Greenwood Heights Backyard

Taking a Look Back, Pre-Construction Fence. »

August 11, 2008

The "Positive Side" of a Construction Fence.

Welcome to our back yard work in progress...sped up by Brooklyn building development...

Photo: through the fence to our yard (though our yard is on both sides of said fence).

While we have always been avid gardeners (from apartment roof top to our own backyard), we had no idea what would be in store for us and our garden when our neighbor next door sold his house to a neighborhood developer and the original two-story frame (not attached to our house) demolished and replaced with a four-story brick condo (attached to our house).

Photo: yard, fence, new building, sky (still some left).

After a spring and summer of demolition, excavation and construction, along with the loss (voluntary) of half of our yard to the developer, our original ideas for the evolution of our garden from the past four-plus years of tilling it changed . . . 40 feet of construction fence, moving half of your plants and newly built 40 feet of brick will do that.

So, knowing that the developer would be compensating us for the (necessary) damage to our aging (circa 1965) concrete 35X20 ft. patio, plus the headache of a spring and summer lost to dust and noise, we figured we could use some expert advice from a landscape designer to help us visualize our needs and new look before the patio and garden were replaced.

Here's our current "look" hopefully with a more favorable "outlook."

our-yard%2Bfence-2008.jpg

Photo: our yard and their fence.

Photo: our yard, their fence and our yard (fence and new building sandwich).

patio%2Bplants-summer-2008.jpg

Photo: view from back door to patio and yard (notice fence)-Summer 2008.

Photo: veggie garden as seen from patio-Early Summer 2008

Photo: from shed through garden to the patio and back of our teeny-weenie home.

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Comments

I'm sorry - I think I put my comment in the wrong section (on the front page).

I'm curious: how do you know that the developer will be compensating you for the necessary damage to your aging patio? And especially, how do you know that they'll be compensating you for the headache of a spring and summer lost to dust and noise?

I ask because I have a large development going up next door to me and my beloved garden. (They are not using any part of my garden, except that they’ve built their blue plywood construction fence encroaching on my property without discussion, permission, or compensation. I’ve asked them to move the fence back.) So far my developer has promised on the phone and in email to "make it right" if anything is damaged (including my plants). But after jackhammering off bits of our facade during asbestos removal before demolition of the building next door they said that they'd bring me options for repair, then instead slapped cement on the facade and said that the repair was done. I don't know if I can trust them.

Have you had discussions with the developer where they've explicitly laid out what sort of compensation you'll be receiving?

Posted by: Violet at August 12, 2008 5:09 PM

Violet, we have had "verbal arrangements/handshake deals" since before they demo'd. The reality was we knew it was less head ache for all of us (us as neighbor's & protecting our property, less cost to the developer during demo, excavation/block & brick work/less safety issues for the GC) and we allowed them on our property, with a "you break it, you bought it clause."

From what I have read on brownstoner, other blogs and dealing with neighbors who have lived through construction next to them, it is always best to find common ground with the development team and the subs...if you can.

We were lucky, the team is a known entity in Greenwood Heights, this is not their first (or last project).

So the handshake deal, coming to fruition this week, is what "really" was our lending of the property and our lesser quality of life since March 2008 "worth."

We feel the developer is ethical and will live upto our proposed arrangements. We did not get lawyers involved, so nothing is binding. I guess that's part of the trust issue we are playing off of. Good karma from our end gets returned by the developer living upto their obligations. You'll know if they do, or don't (or to what degree) by reading our updates...and we WILL update either way.

I'm sorry to hear your relationship with your "neighbor" developer next door has not been the same experience as ours.

Nothing is perfect with new development projects, but we've come off relatively easy so far (besides loosing light/air and having to redesign the garden...the purpose of this blog)

Keep posted to this reno blog to see how this all evolves.

Posted by: tikihouse at August 12, 2008 5:38 PM