Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 16-3

123456 TRIBUNE 3 REALESTATE to the project. In this case, there are some complications. If the project will result in a special assessment, the board had to give the owners 10 to 30 notice of the meeting to adopt the expense. If the project will cause assessments to increase by more than 15 percent, or the cost of the project is more than 5 percent of the annual budget, owners have 14 days in which to submit a petition to challenge the cost. As a practical matter, this is a significant expense for an item that is not a structural component or relates to the operation.

The board can expect owners to question this cost when word gets out. To avoid future conflict, the board is better served by sending a letter to the ownership explaining the project and reasons the directors favor the cost. Our condominium association has recently proposed a rule that would allow the board to contract for maintenance of limited common elements, such as varnishing doors and staining decks, and then bill these costs back to the owners. I understand that many condominium associations have this power as stated in their declaration. Our declaration states that unless otherwise decided by the board, the cost of maintenance, repairs, replacements and alterations of limited common elements shall be assessed to the owners, and further at the discretion, it may direct owners to arrange for maintenance, repairs and replacement of limited common elements and pay the cost with their own funds.

Does this section allow the board to hire a contractor for maintenance of common elements and charge the owners for the cost? A Yes. The directors can retain a contractor and charge the owner for limited-common- element repairs. If the board determines that certain limited common elements require maintenance or repair, and the owner refuses to retain a contractor to perform the work, the board can take this step to preserve the appearance of these areas. Your declaration leaves primary responsibility for limited-common-element work to the owner, but does permit the board to step in and hire a contractor if an owner fails to maintain doors or decks. The Illinois Chapter of the Community Associations Institute will present a seminar on rules and regulations from 7 to 9 p.m.

Sept. 21, at the Chicago Marriott Oakbrook. For more information, call the chapter office at 630-307-0659. Mark Pearlstein is a Chicago lawyer who specializes in condominium law. Write to him Condominiums, Real Estate Section, 4th Floor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N.

Michigan Chicago, IL 60611. You may e-mail questions to bune.com. Sorry, he make personal replies. By Mark Pearlstein Special to the Tribune We are a group of 40 town home units formed as a condominium. Our declaration states that owners must receive the approval of the board of directors to place anything on the common elements.

Some, but not all, of our units have balconies or patios that are limited common areas. If owners wanted to install a satellite dish, those without a balcony or patio do not have a place to install them, except on the common elements. We have heard that Illinois courts have ruled that a board cannot completely deny the use of a satellite dish, but can only restrict where it can be placed. In our case, this would mean somewhere on the common elements. Do we have to allow these ugly dishes to be placed somewhere on our common elements? A The installation of a satellite dish is governed by federal law and not Illinois court decisions.

Under the Telecommunications Act of 1994, federal regulations state that condominium associations cannot adopt rules that prevent an owner from installing a satellite dish on an area within his or her exclusive use. This law means that a condo board cannot prevent an owner from installing a dish on a balcony or patio that only the owner can use. A recent amendment to federal communications law clarifies that an owner may not install a dish on an area that is part of the general common elements of the association, such as the exterior wall or the roof of a building. Tenants have the same right to install a dish, even on property they do not own. The only basis for an association to restrict installation of a dish is to provide a central antenna system that gives owners the same degree of television transmission at a comparable price to satellite dish reception.

The board of directors of our association is confronted with a dilemma. Our association has been contemplating replacing existing signage at the entrance. Although not listed as an agenda item before the meeting, the directors presented blueprints, plans and an estimate of $20,000 by a contractor to replace the sig- nage. After a short discussion at which the board and a few homeowners were present, the new expense was approved. Can the board approve this expense without a two-thirds vote of the ownership under our declaration? A If your association is a condominium, the board can adopt this expense, although unit owners have the right to submit a petition to ve- CONDOMINIUMS Satellite dish installation governed by federal law subject to change without notice.

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Matched by an incomparable choice of homes, with over 3,400 square feet of space. All for a price that even your Dad would love. Check it out today! Welcome home center open daily 10am-6pm. $10 GAS CARD FOR I was an ideal recipe: Blend retro reruns with makeover madness, pop into Easy- Bake oven and voila! The perfect TV dinner for nostalgic couch potatoes. Set, transforms a room to make it look like one one seen on the favorite TV show.

Upcoming episodes include rooms adapted from and On a recent episode, homeowner David has two rooms converted. His warm-and-fuzzy recollections of It to are reflected in his made-over kitchen, which now includes a retro refrigerator with horizontal pulls; chrome blender with beehive-shaped base; and Gaffers Sattler-like stove with more knobs than the Sputnik. The look is topped off with and blue-and-white checkerboard floor tiles and an 8 10 photo of Eddie Haskell. June Cleaver certainly would feel at home. guest is supposed to be conjured by the WB vampire but its gray paint and flat-screen TV fail to capture the dark lair of the title character.

Stylish designer Wade Robinson leads the crew electrician Jeff Electric and overall- clad carpenters Gordon Holmes and Gruse. Host Rosanna Tavarez (formerly of bubble-gum girl band Crush) exhibits Paige Davis-like perkiness, but little more than window dressing in the early episodes. The premiere last month centered on siblings Paul and Amy, who had inherited their home. The yard is an overgrown mess, and the pair want a motif based on a series they frequently watched at the house. was easier then, and TV shows were eas- Paul says wistfully, which is eerie because probably not more than 30 years old.

The crew clears the brush, turns a shed into a thatched hut, creates a bar by slicing a 17-foot boat in half, and installs a hot tub. The recently departed Bob Denver might have digged this, but probably not what the grandparents had in mind for their one-time rose garden. The episode hits its low point in a cheesy black- and-white during which Tavarez, outfitted like Maryann, bakes a pie and squashes it into a crew face. Broadcast by the TV Guide Channel, the show runs on the top half of the screen while the program listings scroll the bottom half. As inventive as the concept is, a very awkward format: You help but look downward at the listings and wonder on other stations.

But the purpose of the channel (and even tucked into this title). The premise of Set, is kitschy yet charming, and the crew is likable and credible. And homeowners without a tearjerker backsto- ry? For that reason alone, the series should be rewarded with more time to sand its rough edges. Then they can bring on the Bob Newhart living room with a view of the Chicago skyline. What would the Fonz do? If you could decorate a room in your house that looks like it was picked off of the set of your favorite TV show, which room would it be and from what series? E-mail your answer.

Carrillo is assistant editor of Real Estate. You may contact her at or write to her at Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60611. TV Guide Channel photo The Set, crew (from left): Tim Gruse, Gordon Holmes, Wade Robinson, Rosanna Tavarez and Jeff Electric. HOUSE POTATO CARRILLO OK, but in need of tweaking.