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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MARCH 2024 | 19 Sun Lakes Committee Reports Its March and time to start thinking about painting our houses and re-landscaping our yards so we can beat the April showers. This is an older community. It was built between 1997 and 2004. This means that many homes need some TLC and improved landscaping. Many trees that were beautiful 20 years ago have become safety hazards. Now roots are growing above ground and are pushing up sidewalks or driveways. Some trees are so huge that they are a hazard to you or your neighbor's home during high winds. To remove existing trees or to plant new trees; you must file an application with planning and compliance and your proposed work must be approved by the Master Architectural Committee. (MAC). All homeowners must have one five-foot tall tree in their front yard. The time has come for some homes to be repainted. The outside stucco should be painted every 16 years and the trim painted every four years. Sun Lakes Country Club has a paint color pamphlet that has over 140 colors that may be used in painting your home. If you select a color that is not in the paint color pamphlet your application to paint the house will most likely be denied. Wooden patio covers have started to rot and need to be replaced with new wood or alumna wood patio covers. These also require an application to Planning and Compliance and approval by the MAC. Landscaping needs to be reviewed. Twenty-year-old sprinkler systems may need to be replaced. Bushes that were beautiful 20 years ago may have become unruly and unmanageable. With the water shortage in California, you may want to redo your landscape with drought-tolerant landscaping or artificial turf. Redoing your yard with drought-tolerant plants or artificial turf may be less expensive than replacing a sprinkler system and replacing the grass and bushes in your yard. The cost of maintaining drought-tolerant landscaping is less expensive than maintaining bushes and a grass yard. Now is the time to start thinking about planning your new projects. Once you decide what you wish to do, contact your painter, patio cover salesman, landscaper, or brick mason and decide who you want to do the work and for what price. Remember, there are many craftsmen out there who would love to help you with your improvements. I have personally found that the best way to hire a contractor or landscaper is to approach a homeowner who has had work similar to what you want done. Tell the homeowner you like the work they did and inquire who did the work. More importantly, ask the homeowner if they are satisfied with the work done and they would hire the same person to do future work for them. Most homeowners love to share that information with you. Remember, before any exterior improvement can be started an application must be submitted to and approved by the MAC. ~ Roy Nierman, Chairman Mater Architectural Committee Master Architectural

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