Patios, Fences and Temporary Enclosures Policy

1. Only temporary enclosures which can and will be taken down daily and which are used for enclosure of small children will be permitted. Enclosures shall not extend beyond the perimeter of the cement patio.

2. Patios shall not be used as outdoor storage areas. Seasonal equipment such a bikes, grills, sleds, swimming pools and children’s toys may be kept on the patio during the appropriate season. Automobile tires and other items which the Board (or appropriate committee) shall consider to be in storage on the patio, or in front of the dwelling unit, must be removed.

 All personal items (kid’s toys, bikes, etc.) are to be removed from lawn areas when staff is mowing around your dwelling unit.

3. Any fences supplied by the Cooperative, such as privacy fences, trash pick-up area enclosure fences, etc., are not to be used for storage (behind or hanging over) of any Member’s personal belongings.

4. Violations relative to this policy shall be given to the appropriate committee of the Board of Directors. First warning shall be a written letter. A second complaint will result in a charge of five dollars ($5.00), and a third complaint will result in a charge of ten dollars ($10.00).

5. The board encourages the placement of planters on the patios.

6. Application for other uses of the patios are subject to committee approval.

(NOTE: See additional information in “Your Dwelling Unit, Landscaping.)

Patio Addition Policy

Residents of Stratford Townhouses Cooperative may install patio extensions to existing patios if they apply for a permit from the Cooperative prior to installation and meet the requirements set forth in this Policy. All installation shall be subject to inspection by the appropriate committee of the Board of Directors or by the Cooperative staff.

1. Design. Any patio addition or extension may not extend further into the lawn area than the existing patio (from the building to the end of the patio), and may be any width up to six (6) feet to either side of the existing patio. The patio addition must be equal to (not longer than nor shorter than) the length of the existing patio. Any patio addition must be the same height as the existing patio or lower - the addition may not be higher than the existing patio.

The general design of the patio must be such that it does not interfere with the underground sprinkler system, or any sprinkler heads. It must not interfere with any underground cable (i.e., telephone, television, electric), bushes, trees, splash blocks, or window wells.

2. Materials. There is only one method of addition to existing patios that is acceptable to the Cooperative. All patio additions must be laid over a sand base of at least three (3) inches deep. A plastic sheeting that is at least four (4) mils thick must be laid down UNDER the sand. All patio additions must be made from precast concrete patio blocks in a natural cement color.

3. Maintenance. It shall be the responsibility of the Member having a unit with a patio addition to maintain that addition in good condition. The addition shall be installed so that all blocks are level and shall remain level. (Level is defined as not allowing more than one quarter (1/4) inch difference in height between any two patio blocks.) All patio additions shall be kept entirely free of weeds between the patio blocks. Any broken patio blocks are to be replaced not later than one week after they are found to be broken. Trimming around the patio additions is subject to the same routine maintenance as is normally provided to existing patios, except when there is less than three (3) feet width between two neighboring patio additions, in which case it shall be the resident’s responsibility to trim between the two patio additions.

4. Violations. If the patio additions are not maintained in a proper manner, according to the terms indicated above, a resident shall be notified of a seven (7) day period to repair the patio addition or remove it. Upon the expiration of that period of time, the maintenance staff of the Cooperative will be instructed to repair the patio addition at the resident’s expense, or to remove it at the resident’s expense.

The use of any patio addition shall be subject to existing policy.

[Home] [What is  a Co-op] [Location Map] [Qualifications] [Inside the Cooperative] [Organization] [Policies] [Forms] [Pictures] [Other Links]