Building and Construction - ? re: neighbours' planned renovation

Author

? re: neighbours' planned renovation

mig

2006-05-16, 3:21 am

Hi,

First, I apologize if this is completely off topic for this group (and
for its length, but this is going to make me sick). If there's a
better group to ask, please let me know.

My wife and I have been living in the El Cerrito hills (near Berkeley)
for the past year, after her father willed her his house, which is in
a very nice neighbourhood of 1950's built homes, with most being in
the 800k - 1.2m range. We are first time homeowners and have never
had to deal with this type of thing before. We both have modest
incomes.

My next door neighbours - the 'sheriffs' of our neighbourhood,
actually minister/minister's wife - very paricular about their
property, likes to offer suggestions re. weeding, branch cutting,
etc,. approached me a couple weeks ago with plans for a major addition
to his house, but tried at the time to downplay its size, saying it
was to build a study above their garage.

At the time he seemed genuinely concerned about how this would impact
us and left the blueprints for me to look over. After studying them I
came to the conclusion that this was, at least to me, a wildly
amibitious project.that was much more than just building a study above
their garage.

I wrote down the issues I had with the project, which included:

- property value loss on our side
- esthetics
- privacy
- constuction debris and men and equipment on our property during the
constuction (since he only has 5 feet to work with)
- the height of their addition (I don't actually have an issue with
the depth, outside of the actual construction that'll be going on for
many months)
- lastly, the fact that I work from home and it would be impossible to
work from home - or even be at home - during construction

(incidentally, his house will be 3 stories above ours in the end, and
I can't find a house within several miles radius of ours where two
adjacent homes have one home higher than one story over the other, let
alone three)

I mentioned in the letter that if this project went forward, I'd have
to put in either fencing or trees to improve privacy and interfere
with the alley-look of such a large structure so close to our house.

He responded with a nicely written letter that tried to address some
of these concerns, but fell way short.

- he won't do anything about the height
- he assures me the windows will be high on the walls only to allow in
light
- he had no sympathy for the fact that I work from home, can't really
blame him on that tho
- he offered to pay for trees or large bushes, but, not surprisingly,
was making recommendations on which trees/bushes and where to put them

He had nothing to say about how this would impact our property value.

This will be going to the city in a hearing and I need some advice.

First, what's the chances I can beat this?
Second, what are the rules about contractors operating on someone
else's property when they can't access the 'site' via the home they
are working on. I ask this because they only have 5 feet to work with
between their house and our property.
And third, if there's anything anyone can offer as advice I'd
appreciate it. This is a disaster for us, me especially since I'm on
the computer at home 6 hours a day..

I have a web site with some photos of the situation for anyone who can
take a couple minutes to look at it.

http://www.migrogers.com/home/home2/index.html

Thank you,

Mig

Grumman-581

2006-05-16, 3:21 am

On Mon, 15 May 2006 22:33:53 -0700, mig <mig_rogers@yahoo.com> wrote:
> My wife and I have been living in the El Cerrito hills (near Berkeley)
> for the past year, after her father willed her his house, which is in
> a very nice neighbourhood of 1950's built homes, with most being in
> the 800k - 1.2m range. We are first time homeowners and have never
> had to deal with this type of thing before. We both have modest
> incomes.

$800K - $1.2M for *those* houses? Wow, ya'll really are getting
screwed over there... Around here, $1.2M will probably get your a
5-car garage estate...

Nehmo Sergheyev

2006-05-16, 3:21 am

I feel sorry for your neighbor - because *his* neighbor is moving
into an old and crabby stage of life.
Let him build his house, and allow him to use your property during the
job. Don't write him anymore nasty letters.

--
(||) Nehmo (||)

tbasc@bellsouth.net

2006-05-16, 9:21 am

Over all, I think things should work out o.k.
I work at home in a neighborhood with a lot of building in progress.
I use music to help mask the outside noise and pay attention to my
work.
The noisy part of the construction process should be a few months.
If the municipality doesn't have rules about hours of work, negotiate
some.
Your property values may rise.
Talk to a realtor.
Since the neighbors seem to be willing to pay for planting on your
property,
negotiate an arrangement for repars to your landscaping.
You might want to pay an architect to look at the drawings and make
comments on your concerns.
TB

Al Bundy

2006-05-28, 1:21 am

Grumman-581 <grumman581@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote in
news:5ipi62tkdhqve08c4p3i02c684f5e4drci@4ax.com:

> On Mon, 15 May 2006 22:33:53 -0700, mig <mig_rogers@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> $800K - $1.2M for *those* houses? Wow, ya'll really are getting
> screwed over there... Around here, $1.2M will probably get your a
> 5-car garage estate...
>

Here too!

I'm not criticizing at all. Thoughts as I read and viewed pics:

> the 800k - 1.2m range.

Holy crap! Here I would need a gps indoors for something in the $ range.
Could shit my pants finding a bathroom.

> We are first time homeowners

How do first time homeowners jump right into that $ range???!!

> We both have modest incomes.

How can incomes be modest with a mortgage like that???!!

Phil Scott

2006-05-28, 2:21 am

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.
"Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns97D0F29DD9F07AlBundy@216.196.97.142...
> Grumman-581 <grumman581@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote in
> news:5ipi62tkdhqve08c4p3i02c684f5e4drci@4ax.com:
>
>
>
> Here too!
>
> I'm not criticizing at all. Thoughts as I read and viewed
> pics:
>
>
> Holy crap! Here I would need a gps indoors for something in
> the $ range.
> Could shit my pants finding a bathroom.
>
>
> How do first time homeowners jump right into that $
> range???!!
>
>
> How can incomes be modest with a mortgage like that???!!

err...Bundy ol pal... their message said they inherited it...
next comes the state property tax going ballistic... that
could be more than house payments if they had any,

Its getting nasty fast on the taxation front with thousands of
new civil service retirements a year...many, the CHP for
instance at 100 to 130,000 dollars a year,,,each cop.

a lot of property owners living on rice and beans will go
broke paying for that

Phil Scott

>

Al Bundy

2006-05-28, 8:21 pm

"Phil Scott" <philscott@philscott.net> wrote in news:e5ba3s$hh5$1
@news.tdl.com:

>
> --
> Phil Scott
> Ideas are bullet proof.
> "Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
> news:Xns97D0F29DD9F07AlBundy@216.196.97.142...
>
>
>
> err...Bundy ol pal... their message said they inherited it...
> next comes the state property tax going ballistic... that
> could be more than house payments if they had any,
>
> Its getting nasty fast on the taxation front with thousands of
> new civil service retirements a year...many, the CHP for
> instance at 100 to 130,000 dollars a year,,,each cop.
>
> a lot of property owners living on rice and beans will go
> broke paying for that
>
>
> Phil Scott
>
>
>
>

> ... their message said they inherited it...

errrr..., ughhhh...., duhhhhh.... so it did. How bout that! I'm old and
don't think my memory is what it used to be. Not sure. Can't remember how
good it was. Good part is when I whack my finger with the hammer (old
eyes too) 5 min later I forget I did it and that it's suppose to hurt.

> Its getting nasty fast on the taxation front with thousands of
> new civil service retirements a year...

When I lived in one rural area I often saw farmers just say to hell with
it. Lotsa land and even with special tax rates, so many have inherited a
lot of land and even the special rate times much land breaks 'em.
Developer says I'll give ya $x million for x acres. No brainer for them.
Up go the houses 25 ft apart, apts, shopping area. Hear others say "Awww
they shouldn't sell. Keep it rural". None offer up $ of their own to help
pay taxes.

> ...the CHP for > instance at 100 to 130,000 dollars a year,,,each cop.

Well, there's a difference between being a cop in Barneyville and the
Bronx or Bedford-Stuyvesant. I don't aye or nay the CHP $ situation since
I don't know what they typically face.

Phil Scott

2006-05-28, 11:21 pm

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.
"Al Bundy" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns97D1C422CA948AlBundy@216.196.97.142...
> "Phil Scott" <philscott@philscott.net> wrote in
> news:e5ba3s$hh5$1
> @news.tdl.com:
>
>
>
>
>
> errrr..., ughhhh...., duhhhhh.... so it did. How bout that!
> I'm old and
> don't think my memory is what it used to be. Not sure. Can't
> remember how
> good it was. Good part is when I whack my finger with the
> hammer (old
> eyes too) 5 min later I forget I did it and that it's
> suppose to hurt.
>
>
> When I lived in one rural area I often saw farmers just say
> to hell with
> it. Lotsa land and even with special tax rates, so many have
> inherited a
> lot of land and even the special rate times much land breaks
> 'em.
> Developer says I'll give ya $x million for x acres. No
> brainer for them.
> Up go the houses 25 ft apart, apts, shopping area. Hear
> others say "Awww
> they shouldn't sell. Keep it rural". None offer up $ of
> their own to help
> pay taxes.
>
>
> Well, there's a difference between being a cop in
> Barneyville and the
> Bronx or Bedford-Stuyvesant. I don't aye or nay the CHP $
> situation since
> I don't know what they typically face.

Most cops are never caused to draw their weapon in an entire
career...its safe in that aspect... police work is not even in
the common lists of most dangerous occupations.

vastly more common though is arriving on accident or murder
scenes and witnessng the carnage..thats hard on a person...
the average cop probaly sees this once a year... tough going
no doubt.

An RN nurse in an emergency room however sees this many times
a day for an entire career.

Eating all those donuts, and raising revenue by stalking
people in traffic is hard on a person, such corruption rots a
person from the inside out.

Phil Scott

LinkBot