Neighbor Relations during Brownstone Facade Restoration
What I find remarkable is that your neighbor has had similar work done by the same company, which must have resulted in the same sort of mess for her neighbors, including the previous owner of your house. She must be quite something; you have my sympathy for having such a bad neighbor. I doubt that anything you do will please her.
BobMarvin
in Exteriors 8 years and 7 months ago
12
Please log in, in order to post replies!
12 replies
pitythefool | 8 years and 7 months ago
After finally securing a home equity loan, we have just begun our Brownstone facade restoration. Besides being an eyesore, chunks were falling off the lintels etc, and it had become dangerous. We anticipated that our neighbor on one side would be concerned about the impact to her property, and for that reason, went with the much more expensive contractor, because he was the outfit our neighbor had used when she did her facade restoration prior to when we moved in and she recommended him. We had also heard he is supposed to be the best at minimizing the mess.
That said, it’s definitely a messy loud job, and I’m sympathetic (to a point) about the hassle and inconvenience. I am also aware that the repair will be good for both of our property values and the aesthetic appeal of the block. So we are done with the part of the drilling off the old facade, and despite having the workers sweep and hose at the end of each work day, there is still some dust that drifts onto her window sills and yard. We have a huge sheet of plastic that lines that whole side of the job from the roof to the ground, and tarps on the ground on her side of the stoop. We are trying to strike a balance of not having to be on her property too much but also protecting it as best we can.
Despite our efforts, it is proving difficult to appease this neighbor’s concerns. She says that the entire house should be contained in plastic, which I have never seen. Our contractor says that isn’t done. The neighbor also just informed me that she is planning on billing us for cleaning her windows and window sills, and having a professional painter come to repaint her metalwork. (A small black pipe has two small chips out of it–and apparently the workers putting a dab of black paint on it is not adequate..) I want to be a good neighbor and respectful, but I also feel that we are doing the best we can to protect her property, and we have a right to fix our house. Any advice about what is reasonable for a neighbor to ask for in this situation and what to provide them from people who have been through this would be much appreciated.
EJR | 8 years and 7 months ago
If there is actual damage to her property then it should not be her burden to cover the expense associated therewith. Do you know how much money it will cost for her to have her windows and sills cleaned? It would seem to me a de minimis amount in the scheme of an entire facade restoration, and it would be neighborly to pay it. Same goes for the metal work issue. If, however, the cost of either of these items is significant then you could file a claim with the contractor’s insurance company. When we recently did our facade restoration we named both ourselves and each of our neighbors as additional insureds on the contractor’s insurance policy.
pitythefool | 8 years and 7 months ago
I believe it is a $100 per window, so probably $1k for the house, which is a significant expense on top of the facade. So far the only damage has been a nick of paint the size of a fingernail. I can look into the contractor’s insurance policy. I didn’t know that naming us and our neighbors was an option.
EJR | 8 years and 7 months ago
I don’t mean to minimize your position, but I do know how messy a facade restoration can be – particularly to windows – and I am sympathetic with your neighbors frustrations regarding the dirt. In terms of the “whole house wrap” (which I agree isn’t typically done) and the small chip on the paint, she may just be venting her frustrations in general towards the mess. That part does seem to be a bit over the top. I personally think you should clean the windows. You’ll probably need to have your windows cleaned as well, so perhaps you can get a better rate on a package deal.
pitythefool | 8 years and 7 months ago
Thanks for this. I don’t have great perspective because the tone of the venting can be intense at times, which actually makes me less inclined to do the right thing and makes the workers hesitant to go onto her property to do the necessary protections for fear of being yelled at In any case, I’m hoping the worst part is over now that we are done with the drilling.. I suppose we will have to clean the windows twice — after the intial coat while it cures and then when the whole job is complete..
anotherposter | 8 years and 7 months ago
I don’t think it would even occur to me to try to have my neighbor pay for dust from outside work, when you seem to be doing things by the books. Does she leave her windows open during the work?
As for the actual cleaning, I have Prime Windows come clean our windows a couple of times a year and really like them and the price to do all windows and door glass on our 3 story brownstone is more like $400. They also can do some skylights and will do chandeliers, fwiw. You should say you’ll have the person cleaning yours do theirs at the same time.
EJR | 8 years and 7 months ago
> @anotherposter
> I don’t think it would even occur to me to try to have my neighbor pay for dust from outside work, when you seem to be doing things by the books. Does she leave her windows open during the work?
The window cleaning seems pretty reasonable to me. If you’ve ever been around this type of project, the amount of dirt created is pretty epic. As for whether the windows were left open, I am assuming not and we are only talking about exterior dirt and exterior cleaning. Any dirt on the inside of the house resulting from the neighbor leaving the windows open should be the neighbor’s problem.
slopefarm | 8 years and 7 months ago
I would not hire someone to do my prone-to-complaining neighbor’s windows under any circumstances. If the neighbor thinks the window washer did any damage, or didn’t like the job, she is going to look to the poster again for redress.
I would get a price from the washer to do the neighbor’s windows same day as your job, ask the neighbor if she wants to hire them (she hires them for her property) and if the answer is no, then offer no more than that that estimate towards whoever she wants to hire instead. Do not get entangled in responsibility for work on her property.
EJR | 8 years and 7 months ago
@slopefarm – agreed.
anotherposter | 8 years and 7 months ago
Y’all are probably right about letting the neighbor choose who does it, but maybe limit the amount you’ll pay to the amount it costs to have a company of your choosing do your own windows. The company I mentioned does the outside of our windows and will do screens. They were suggested to me by a neighbor and I think do several houses on our block–I do recommend them to anyone looking for window cleaners.
They come in and other than the glass looking great, it’s like they weren’t here, wear booties, are quiet, and easy to schedule–they’ve moved and put back my extensive plant collection without it looking like they touched the long vines. My only problem might be that they sometimes arrive early.
Arkady | 8 years and 7 months ago
I’d also just have the place painted where the iron is chipped & let her take you to small claims court if she’s so inclined. Be sure to take good before & after pictures.
Augustiner | 8 years and 7 months ago
Your neighbor should be happy you are working to raise THEIR property value.