What 2025 Taught HOA Boards About Starting Projects Right in 2026

As 2025 wraps up, many HOA boards are asking the same question:

Why did so many projects feel harder than expected?

Budgets were approved. Contractors were engaged. Timelines looked reasonable on paper.

And yet — delays, disruption, and frustration kept piling up.

From our vantage point, the answer is clear:

Most of the stress boards experienced in 2025 didn’t start during construction.
It started long before construction ever began.

The real problem wasn’t execution — it was timing blind spots

One of the most consistent breakdowns we saw in 2025 wasn’t workmanship or effort. It was timeline reality.

Boards often assumed that once a project was approved, work would begin shortly after. Instead, many discovered — too late — that the pre-construction phase alone could take months.

As Paul Reeves puts it:

“Even after all these years, it’s difficult for me to believe how long it takes the engineering, planning, permitting process. And for boards who don’t do it every day, it’s difficult for me to relay to them how long this really takes.”

When engineering, planning, and permitting timelines are underestimated, everything downstream becomes compressed. Decisions get rushed. Residents lose patience. Boards feel like they’re constantly reacting instead of leading.

SB 326: when planning gaps turn into resident disruption

SB 326 deck projects made this painfully visible in 2025.

In many communities, inspections revealed extensive dry rot — to the point where decks were no longer safe to stand on. That often meant immediate barricades, shoring, and loss of access for residents.

What residents didn’t see was the long runway behind the scenes:

Engineering assessments
Plan development
Building department reviews
Permit issuance

That process routinely takes 90–120 days before work can even begin.

When boards didn’t understand or plan for that reality upfront, frustration filled the gap — even when everyone was acting in good faith.

When key decisions aren’t defined, projects stall

Some of the most avoidable issues we encountered in 2025 had nothing to do with construction and everything to do with unclear responsibility early on.

For example:

An RFP that didn’t define who was responsible for obtaining permit-ready plans
A board assuming it owned construction plans, only to learn later the contractor retained the rights
Roofing projects delayed because material deposits weren’t made early enough to secure availability

Different projects. Same root problem.

“What seems to be the common denominator in all of these is that the board simply don’t know the decisions that need to be made.”

When those decisions aren’t identified upfront, projects don’t move forward — they wait. And friction builds as boards, property managers, and contractors assume someone else is responsible for the next step.

Good intentions aren’t a substitute for a checklist

Every board starts a project with the best intentions.

But intention alone doesn’t prevent missed steps.

Without a clearly defined checklist at the beginning of a project, important items fall through the cracks — not because anyone is careless, but because no one realized the decision existed.

That’s where projects either stabilize… or unravel.

In 2025, the clearest divider between manageable projects and stressful ones was simple:
Were expectations for budget and timeline set realistically at the start?

The 2025 lesson that kept repeating

When asked what 2025 reinforced most strongly, Paul summed it up in four words:

“You can’t over plan.”

Permitting delays
Scope confusion
Stalled decision-making
Resident frustration

Projects don’t break down because boards plan too much.
They break down because planning stops too early.

Carrying this forward into 2026

As boards look ahead, the most productive shift we’ve made is straightforward:

Start every project by defining the desired completion date, then work backwards to understand when decisions, engineering, and approvals actually need to begin.

When boards understand the full runway from the start, projects regain predictability — even when challenges arise.

The bottom line

Most HOA project problems are preventable.

But prevention only works when boards:

Understand the decisions they need to make
Make them early
Set expectations before urgency takes over

That’s where clarity lives — and where risk is reduced before it has a chance to grow.

Thinking about a project in 2026?

The right time to talk is before things get locked in.

Reeves Construction Advisors works with HOA boards early — defining scope, clarifying responsibilities, structuring RFPs, and setting realistic timelines so projects start on solid ground.

Schedule a Planning Call

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