Our next door neighbor called the City... PHOTOS!(pg1)

[Laurabearz]

Our next door neighbor called the City to complain about the size of our house....

I feel soooooooo bad....

The city came out, but said our house was fine, since it had been approved.

But I really do feel bad for them. Their once sunny side patio, now is shaded.... damn, I didnt think about that.... UGH

At least it was the neighbors who already hate us, and not a new enemy. (fence issue a couple of years ago, long story, they got mad at us because our survey was right, and theirs was wrong, which in no way was our fault, they bought the their house without doing a new survey and the old one incorrect... yet we are to blame)

Any thoughts on how to smooth things over with them??? Gosh this sucks....

Off to hide........

EDITED TO ADD PHOTOS>>>>

These were taken at 9 am this morning....

As you can see, our tree shades most of the yard.... and the old roofline is close to the shorter solid shadeline.

And this photo was taken at 1130 this morning....

By my guestamation, they have sun on their patio from about 1045-11 am until their own house blocks it.

I am feeling a little better about it..... I suppose their one bedroom (the long narrow windows) is darker in the morning than it used to be, but only until 10ish... give or take.

 

[JayBee]

I never heard of complaining because a house was too big?

A bunch of our neighbors got together and complained over a house going up that was too small, though. Our restrictions say 1900 square feet minimum(most are 2200-2500).....the builder was forced to close in the rear patio to meet the square foot restrictions............so sometimes it IS wise to complain.

 

[tkyes]

wow. Sorry you are having to deal with this. Calling the city though? Did they really think you didn't get a permit to do this and that you would get in trouble? Some people have way too much time on their hands.

I guess they better build up too and put a deck on their 2nd level

 

[4greatboys]

Well really if they didnt like you before I dont see what you could do that would make them happy now. Good Luck!

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by JayBee
I never heard of complaining because a house was too big?

A bunch of our neighbors got together and complained over a house going up that was too small, though. Our restrictions say 1900 square feet minimum(most are 2200-2500).....the builder was forced to close in the rear patio to meet the square foot restrictions............so sometimes it IS wise to complain.

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I've always been curious about this.. Why should a house have to meet a "minimum" size requirement? It just doesn't make sense to me that someone should have to build a home larger than what they need or want..

 

[monkeyboy]

A neighbor where I used to live put a hot tub rght next to his house.
Well it was below my deck...so as you are BBQing I was subjected to him and his wifes...................escapades

 

[KrnB]

You have the right to do what you want on your property as long as you are following the law, building code and any covenants on the land. You have an approved permit, so you are obviously following the rules.

You've done nothing wrong, so if they don't like it, well, I guess it's tough cookies for them. Don't blame yourself! They're looking for things to complain about.

I understand that the fence thing could frustrate them, but again, that's not your fault. They should be mad at the surveyor that didn't do it right the first time and the builder or agent that didn't check.

 

[tkyes]

monkeyboy - they must not have been an attractive couple or I don't think you would be complaining!


I agree with others Laura, there's nothing you can do now! Nor nothing you should do.

 

[monkeyboy]

Originally posted by tkyes
monkeyboy - they must not have been an attractive couple or I don't think you would be complaining!

lets just say...I feltthe need to IRON everything

 

[SC Minnie]

Our first house was built in the mid 70's-- we bought it in '91 and sold it in '98. Our development had home size restrictions and our house was slightly smaller than the restrictions. Our next door neighbors made the comment to MIL who was visiting right after we put the house in the market that it was not up to the restrictions of the neighborhood. WTH! What did she expect us to do???? Add on addition to a 15yo house that we had no control over the size when it was built-- and the restrictions were in place then. This neighbor bought their house AFTER our was built- if she had a problem with it being 200 sq ft too small then why did they move there??? In the same converstion this lady asked MIL where we were moving-- she just told her somewhere up north-- we only move 45 miles north

 

[Laurabearz]

This just sucks.... friction between us, and there is nothing I can do about it is there???

Sucks.

Before the fence thing, things were fine, after, I saw her stop her son from waving to us....

To make matters worse, she is one of 4 family members who own houses on our street.... Her sister is next door from her, her brother is across the street and her mother is around the corner. AND her sister has kids the same age and sex as ours, but they will have nothing to do with us... and the make sure the kids dont either. Isnt that sad???

Thank goodness for all the other fab neighbors we have!

Kinda puts a damper on things... we are putting the roof on today, and all I can think about is the neighbors.

 

[KrnB]

Originally posted by C.Ann
-------------------------------

I've always been curious about this.. Why should a house have to meet a "minimum" size requirement? It just doesn't make sense to me that someone should have to build a home larger than what they need or want..

Some areas have a covenant that dictates that houses built there need to be a certain size or larger because they want to maintain a certain property value for the area. If you don't want to build a house that size or do not want to meet the other restrictions in the covenant, your choice is not to purchase that land and find something that has more flexibility.

We bought land recently where all the lots are 2.5 acres or bigger (there's only 6 lots in the subdivision), and the houses built there are must be 2000 sq. ft. or bigger. We are also not allowed to cut down any existing trees unless they become diseased. Most of the other restrictions/guidelines are intended to keep the area looking clean and put together (no old cars on blocks - you can build a shed that matches the style of your house to keep it in). Personally, we're glad that the restrictions are there - they protect the investment we've made on our land and the home we will be building so that the value stays up.

 

[Christine]

The reason there is a size restriction in some communities is because of resale value. When an appraiser is trying to appraise your house, he/she often pulls 5 comparable home sales. Hopefully, he will use "comps" that are in your neighborhood and roughly the same size square footage. If there aren't enough comps in your neighborhood, they just start pulling other houses. Then they take an average of the dollar value. So, if you are sitting in your 2500 square foot colonial style house and the only thing the appraiser can pull up to comp you is a few 1700 square foot split foyers, you're gonna have a problem. Our neighborhood has a 2400-3000 square foot restriction. The neighborhood next too us had several builders. Most of the homes are 2400 square feet but a new builder came in at the end and put up a few small (but very nice) contemporary split foyers. Oh, were those people up in arms. After three were built they were able to put a stop to it. It is really all about resales and appraisals.

As for the building extension, I would feel bad if I ruined someone's yard, but what are you going to do? If they had even thought about it, a long time ago they could have gone to the City and put in a request for a "view easement." This means that, if approved. your neighbors cannot build anything that would obstruct you view (like if you lived on the water) or interfered with the way your property was when you purchased it. But most people don't think they ever need to get such a thing.

 

[tkyes]

Karen - wow, that's a huge lot! Congrats! Where abouts is it?

It can't be easy Laura, but there is nothing you can do when people chose to be so petty. Stopping her son from waving at you? That's sad.

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for the explanations re the size requirements.. However, I still think they're ridiculous and I wouldn't even consider building in an area that felt the need to force people into a home larger than they need - or in some cases, can afford.. Kind of reminds me of the homeowner's associations with their rules about flying the American flag; Christmas decorations; etc.. Too much like a concentration camp for my liking - LOL..

 

[SC Minnie]

C.Ann-- the neighborhood we live in now also has size restrictions-- lower as well as upper. You can't build a 7000 sqft house in the same neighborhood as 30 other 2000- 2500 sqft homes. I don't mind the size restrictions at all--- we also have a restriction against mobile homes of any kind. Right after we moved in someone wanted to put in a modular and they was a little uproar over that because it was coming in on wheels. Anyway, they got a variance and everything was fine.

 

[SC Minnie]

doube post

 

[KrnB]

Originally posted by tkyes
Karen - wow, that's a huge lot! Congrats! Where abouts is it?

Thanks! It's just outside of Belle Plaine - or in Iowa, as Dad likes to put it. We wanted land, so we had to move out into the country to find it for a decent price. It's so pretty - looks over the MN River valley.

Laura - that's really too bad that they are dragging the kids into the dispute - so unfair to the kids and to you!

C.Ann - I can totally understand your distaste for associations and their restrictions. We're in a townhouse now, and we were thinking of putting in a new patio door. We would have had to get approval from the association to put in the one we were thinking about, which bothered me to no end. I'm glad our covenant for our new house doesn't get quite that particular. But I guess there's something for everyone...

 

[LisaZoe]

Laurabearz - sounds like the only thing that would make them happy is if you tore down the addition and moved the fence to where they thought it should be... and then sold for an indecently low price to one of their relatives. There are some people you just can't please unless they get everything their way so I wouldn't let it bother me too much. At least you have other neighbors who are reasonable and pleasant.

Isn't it funny how some people really like homeowner associations with all their rules and covenants while others would never even consider owning a home in such a development? I have to admit that I fall into the latter group however it does mean that I have to be willing to tolerate lawns with weeds over 3 feet tall, homes painted whatever garish color combination the owners thought would set it apart from the rest, etc. In the end, I don't mind as most people really do want their homes to look nice. It also seems like my neighborhood has much more diversity (race, education and economic level) than most developments do - at least in our area.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Originally posted by C.Ann
Kind of reminds me of the homeowner's associations with their rules about flying the American flag; Christmas decorations; etc.. Too much like a concentration camp for my liking - LOL..

I can only guess you have no comprehension of what life was like inside a concentration camp.