What to do when the government says no

?

All the effort isn't worth it.

There are a lot of neighborhoods where, because of the historical value of the old buildings, the new residents aren't allowed to make significant changes to the appearance of old buildings. Other places, people want to present a certain look of all the buildings and you aren't allowed to make any changes that you want. So the answer is if you want to do whatever you like to your home, don't live in a regulated community.

Fuck regulated communities and HOAs.