Ugly Cinderblock Extensions Make Bad Neighbors
A reader who has the misfortune to have had this ugly cinderblock extension and wall go up along one side of her garden wrote in for some advice last week. “The developer has left the extension unfinished on our side,” she writes, “Including a pole that was painted on every side expect ours.” Despite being…
A reader who has the misfortune to have had this ugly cinderblock extension and wall go up along one side of her garden wrote in for some advice last week. “The developer has left the extension unfinished on our side,” she writes, “Including a pole that was painted on every side expect ours.” Despite being a lawyer herself, the reader was not sure what obligation (if any) her neighbor had to either finish, or pay for finishing, the wall on her side. As it turns out, the developer did start finishing the wall yesterday, but the question is still an apt one. It’s possible that the “right” thing to do and the “legal” thing to do are not the same in this case. Anyone know for sure?
It’s not illegal to blast your stereo and make your neighbors life miserable either. Still doesn’t make it ok to do it.
4:03: But why is it any more considerate to expect your neighbors to forgo their decks and explansions you can can have the kind of light and garden that you want? If a good neighbor needs to compromise, that applies to you too.
3:46, think you missed that one. please try again. note the “explain, pls” header on the post you’re complaining about. then give it a few seconds thought before you post again.
No one is “insisting” on anything. We all concede that people have a legal right to their big swinging-dick decks (LOL). The point is, as Brownstoner said, that what is “legal” is not necessarily what is considerate of the neighbors.
Did anyone notice 12:02pm’s post pointing out the narcissistic “me first” attitude of most of these posts? It’s so perfect.
It bears repeating:
“Neighbor insisting that I give up sunlight in my garden so that he can have extra living space = bad.
Neighbor insisting that I give up extra living space so that he can have sunlight in his garden = good. “
Living in a city, you have to put up with a lot of crap and intrusions–as noted here time and again. But the two posters complaining about the intrusiveness of their neighbors’ new extensions have a right to be upset. Because we’re living on top of one another we should be more, not less respectful of other’s space. Just because we can build bigger–when already big houses have been fine for four or more generations–doesn’t mean we should without considering impact on our neighbors. Your home is your castle, but you have to live peacefully in the kingdom. It must suck for the person who after 30 years now has to deal with somebody else’s big swinging dick of a deck.
pathetic thread
OP,
How did they build that thing without accessing your property?
12:12, I’m with you — My backyard was much more private before my neighbor put a deck on their extension, and they are out there all the time so I have that fishbowl feeling whenever I go in my backyard. It’s their right but it doesn’t stop me from feeling annoyed, especially as the smoke from their huge grill drifts in my windows.
And a big wall or fence will absolutely create more shade and limit the things you can grow. I guess other people find that boxed-in feeling “charming” but I prefer to get more light and air.