[bluedogok]

You can also get into some of the situations where certain brands are specified. In the Crown Heights area of Oklahoma City you could only replace windows with "true divided light" windows instead of a Pella (or other brand) that had applied muntins that make the windows look like it has divided lights. It just so happened that one company (at that time) made a true divided light insulated window, Kolbe & Kolbe. Guess where the distributor for Kolbe & Kolbe windows for Central Oklahoma lived, yep Crown Heights. So he had convinced the review committee to spec his brand of windows.

That is one reason why even though I love the older homes I really would prefer to live away from a neighborhood with boards/committees that nitpick everything to death. In many cases it comes down to individual tastes and not any other reason.