Combative Neighbors

[dougmac]

Hello everyone!

I just completed construction of my my dream garage that is 1300 square feet with a 10K Bend-Pak two post lift. It has taken almost four years to complete mostly because did the majority of the work myself with a bunch of help from my buddies.

We have been in our house for almost 20 years an about 15 years ago a builder built a house behind ours that the living room windows faced my back yard about 20 feet from the property line. When I went to build the best location for the shop, with the access I had, was in front of my neighbors house.

I could have located the shop so that it was not in front of their house but it would have required them granting easement on their driveway to access the shop. I approached them with this idea in hopes that we could come to some kind of agreement that would allow me to place the shop so it didn't block their house. They decided to fight with me rather than work with me.... so .... they fought the project from the start. Unfortunately, they now have a huge shop just outside of their living room window.

I think this kind of stuff happens fairly often and I was wondering if any of you guys have also had to deal with combative neighbors during the construction of your garages?

 

[MP&C]

Just in the spirit of being neighborly, perhaps you could install a fence that would be more picturesque, so they would not have to look at the back of your shop. Something along these lines......

Of course, they all would have to be registered and tagged, but hey..updated registration stickers could be put on with a stepladder.

 

[padronanniversary]

i say screw them. its your property. Do with it as you wish, if they don;t want it, they can move.

 

[dougmac]

Robert,
They have a small fence there now and I have tried to discuss with them the possibility of doing something to mask the shop but at this point they pretty much refuse to even talk with me.

 

[gc427]

Personally I would locate your air compressor outside of your shop near their house and run that baby year round!

I had a neighbor that fought me tooth and nail on a similar situation and stuck their brother/attorney on me with letters to me and the city. I had permits and engineering plans etc so everything was finished with no hiccups. They tried to make my life miserable, but I was persistent and wore them out. 13 years later I still live in the same house and they are long gone, thank God!

I don't like people that feel they are more important than you.

Show your neighbors just how special that they are!

 

[tcianci]

Sounds like you did your due dilligence, I would just get back to enjoying your shop and continue to be cordial to them. It seems like you have been considerate throughout the project.

 

[srmofo]

Robert,
They have a small fence there now and I have tried to discuss with them the possibility of doing something to mask the shop but at this point they pretty much refuse to even talk with me.

sounds like everything worked out then. You got your shop, and you dont have to listen to some whiny neighbors, or worry about them coming over to ask you for help since you have such a nice large shop.

Perhaps if they had the same consideration as you and approached you when they were in the planning stages of building their home, you could have told them that you are planning a shop in this location. So they might want to consider another location for their living room and window.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think this kind of stuff happens fairly often and I was wondering if any of you guys have also had to deal with combative neighbors during the construction of your garages?

Fortunately, no. My neighbors had no issues at all when I got a variance to build one taller than normally allowed.

As tcianci said, just keep on being cordial to them. People are going to suggest all kinds of pranks you could pull to antagonize them, but there's no sense in that.

 

[twostory]

I could have located the shop so that it was not in front of their house but it would have required them granting easement on their driveway to access the shop. I approached them with this idea in hopes that we could come to some kind of agreement that would allow me to place the shop so it didn't block their house. They decided to fight with me rather than work with me.... so .... they fought the project from the start.

You did a nice thing by trying to work out a "better" deal for them. They had a choice of your shop being located somewhere else, and declined.

Move on, you owe them nothing & they will dislike you forever. There is nothing you can do but be civil with them.

 

[dougmac]

I totally agree about not antagonizing them ..... it is a lot of work building a shop and the last thing I wanted was to waste my energy fighting. I have pretty much avoided engaging them when they wanted to fight.

The county building building dept. was great throughout the project. I kind of liked it when they got all nasty with the guys from the county... I think it may have even helped me....

 

[jay50]

Next time you see them, tell them to just kiss your.....

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a saying.

"People will dislike you the most when you don't do what THEY want you to do"

Think about most frictions you have had with people in life and see if this isn't true.

 

[sdowney717]

Dont bother antagonizing them further, you dont want any garage rage incidents.
Feuds can get out of control.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Dont bother antagonizing them further, you dont want any garage rage incidents.
Feuds can get out of control.

My Dad always said to leave things lie like you would a fresh dog turd. The more you stir in one, the more it will stink. Left alone long enough, it will dry up and disappear.

 

[TheShrine]

My Dad always said to leave things lie like you would a fresh dog turd. The more you stir in one, the more it will stink. Left alone long enough, it will dry up and disappear.

Wisdom in a....pile!

 

[5thRail]

Your shop sounds great, and at least one neighbor isn't going to want to come over and use your lift. Win.

 

[koditten]

This same thing happened to me, kinda, I was asking for a 300 square feet, I needed a varience for this. Neighbors shot it down. I decided to put the garage all the way to the back of my 1 acre lot to thank the back yard neighbors(sarcasm). I figured, **** 'em. My hobbies just became their hobbies.

Havn't said one word to them in 2 years. I figure it was dumb on their part. Where I am from, neighbors were assumed to watch each others **** when you weren't home. If I see their house burning it is going to take me a while to find my phone.

 

[ddawg16]

My Dad always said to leave things lie like you would a fresh dog turd. The more you stir in one, the more it will stink. Left alone long enough, it will dry up and disappear.

LOL....good one RJ....

Like the guys said.....you tried....most people never even discuss their projects with their neighbors...

In my case....I got everyones blessing....not that it would have changed much if they had bitched....for the most part, my project actually bennifited them....

Don't sweat it...keep being nice....you will be a better man for it....

 

[strelnik]

Sounds like you did your due dilligence, I would just get back to enjoying your shop and continue to be cordial to them. It seems like you have been considerate throughout the project.

I think you did your due diligence also.

I purchased the property where I am developing the garage AFTER I found out one neighbor had tried to bribe the executor of the estate and give him a kickback!

I started calling attorneys, they started calling judges and I ended up with the property because I made the only legal and mlegitimate bid through a licensed agent. It cost me a little more, but no issues withy the city. My other neighbors are great, but the one doesn't talk to me.

TS. His loss.

What about YOUR rights? We are often too nice to people who don't deserve the extra consideration that we give them.

 

[crewchief888]

ive had some neighbors like this in the past. nothing you say or do is ever enough to satisfy them.

i say F'em let them took at the garage, they had their chance



one word of advise, make sure you're not doing anything "illegal" out of your garage, ie: running a business, or making noise "after hours".
that way they have no reason to complain.

i been in a minor battle with my neighbor all summer. he got pissed at me one day after 2 of his dogs came into my yard and ganged up on my dog that is chained up on my property.
i broke up the fight, got bitten in the process, while he stood and watched. i informed him if i ever saw his dogs across the property line again, i was gonna have them hauled away.
he hasnt spoken to me since, but has made a few smartass remarks to my wife during the day about all the landscaping and planting we've been doing.
that didnt go over well at all...

 

[pfbz]

I would just make sure you have a clear understanding of any other zoning or land use requirements that go along with your property...

Sometimes they are more restrictive than you would expect. Like definitions of how many cars are allowed on your property, commercial use (with a very broad definition), working on other peoples vehicles is often specifically mentioned in zoning and land use regulations.

Hopefully, none of these will be an issue, but a pissed off neighbor with a good understanding of the "rules" can definitely be a PITA.

 

[ket-tek]

My Dad always said to leave things lie like you would a fresh dog turd. The more you stir in one, the more it will stink. Left alone long enough, it will dry up and disappear.

That is a great one. I'll have to remember that..

I've always enjoyed just continuing to wave and/or smile at the neighbors/people I've had issues with in the past. As a reminder to them that I'm the nice sensible level-head one, and they are the ones with some kind of one sided issue.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

I just watched a show about two neighbors in CA who couldn't get along. I can't for the life of me remember the names now but one family (husband/wife) ended of getting shot by the old guy next door. Point being, these neighbor things can get way out of hand.

 

[930dreamer]

Tell your neighbors you won the lotto, and your giving the house away to a low income family.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Christmas is coming soon. Make sure you hang a bunch of flashing lights on your garage. It'll drive them nuts when they try to watch TV at night.

 

[Rixter58]

The way I see it they have 2 choices, stay pi$$ed or get over it.

 

[blue dog]

The neighbors had a choice that would have benefited them in the beginning, there loss, now lets see some pictures of the new shop all ready.

 

[dougmac]

The neighbors had a choice that would have benefited them in the beginning, there loss, now lets see some pictures of the new shop all ready.

Here are the pictures......
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76341

 

[Lhorn]

That's a beautiful building, tastefully done and not really all that close to their house. I'm sensitive to people not wanting to look out their window at an eyesore, but really, it's someone else's property and it's gotta be pretty bad to justify trying to stop you from building. Your building looks great. They've got nothing to complain about. It's not like it's pole barn, half painted, the other half rusted.

 

[Falcon67]

Nice build! Where exactly is the neighbor in relation to the building? Behind? I see lots of trees, hard to see the building except from the house in the first pic.

 

[Rosco]

Neighbors........neighbors.......nothing that tuning my 2-stroke outboard boat in the driveway wont fix...........

 

[4StarCstms]

You know, I've had dealings with neighbors before, good and bad.. more good than bad actually. But bad are gonna pop up anywhere and everywhere, and they usually stick out like a sore thumb, and stick with you longer than the good ones do.

Just be thankful it hasnt come to blows yet. At my last place it got bad enough with the neighbors in the apartments behind us, that more than once firearms were drawn in defense of home and self -

 

[3 at 8]

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...age=1&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=153&ty=65

 

[4StarCstms]

there went their property value and view!!

 

[Lhorn]

Is that your house on the left, theirs on the lower right and the garage in the middle?

I can see what you mean by blocking their view. They bought a pretty odd lot, so long and narrow basically looking at the back of your house. Actually that looks to be a pretty ****** lot. They buy a lot that stares at the back of someone else's house and they think they are entitled to a view? If you really approached them about this, they really should be blaming themselves. The garage could have been put at the other side of your lot and would have been better for them.
It's still a great looking building.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Is this the neighbors house?

Nice garage!!!

Chris

 

[nehog]

Robert,
... they pretty much refuse to even talk with me.

And your problem is? Heck, many here would love that situation.

 

[Holedgr]

It's a great looking shop/garage. You did well and I think the building is fits, as others have said. One point of concern though is the grade towards your shop..I would be worried about runoff from the yard...what if he left his hose on all night/day?? I would like to assume that the way your shop is designed, you have probably thought of that....I have many neighbors that hate me due to size of my garage....Most are fricken' renters...oh well...


-T

 

[LAROKE]

May I suggest this vent for your neighbors viewing pleasure when you build your paint booth -

 

[drmoonshine]

I caught my neighbor measuring my house to make sure it was along the rules of the cities code. You have to build five feet from the property line and she was out there with a yard stick. I would plant some trees evenly spaced out or some shrubs if you can't find the right tree. In my opinion neighbors are always going to want you to agree with them but sometimes you don't and this when you have to be the bigger man and not ignore the problem but take the measures to not make it worse. In this case time will help the problem because in a few years there will be a nice beautiful tree.