Extra Window Sought at this Condo

M.O. from New Haven County writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

I live in an end-unit townhouse condo. Can I install an additional window?

Mister Condo replies:

M.O., on your own, you cannot make any alterations to the existing building. Only your Board can approve such an addition as they are the ones charged with maintaining your condo overall architectural compliance standards. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned down your request. For the most part, condos are built in the manner they are to convey a sense of uniformity. That’s not to say that you won’t find various styles of units within a community. However, the mast plan when the condos were built defined the look and construction of the buildings, including the windows, sliders, doors, garages, and other elements of the buildings. Usually, the Board holds to those blueprints as the guide for what the community should look like. It would be most unusual for the Board to approve so drastic an alteration as the addition of a window. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask; just don’t be surprised if the answer is “no”. All the best.