Now, we know that claiming credit could be seen as a bit hubristic. But the paint color does match a bit too closely to simply dismiss the claim outright.

Perhaps, though, some back story is in order.

Years ago, when my wife and I were looking for our family’s next home, we knew our criteria would include certain non-negotiables.

For instance, a backyard was a must, as we needed a naturalistic refuge in which to play, relax and entertain.

Next on the list? A garage. Too many years spent clearing snow and frost off cars seemingly each morning from Thanksgiving to Easter, and one too many times performing car repairs in the elements, just as conditions became a bit too elemental, combined to make a roof and four walls for our vehicles all but a suburban mandate.

But also on the list? No homeowners associations.

We understand that some people love HOAs. Perhaps you enjoy pondering the condition of your neighbors’ homes and yards and then trying to make them just like yours.

But that’s not us. I mean, not really.

We also understand not all HOAs are the same. Some, we know, only impose slight dictatorial burdens, while others may stop just short of filling neighborhood streets with parades of goosestepping Karens, Kevins and Chads.

In any event, we knew that city inspectors offered more than enough bureaucracy for our taste. That view was only reinforced about three years after moving into our new digs, when we slogged through the long process of adding onto our home.

Post completion, we could not even imagine the additional strain of being to clear such details as the siding and trim type and color.

For the record, we ultimately clad the house in a cement fiber siding in a lovely shade of sage green, which drew rave reviews from the neighbors. The final product even elicited a comment of “Nice choice” from the city inspector.

Also, for the record, that selection came over the objections of my 5-year-old daughter at the time, who was disappointed we didn’t go with her exterior selections of pink and purple. (But also, also for the record: If some panel of neighbors tried to force me to go with a certain color, you may have at some point read in the local paper about that weird dad who decided to let his daughter pick the paint colors.)

Of course, we knew the risks that accompanied such footloose HOA-free, live-and-let-living, as well.

One needed to look only at some of the other houses in our neighborhood to see prime examples. Some houses were (gasp!) rented out. And the condition of others would have surely melted down even the hardiest of HOA do-gooder kommissars into “happy snowmen in summer” on the pavement.

Unfortunately, as it turns out, one of those houses was a bit too close to ours.

For years, whenever we would host backyard parties, we’d hear the remarks and field questions from guests: Does anyone live there? (Yes.) What are the neighbors like? (Quite nice, actually.) Have you called the city? (Why would I do that?) Do they own it?

As it turns out, we’ve never actually met the owner of that house. To the best of our knowledge, he’s a former community resident who moved far away and now enjoys his passive income a bit too much.

So, our toolbox was quite limited when it came to encouraging repairs to this particular home.

However, our despair may have been misplaced.

See, when we launched into our big home addition project, underlings at City Hall told us that their bosses were actually thrilled by the project. They hoped it could trigger a domino effect in a neighborhood in which investment had lagged for some time.

And it turns out, they weren’t wrong. In the years since, our neighbors each summer have completed an array of renovation projects: New paver driveways, siding, roofs, landscaping and more.

But the coup came earlier this year, when suddenly, a work crew pulled up to that house next door. By the time they were done, the house had been transformed.

And no one would yet call it “nice.” But it also no longer looks like the only option for improvement may be a date with demolition.

No one can say what exactly motivated the sudden restoration project. A clue may lie in one detail.

The lovely coat of sage green in which the house is now wrapped, a color some might suggest had been matched to those cement fiber boards that cover our walls.

But no one’s claiming credit.

We’re too busy enjoying our own home and minding our own business — and we resolve to try not to steal a peek over the fence or through the blinds to see what unexpected home improvement dominos might fall in our neighborhood in the coming new year.