work being done next door
The building next to mine is being fully renovated – I think it’s been fully gutted. The’ve been working on it for the past 6 months and as you can imagine it’s been very unpleasant: noise, dust, construction debris. I got so mad that I decided to check whether or not they have permits for…
The building next to mine is being fully renovated – I think it’s been fully gutted. The’ve been working on it for the past 6 months and as you can imagine it’s been very unpleasant: noise, dust, construction debris.
I got so mad that I decided to check whether or not they have permits for the work. In the DoB site I found they have a permit to renovate the basement apartment! No mention of the other 3 floors.
Is it common for people to file for one thing and then do a lot more? This doesn’t sound right to me. What do you think?
Thanks
Okay — well what if there is no neighbor to talk to, but an out-of-town developer about to begin a teardown of a lot which shares a common driveway? And what if the DOB permits aren’t in a visible location, so the neighbor can’t even ascertain what’s supposed to be going on?
Friendly neighbor policy is the best one. If you are bothered by noise and/or dust, dont call 311. My momma always told me not to tattle tale, it only brings problems in the future. Sometimes I think back to the days when Park Slope wasn’t such a nice neighborhood & think to myself how much friendlier those days were, now no one knows their neighbor.
I agree that you should try to talk to your neighbors. It is possible that they do not have the right permits. Many people choose to do work this way, unfortunately. Having permits though doesn’t make the work less noisy or less dusty. You would only be getting back at them. Even if you report them- which isn’t so nice- it’s not as if they can’t get the correct permits to finish the job. It seems like you would only be stalling them for a while.
I guess I’m too naive for this forum.
For all you hostile people out: I wonder what you would have said if I had came to this forum saying
1. I am going to get a permit to renovate my basement.
2. With that permit on my window, I am going to gut the whole building (5 floors).
3. For more than 6 months (and counting) I will not bother to intruduce myself to my neighbors, will not bother to respond to their unthreatening approach.
Would you have cheered me and writen notes of hostility towards my neighbors?
I apologize if I offended. I assure you it was unintentional. However, I stand by my opinion and agree with Mrs. Limestone.
Agreed re: BFAG’s rant. Not sure why OP is being treated as if he’s the heel. I’d think it’s common courtesy for the owner to do the first reaching out – like “Howdy neighbor, I’m about to inconvenience you for 6+ months, so forgive me in advance and pardon our dust.”
Agree, Boerum Hill. I’m not sure what’s behind BFAG’s rant, but it isn’t really about Ray.
Yes, it happens. Its your right to call the DOB whenever you like but keep in mind that by doing so, you are going to create an environment of hostility with your neighbor. That is going to last a lot longer than the noise/debris you are experiencing now.
What is your end game? The work may stop for a while but noise and construction debris will continue and you will have gained absolutely nothing except the distain of your neighbors. You never know when a friendly neighbor can come in handy.
If something unreasonable is happening, talk to your neighbors directly – they may not even realize that anything is happening to bother you. You may be able to accomplish an improvement without creating the bad blood.
Poster Ray has endured 6 months of renovation next door wihtout complaint and gets lambasted for wanting to know if the permit for the workj being done is valid?