"Diane" wrote in message
...

by the HOA rules and regulations. They gave him a list of paint colors
that
were "acceptable" for his home. So.....he mixed them all up, and
painted
his home a lovely shade of light peptobismol pink! They took him to
court
and lost. He had lived by the letter of the law.

Honestly, that sounds like some urban legend. Just look at what you wrote:
" They gave him a list of paint colors that were "acceptable" for his home.
" They specified colors and then he mixed a completely different color.
Unless the wording in the covenants and restrictions was so vague that it
was meaningless, I don't believe that mixing a new color from a list of
acceptable colors would hold up in court. We had a case in our subdivision
where a homeowner stenciled his house. He argued that he didn't change the
color, but only "augmented" it by apply a variety of colors over the
acceptable base color. It didn't fly and he had to paint it out. The
bottom line is that HOAs usually have to approve any changes to the exterior
of your home. I would be very interested in seeing an article or some other
citation that discusses the case you mention. I question if you really
think that this would be acceptable and laudable? If you gave your spouse a
list of acceptable colors to paint your living room - a choice from a list
that he agreed to prior to painting, and then he mixed them together to come
up with a completely new color, would you be holding a celebration? Would
you feel that his disregard for his promise to you was valiant display of
rugged individualism? Would you really think that was living by the letter
of the law and honoring word?