In the subdivision I used to live in while I still had a house, there were a couple of houses I liked. One was across the street from us and was painted in a dusty peach palette. I found it relaxing to look at. But then the owner decided to paint it yellow and brown, and painted the cement steps grey. I hated it.
The other house was a few blocks away and was a cheerful palette of chartreuse and kelly green. It was unlike all the other houses around, and I enjoyed looking at it.
(If anyone is wondering why I remember specific houses from so many years ago, I had a couple of jobs that took me around the neighborhood on a frequent basis - paper delivery and census taker.)
As long as it isn't causing any measurable harm to others, then one should be allowed to do whatever they please with their property. And no, "I think it looks ugly and that upsets me" does not meet the definition of "measurable harm".
This doesn't apply to houses, but there was a time when the public pressured one of the grocery stores in my city to repaint its exterior.
Real Canadian Superstore has a corporate color scheme that is green and yellow. As in hideous shades of green and yellow. It's very distinctive, which is why they like it. But that particular color scheme doesn't fit in at all with the low-key tone and historical theme of our downtown area.
People complained that the building was an eyesore and really ugly and they would not shop there. So finally the store gave in and painted it some shade of dark purple with grey overtones. It's less noticeable now, and less eye-hurting. But for me, I still won't set foot there because of the disgusting attitude their greeters have, and the dismissive and denigrating attitudes shown to disabled customers.
What is your opinion on year-round christmas lights?
As far as house paint, I think absolute freedom is best, as God intended.
If someone wants a razzle dazzle color scheme to make it harder on AI drone bombers, it should be allowed.
If people want to waste money on pointless displays that use a lot of electricity, that's their right. But if the display means the neighbors can't enjoy their own property (ie. if the lights are allowed to shine in the neighbors' windows and prevent them from enjoying a dark yard), that's different. It's especially different if the display is so large and elaborate that it causes an electrical outage.
