I own a rental unit in a condo association in New Jersey. Recently, one of my patio glass panes broke and I would like to replace the entire sliding glass patio door. I am willing to replace it with the same color and material that is currently there, but I would like to have blinds WITHIN the glass panes. The requirements for alterations states "patio doors must be full view, sliding glass doors (same size, color and style as existing doors)." I inquired about this to the board eight years ago and it was rejected. It doesn't seem as though the alteration requirement has kept up with recent design where the blinds are placed between the panes of a modern patio door. They do not explicitly prohibit this within their documents, but have verbally told me no. My number one reason for wanting to do this is, in my opinion, it's simply looks way better than vertical blinds to keep the sunlight out which were popular in the early 90s. It would also be more efficient at keeping the heat out of the home by blocking it before it came through both panes of glass. There is also the added benefit of reducing the build up of allergens that collect on blinds not within the window panes. Spending the extra money to include these blinds is well worth it, in my opinion, in order to increase the property value alone. So, is it allowable to install this if it is not addressed in the alterations form? Is it not meeting the requirements of the alterations form because it would be considered a different "style"? Does the board have a requirement to prove that my request would decrease the values of the community? Thanks for your input.
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