Home Improvements

Improvements affecting the exterior appearance of your home, including landscaping, must be approved by LARMAC prior to installation. The LARMAC Aesthetics Review Committee (ARC) typically meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month, and the plan submittal deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the posted deadline day. Meeting dates and deadlines are listed below. Please submit your electronic application in pdf format to contact.larmac@laderalife.com. (For homeowners living in condo/townhome sub-associations, please refer to the governing documents for your neighborhood for that HOA's specific requirements regarding aesthetic review).

Prior to submitting proposed plans to the Aesthetic Review Committee (ARC), please read the Aesthetic Standards to understand requirements for proposed improvements and review the Plan Submittal Tips listed below. 

PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT FORM:

• Find your Home Style
• Please ensure all sections of the Property Improvement Packet are completed and all proposed improvements are listed on this form. 
• All Covenant Hills production homes (non-custom) - please ensure all sections of the Property Improvement Packet are completed and all proposed improvements are listed on this form.

LARMAC NEIGHBOR NOTIFICATION STATEMENT:

• All surrounding neighbors identified on the Neighbor Notification Statement must be made aware of the proposed improvement(s). Signatures from impacted neighbors must be obtained or a Certified copy of the plan submittal must be mailed to the neighbor and Certified Mail receipts must be included with the plan submittal provided to LARMAC. Impacted neighbors are those who may be visually and/or acoustically affected by the proposed improvements.
• Plans may be returned to applicant as incomplete and may not be reviewed at the intended meeting if all surrounding neighbors indicated on the document have not been made aware of the proposed improvements. Signatures and/or Certified Mail receipts must be provided to LARMAC.

NOTICE OF COMPLETION:

• This document shall be submitted to LARMAC upon completion of your improvement project.  

PICTURES:

• Each plan must include a color image of the entire front elevation of the home and yard. Photo shall include all elements on the home that are visible from the street (chimney, roofline, front door, porch, etc.) and the front yard. 
• All plans must also include color images showing the area(s) of proposed improvements.

PLAN SUBMITTAL TIPS SPECIFIC TO EXTERIOR PAINT PROPOSALS:

Proposed plans for exterior paint must be submitted to LARMAC for review and approval by the Aesthetics Review Committee prior to making any modifications. Scroll to see the Exterior Home Paint Schemes and Palettes. Plans are required if there will be any changes to a previously approved paint scheme as the paint schemes in LARMAC's Master Paint Palette are not "pre-approved". If you are looking for the original builder-applied paint colors, they are not located in LARMAC's Master Paint Palette. Many of the original builder-applied colors are no longer manufactured. Plans are not required if you are repainting like-for-like based on the previously approved paint scheme used on your home.

When submitting a proposed paint plan, please complete and provide pages 1-4 of the Property Improvement Packet in addition to providing the following information:

• Color copy of LARMAC's pre-assembled paint scheme that is being proposed
  • Though it is highly discouraged, if a custom color request is being proposed, 2 sets of paint color chips must be delivered to the Avendale Clubhouse after scanning and submitting it in pdf format.
• Color Image of the entire front elevation of the home. The photo shall include all elements on the home that are visible from the street (chimney, roofline, front door, porch, etc.) with color call-outs indicating exactly where each proposed color shall be applied.
• Color images of the left and right sides of the home with color call-outs indicating exactly where each proposed color shall be applied.
• Color images of the entire back elevation of the home with color call-outs indicating exactly where each proposed color shall be applied.
• Color images of the front of the neighboring properties (left, right and three across the street as applicable).
  • Please ensure that the scheme that is being proposed is different than the neighbors to the left, right and three across the street from the subject property.

Please remember that there are so many different styles of houses in Ladera Ranch that the pre-assembled paint schemes from LARMAC's Master Color Palette needed to be put together in such a way that they encompass all of the different architectural elements/features that a house may have. Each house will not have all the listed features, so the intent is that the homeowner will choose based on the features specific to his/her home. The paint colors proposed shall be consistent with the original paint color application. For example:

• If your home has one body color, you should propose one body color.
• If your home has two body colors, you should propose two body colors.
• If your home has one trim/fascia color and it is dark, you should propose one trim/fascia color that is dark.
• If the trim/fascia color is light, you should propose a light trim/fascia color.
• If your home has two different trim/fascia colors, you should propose two trim/fascia colors that have similar contrast to the body as the original colors.
• If the garage door is the same color as the fascia, you should propose the same.
• If the garage door is the same color as the house, you should propose the same.
• If the garage door is the same color as the entry door, you should propose the same.

PAYMENT:

• Once the plan has been received and processed, LARMAC staff will email the homeowner a link to pay the review fee with a credit or debit card. 
• See the list of fees starting on page 5.

RESULTS:

• Results are typically emailed to the email address provided on the Property Improvement Form within approximately 3-5 days following the meeting. 

RESUBMITTAL FEES (Production Homes Only):

• In the event a proposed plan is disapproved, a resubmittal fee will be required for the third plan submittal and each subsequent submittal thereafter. Resubmittal fees are as follows: 
  • • Level 1 - $75.00
    • Level 2 - $100.00
    • Level 3 - $165.00
    • Level 4 - $200.00

DESIGN WORKSHOPS:

Design Review workshops with LARMAC's Architectural Consultant are available at a fee of $150.00 per hour. Workshops generally take up to one hour and take place at the subject property. Homeowners are encouraged to invite their designers to attend the meeting. This workshop occurs outside of, and prior to, the formal plan submittal. If interested in scheduling a workshop, please email contact.larmac@laderalife.com. NOTE: The criteria for custom home Design Review workshops differs from the process above. If interested in scheduling a custom home Design Review workshop, please email contact.larmac@laderalife.com for information. 

Upcoming ARC Plan Submittal Deadlines:

• November 12, 2024 (for December 3*, 2024 meeting)
• January 7, 2025 (for January 28, 2025 meeting)
• February 4, 2025 (for February 25, 2025 meeting)
• March 4, 2025 (for March 25, 2025 meeting)

*Meeting scheduled for the 1st Tuesday of the month.

Please click on the links below for additional plan submittal information and the necessary plan submittal forms (please note that the Custom Home Design Guidelines document is very large and may take a few minutes to open).