Texas homeowner wins $100K after nightmare 6-year battle with HOA over tiny backyard office

Masha Davis has won a six-year legal dispute with her Austin homeowners’ association over plans for a small backyard office. The courts found the HOA had no valid basis to reject the structure under the applicable rules, and the case has left the association facing a substantial bill.

Davis proposed a 160-square-foot office, with electricity and air conditioning but no plumbing, for consulting work and family isolation during the pandemic. A court awarded her $100,000 in legal fees, and Texas’s Third Court of Appeals upheld that award on 29 September 2026, adding $30,000 in conditional appellate fees. By 5 November, the HOA’s total liability was about $153,264, with interest accruing at roughly $34 a day; Davis is seeking changes to Texas HOA accountability rules.