I Hate My Neighbours (More Venting)

[Scott K]

Don't you hate it when someone has a problem with you, that they don't have the nerve to confront you about it directly? Sorry, ranting again, long, boring story to follow.

The tarp I used to cover my oversized, leaking shed was too big for it, as well as rather heavy, so we ended up letting it hang over 2 sides, with some plywood and boards holding it down. I only intended this as a temporary thing, until most of the rainy season passed, and I could afford to buy the proper materials to do the job right. I can't afford them right now, I have to waste the small amount of money I have on frivolous things like food, and bills. Naturally, it wasn't especially pretty, but the side facing my fussiest neighbour wasn't one of the overhanging ones. Despite that, he didn't like it anyway. I found him putting stakes in along our mutual property line one day. I asked if they were for the garden expansion he had talked about. Nope. Putting in a fence. A fence? Yup, he was tired of looking at my "stuff", suggested I "get a blue tarp to cover your house as well", and "thanked" me for costing him money! Huh? I thought we had finally found a way to get along. I guess not. Everything visible from his house, looked better than it has in a while. had already cleaned up the winter's mess from that side, and thought it looked pretty good. We had even planned on cooperating to cut down a linmb from one of my trees that overhangs his garden.

Several days later, the stakes disappeared. Several days after that, I received a notice form the town, stating several building code violations, and giving me 10 days to fix everything! They had apparently received "anonymous" complaints. Was it realy necessary to do that? He couldn't have just come to me and said, "hey that looks bad, can't you do something about it?" Guess not. I've been working on it for most of this week now, struggling to make do with plywood I've picked up along the road, and re-using old nails. I spoke to the town's inspector yesterday, when he stopped by after seeing me out working. The electric line to the shed, which has also been there for 21 years, was also apparently a specific part of the complaint. Huh? I can't imagine why, but now I have to disconnect it, until the house connection can be re-done. That's no problem, I can do that myself. The problem is that I have to have it inspected afterward, before I can use it, and that also costs money. Maybe I should go over and thank this guy for costing ME money. I guess he must have decided not to put up the fence after all (dang, I was looking forward to that), by getting the town to make me fix his view of our property.

Anyway, so now I need to come up with money for paint (can't leave the repaired sections unpainted), the electrical inspection (unless I decide to do without my security area light mounted on the shed, as well as electricity inside it), and more roofing materials. Thank goodness for the GOOD neighbor I have on the other side of me. He gave me a roll of tarpaper, so I at least have a start on proper covering of the patching I've done.

The funny thing is, the guy on the other side of me, is the one who had the worst view of the tarp down the side, and all the junk on top I had to put there to keep the tarp from flapping too much (the flat roof slopes in his direction, you can't see that from the other side). HE didin't have a problem with that, he knew I was planning to fix the problems soon.

Oh, well. At least the inspector was nice to me this time, since the problems are mostly fixed, and I'm being cooperative. The first time I had to deal with him, it was over the small motorhome I once had here. The same neighbor took issue with that, too, and I was forced to re-register it, and put the insurance back on it, so I could legally keep it in the yard here. I went to the town hall with an attitude, and it was returned. The neighbour and I both lost that time. I had to spend money I couldn't afford, and he had to continue to look at the "ugly" motorhome. Well that's long gone now too, sold to pay a bill last summer.

It's funny, I lived in a trailer park for 20 years, and never had any trouble with my neighbours there. I've been here in this "real" house, officially for less than a year, and have this going on.

Sorry for the ramble, I just needed to vent, again.

Scott K.

[spaceagent-9]

he is probably sick and on pain pills, those drive anyone crazy, i also have that problem, i try to be coperative, and all they want to do is win an arguement,.
then they lie and slander and do all that stuff, and if i complain or do anything, i get the full load on me. this one guy fought with his wife all night, no one complained, and this morning he called the cops on me , i guess over a previous confrontation when he was out complaining to the road workers and came up to my window at 430am screaming and waking me up, and i went and asked him about it, and he kept lying. so he was saying i threatened him with a sword this morning, which was total bs, and my nice morning ended and a real crummy day has begun.
when i went to the manager, all i got was the ''devil's advocate''. and i guess unless he wants these pillpoppers gone, who are nothing but problems, i guess im just gonna go.
theres about 4-5 of them in here and they all sell to each other, breaking the leases,
in a clean and sober enviroment, always late with the rent, etc.....
i sympathize with you, i guess he just got fed up, i would appeal the red tags and ask for more time.
i hope it all works out,
and good luck.

[Scott K]

This guy doesn't have that excuse, he's just a jerk. Years ago, when my father-in-law was still alive, we arrived to find the 2 of them really getting into it. Pop was using the foulest language I ever heard from him in the arguement. The subject? His trees! The neighbour hates them, and was trying to cut a root that extended into his property, claiming that would kill the limb above it. Really? Hmph. I have to deal every fall with him blowing all of the leaves in his yard, including the ones from his own trees, into ours. Chop them with the mower, like I do? Nah, makes too much sense.

This guy is just an unreasonable jerk, period. He even had the nerve to call my son over one night when we weren't there (he was staying with Grandma before she passed away), and tried to lecture him on how we weren't doing the yard work satisfactorily.

I really wish he'd build that fence...

Sorry to hear you have local idiots too. I hope you can get somewhere better, or that they go away first.

Scott K.

[Zakopious]

When my son was a teenager he had an OLD car that our neighbor didn't like.

The neighbor knew a councilman who had the police leave a notice on the car stating that it was inoperable, uninsured and unregistered. In-spite of having unexpired plates mounted on the car.

I drove the car to the police station and showed them the proof of insurance and the registration.

In a few days, the same notice was placed on the car again and I drove it to the police station again.

This happened five times before the neighbor finally gave up.

[Fishcarver]

The horse may be an obsolete mode of transportation, but there sure are a lot of "rear-end spare parts" for them in circulation !!

I had neighbours like that once.....we moved.

Jim

[eagleclaw4935]

Neighbors like that are good for labotomy experiments.

[nebeltex]

it used to be that neighbors (and people) had more space. seems like the closer you live to a person, the more likely you are to encounter a conflict sooner or later. we've known most of our neighbors for a decade or more.... our street has "history". one question.... since you just moved in recently (relatively, perhaps), what did the place look like when you moved in? most importantly... what does your neighbor that complained actually see when he looks out the window with his coffee in the morning...? i've been on BOTH sides of this "fence". if it is something that might concern a neighbor... nip it in the bud and "explain before complain" becomes the norm. you can't expect every neighbor to be as understanding as the next.

[Scott K]

Good news! He's out there right now digging post holes, and I see the first fence panel leaning up against his garage.

My wife and I have wished for a fence between and the neighbour for years now, anyway. Being stared and glared at from inside his back addition got old very quickly. No matter what we were doing in our back yard, he had a habit of standing back from his window (where he apparently thought we couldn't see him) with his arms crosssed, looking disgusted.

Normally, I can get along with anyone, and advise others to do the same, but in this case, let's hear it for spite fences!


Fishcarver and eagleclaw4935, LOL.


On another note, my son just saw a listing for a large amount of free roofing materials, just what I'd need to do the shed roof properly. Unfortunately, it's 45 minutes away, and already out at the curb. Even if I could afford the gas to go, we'd never get there in time before someone else took it . That happened 3 days ago, when I tried for a full bundle of shingles just 10 minutes away.

Oh, well, the worst leaks are patched anyway.

Scott K.

[nebeltex]

good news indeed...lol! years ago, we planted bamboo. now we are working on cutting it back....

[Scott K]

Originally Posted by nebeltex

it used to be that neighbors (and people) had more space. seems like the closer you live to a person, the more likely you are to encounter a conflict sooner or later. we've known most of our neighbors for a decade or more.... our street has "history". one question.... since you just moved in recently (relatively, perhaps), what did the place look like when you moved in? most importantly... what does your neighbor that complained actually see when he looks out the window with his coffee in the morning...? i've been on BOTH sides of this "fence". if it is something that might concern a neighbor... nip it in the bud and "explain before complain" becomes the norm. you can't expect every neighbor to be as understanding as the next.

This is my in-law's former home. After my father-in-law's passing, 12 years ago, I had to take care of both my own, and this one. Things started to slip, as time and money became scarcer. Two years ago, being laid up from my surgery during the summer didn't help. Now that I'm here full time, I can finally maintain things properly, and have been, but it still takes time. This guy knows that, and doesn't care. As I said in a previous post, he fought almost constantly with my father-in-law over the trees in our yard. Pops spent a considerable amount of money, having a couple taken down, and having large limbs hanging over/toward the neighbour's house removed. Was it appreciated? No. It was expected and demanded! And it was still not enough. He knows darn well I can't possible afford to have any more trees taken down (there are still 5 maples and 2 willows), so he found something else to be miserable about.

They moved in 28 years ago, so this has gone on for a long time. My wife's famliy has been here since 1963, and had no trouble at all with the previous owners next door.

I also found out last night, that this guy has been giving the people on the other side of him a great deal of grief, as well. The whole neighbourhood usually says, "Oh, him" when his name is mentioned.

Oh, well. I'm doing work I was planning to do, anyway, and am still glad the fence is going in. That should help. Maybe now he'll chop the leaves that fall over the line, and stop blowing his own over to our yard as well, though I doubt it. He'll find a way to get them over the fence, and I'll still have extra piles to deal with each fall.

Scott K.