see “What are the Approved Colors” below).

Most people will want to select the color scheme that is already on their home. We recommend this option, and have put the process in place to try and get your approval to proceed streamlined if you do go this route.

If you decide you want to select a different color scheme, just be sure to indicate which color scheme you are intending to use in the next step.

2 – Submit an Architectural Request

All changes to the exterior of the home require an approved Architectural Request (AR) before proceeding! Why do you need to submit an AR if you’re not changing the color of your home’s exterior? It’s really for your own protection, since the exterior of most homes fades over time, and often a fresh coat of paint — even if it’s the original color painted on the home — will look different once it’s actually applied. Having an approved AR ensures that you have approval for whatever color scheme you picked.

You can submit an Architectural Request in one of several ways:

  • I am developing a PDF form that can be filled out and submitted via Email. This form will be ready by the end of January 2019.
  • Go to the AAM Architectural Submission page and navigate through by entering Arizona, Avondale, and Rio Crossing to get to the submission page. Enter all required data, including the designation of the color scheme you are going to use.
  • Log in to the RioCrossing.org web site, under the Contacts menu click the E-Forms submenu, and find Architectural Review Committee Submittal. Click there and find a submission page online. (If you have difficulty getting registered for the web site, contact AAM Customer Service.)

3 – Wait for DRC AR Approval

The Design Review Committee reviews each AR, and typically the committee only meets once a month, just before the regular board meeting. To facilitate the process during this paint audit, the committee will attempt to review and approve ARs that are painting the same color scheme that already exists.

ARs submitted for a different color scheme than what is already on the home may take longer — up to 45 days total.

4 – Paint!

Okay, I’m betting you’re not planning to paint it yourself. So “Paint!” really means “authorize your contractor to proceed”.

5 – Notify us of paint completion

When the paint is on your home – and dry, of course – we ask that you send an Email to let us know that the painting has been completed. This will help us keep the association records complete.

What are the Approved Colors for my home?

The initial set of approved colors were chosen by the original developer of Rio Crossing. Several years after the developer turned over the community to the association, the board created an additional set of approved colors which allowed for some additional color choices, while still maintaining the “earth tone” look throughout. You can download PDF files of the “paint chips” here:

New info November 2019: Dunn Edwards has a web page with the specific color information here.

The approved colors are also keyed to the specific model and elevation detail of home. You’ll need to determine which model and elevation your home is, and this is unfortunately seems to be the most confusing part of the whole process. We’ll guide you through it here… but contact us if you have any questions.

The model can often be determined by the square footage of your home. (If you don’t know the square footage of your home, check out the Maricopa County Assessor’s web site. Enter your address to locate your property, click on the APN number link to see all the details, and scroll down to find “Living Area” under the “Additional Property Information” section. Don’t use the Lot Size information in the first section.)

Then, look through the following document with sketches of home models. The names are followed by numbers which (approximately) represent the square footage of the home model.

Note: There are many homes in the 3277 sq ft range and was called the Sierra, but this model is not shown in the document. These are essentially the same as the Pinnacle model (which is 3900 sq ft), but does not have the extra 2 bedrooms and 1 bath above the living room/kitchen area. For homes of the Sierra model, use the Pinnacle diagrams for model comparison.

Finding the elevation letter (A, B, C, or D) is also a little tricky. Look carefully at the features of the exterior, and you’ll see differences in such things as the window shapes, the appearance of the false shutters, and the column treatments (especially around the garage doors). See this page for some additional information.

Note: I have a spreadsheet with square footage of each home as extracted from the Maricopa County Assessor’s web site, and can assist you in determining the model of your home. I can also help you with determining the elevation letter of your home. Go to the Feedback Form and send your address, and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

— Ray

Using the same color

If you want to maintain the color of your home, using the model, elevation (A, B, C, or D), and the existing colors of your home, look at the color documents (from the Colors Document links above) and look for the one that matches your home most closely. Remember, your home might have one of the new paint color schemes, so if you don’t find your colors on the “Elevations Combined” file, go to the “New Colors Document” and look there.

Changing your color

Or, if you’d like to consider changing the color of your home’s exterior, see which colors are approved for your home in the two color documents. Note that colors from the “Elevations Combined” should be from the elevation type of your home: A B, C, or D.

Feedback or Questions?

If you have feedback or questions about the processes described here, please send an Email.