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#41
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Neighbors Shed
I would not be tresspassing as the shed is right on the property line.
For them to paint it, they would have to be on my property which does not bother me in the least. They would just have to come through my front yard to get to the back of their shed, which is in my back yard. At any rate, I will definitely ask first. Thanks. Corinne Stephen King wrote: Corinne wrote in : The back of my neighbors' shed faces my backyard. They told me they were going to re-side the entire house last October. It never happened. In the meantime, the back side of the shed is starting to make my view look tacky. It needs paint, and a few boards need to be nailed back on. Can I paint the back side of their shed, without their approval, or do I need to ask? Thanks. Corinne That's why around here, sheds are to be 4 feet inside the property line. Fences are at least 2 inches inside the line. You don't want to trespass, do you? ASK !!! |
#43
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Neighbors Shed
mm wrote:
On 14 Jun 2006 06:56:30 -0700, Banty wrote: I'm of the belief that what they don't know won't hurt them. You aren't planning on taking away from the value of their shed so just do it. They'll never know. I firmly believe it's much easier to get forgiveness than permission. This might be true, is probably true sometimes, about parents, or maybe spouses or children or siblings. But if you think it is true of neighbors, you are so wrong. They will likely never forgive her and will certainly never trust her. How will the neighbor even know? We're talking about painting ONE wall... the one the neighbor can't see and apparently has no curiosity about or pride in. If the paint is matched to the original, where's the harm? If your neighbor somehow has a problem with that, they're not wrapped too tight. So they might hold it against you? So what? The shed looks good again from your point of view; it's unchanged from the neighbor's point of view. If it damages your already nonexistent relationship with your neighbors, I'd suggest you haven't lost much. But you have corrected the eyesore. I already posted about a new neighbor I had a problem with over the length of her grass. Three new row houses went in across the street. The grass didn't get cut, the grass didn't get cut and the grass didn't get cut. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and cut the front yards when they got to waist high. One of the neighbor's called the cops. Well, I never heard from the cops as apparently they had more pressing matters.... but I never cut her grass again. A few weeks ago, when it got to waist high again, I called the city. *They* came out and cut her grass... and charged her $140 for the service. I was happy. As for my relationship with the neighbor: what relationship? I've never spoken to her. Don't have any need or desire to. But if that grass gets high like that again, she can pay the city to cut it for her again. I keep *my* yard looking good. -- Mortimer Schnerd, RN VE |
#44
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Neighbors Shed
I have always had good relations with my neighbors. We have
shared gardens, helped each other remove trees and plant trees, and sealed driveways. This has been true with all of my neighbors for all of my life. Sure I had one that was cantankerous, but my moter-in-laws were worse. Just tell your neighbor what you want to do. Be jovial. Dick |
#45
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Neighbors Shed
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:21:51 GMT, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
wrote: mm wrote: On 14 Jun 2006 06:56:30 -0700, Banty wrote: I'm of the belief that what they don't know won't hurt them. You aren't planning on taking away from the value of their shed so just do it. They'll never know. I firmly believe it's much easier to get forgiveness than permission. This might be true, is probably true sometimes, about parents, or maybe spouses or children or siblings. But if you think it is true of neighbors, you are so wrong. They will likely never forgive her and will certainly never trust her. How will the neighbor even know? For the record, I was only addressing how easy it is to get forgiveness. But how will they know? They will see Corinne walking back and forth from the shed, see her carrying paint to the shed and from the shed. They may smell the paint. Or they'll look around the back of the shed sometime and see that it is painted, and figure that she is the only one who would have done it. We're talking about painting ONE wall... the one the neighbor can't see and apparently has no curiosity about or pride in. If the paint is matched to the original, where's the harm? I don't think there is a harm. But the odds are 3 to 1 or higher they won't like it if is done without their permission. Your story below about your mowing the neighbor's grass just confirms that. And a lot of the cases on the tv court shows are about stuff like this. I have a friend who worked as a clerk in a Staten Island court during one summer in law school. He said he saw case(s) where two houses had one driveway, but two garages, and one owner would put a fence down the middle of the driveway because he was annoyed at something the other guy did. Of course he wasn't allowed to do that, but he did it anyhow. (OK I'm not sure this is relevant, but I like the story.) If your neighbor somehow has a problem with that, they're not wrapped too tight. So they might hold it against you? So what? You think that is the only interaction there will be with the neighbors in the next 10, 20, 30 years they both live there? Someday, Corrinne will need the neighbor, or the neighbor will have a way to retaliate. The shed looks good again from your point of view; it's unchanged from the neighbor's point of view. If it damages your already nonexistent relationship with your neighbors, I'd suggest you haven't lost much. But you have corrected the eyesore. I already posted about a new neighbor I had a problem with over the length of her grass. Three new row houses went in across the street. The grass didn't get cut, the grass didn't get cut and the grass didn't get cut. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and cut the front yards when they got to waist high. One of the neighbor's called the cops. See what I mean? And grass is something that grows back. Well, I never heard from the cops as apparently they had more pressing matters.... but I never cut her grass again. A few weeks ago, when it got to waist high again, I called the city. *They* came out and cut her grass... and charged her $140 for the service. I was happy. Not at all the same thing, because I did this for my benefit, but I used to use my neighibor's electircity to work on my car, because he's next to the parking lot and my townhouse is about 60 feet farther away. So I have to dig out the 100 foot extension cord. So my friend moves out and someone else moves in, and it was the middle of a work day so he wasn't home to ask. So I used his electricity to vacuum or drill a hole. Well, another neighbor tells him (that doesn't surprise me) but he was annoyed and told me not to do it again. I used less than a penny of electricity, and even he must realize I used than a nickle, but what annoyed him I think was that I didn't ask. Or that I saw what he had on his "patio" by the electric outlet. I still think for a grown man to complain about this is poor. As for my relationship with the neighbor: what relationship? I've never spoken to her. Don't have any need or desire to. But if that grass gets high like that again, she can pay the city to cut it for her again. I keep *my* yard looking good. |
#46
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Neighbors Shed
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:24:26 -0700, Corinne
wrote: I would think that being allowed to paint the back of their shed would also perserve it as it is in bad need of paint. I don't think it is fair that I have to look at it, when they do not. My back yard is beautifully maintained, and I take pride in it. I don't see this as being pushy, but then again, I may be wrong. It seems disrespectful to me, as I would never do this to a neighbor. You say that now, that you would never do this, but things happen. For one thing, they may have totally forgotten this could happen. Or they notice it and forget about it by the time they are back in the house. How old are they? Wait till you hit 50, younger for some people. Thanks everyone for all the responses. Much appreciated. Corinne Cheri wrote: Chris Lewis wrote in message ... How do you know it's a shared "fence"? Unless it's exactly on the property line, you can't really tell. In situations like this, it's always best to ask. -- Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them. I agree with you. Bad relations with neighbors can be a nightmare, especially when it can be avoided with something as simple as asking before doing. Personally, I wouldn't care that much if somebody painted the back of my shed without asking, but I would file them away as a little pushy somewhere in the back of my mind. Cheri |
#47
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Neighbors Shed
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:28:30 -0700, Corinne
wrote: This is my second option. I do have a big tree in front of some of it. It is right on the property line, but the overhang is on my property. I don't mind that as I have a small Yorkie and we can both stand underneath it in the rain, and she stays dry. I am not a troublemaker, and never had a problem with a neighbor. My yard is immaculate, and it would be oh so much nicer if the shed were painted. I won't be doing anything without asking, and will wait another year . Why wait another year? Why not talk to them this weekend? You can skip the pie. I cannot imagine them putting it off longer than this as the house is in bad need of siding repair. I can. Maybe they're short of money. Maybe her mother needs surgery. Maybe one lost his job. Maybe they're getting a divorce and don't want to spend more money on the house. Maybe they can't decide between vinyl, aluminum, and paint? Maybe that's why they're getting a divorce. I think you're assuming their life is like yours and their status and plans are similar to yours. My own ex-girlfriend, who I thought was the acme of reliability needed a new roof last fall, and still hasn't gotten one now. I asked her why not, and it seems she has some procrastination thing in this case, a part of her I've never seen before in 10 years. BTW, doesn't this mean that even if the shed is painted, their in need of repair house will still be in your field of view? Even though your yard is immaculate, you may not be able to make your view immaculate, and that's part of life. But that doens't mean you can't ask them if you can paint their shed. They may say, Oh, we'll paint it, and then paint it, or not. Or they might tell you that you can, expecially if you can point to work you've done on your own house that looks good. Thanks. Corinne Norminn wrote: Corinne wrote: The problem is that the neighbors don't see it. They have a fence built up to the side of the shed, and the shed makes up for the rest of the fence. They cannot even see the back of the shed unless they come into my back yard. In fact, the overhang of the roof is on my property line, but that does not bother me. Seems to me they should be the one cleaning up their property, but I know what you mean. Corinne Looks like a situation that could start WW3 ) I would not paint it, but the whole issue could be real complicated. Is it on your property? If so, probably gives you more right to paint it, but then they might someday own that little piece of land. If it is on the line, and a permanent building, it might violate setback or easement requirements. It may not be practical, but I think it would be better to plant a hedge that hides it or add fencing to cross what is missing and paint to match existing fence. |
#48
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Neighbors Shed
mm wrote: But the odds are 3 to 1 or higher they won't like it if is done without their permission. Your story below about your mowing the neighbor's grass just confirms that. LOL. That's exactly what I thought. His story is a good example of the reaction you can expect when you fool around with other peoples property without asking. Had he offered to mow the neighbors grass before just doing it, the reaction may have been a lot different. And I'll bet if someone started painting his property or driving a riding mower around on it, he'd be the first one to be ****ed off. The shed case is pretty simple. The OP doesn't own it and shouldn't touch it without permission of the owner. And a lot of the cases on the tv court shows are about stuff like this. I have a friend who worked as a clerk in a Staten Island court during one summer in law school. He said he saw case(s) where two houses had one driveway, but two garages, and one owner would put a fence down the middle of the driveway because he was annoyed at something the other guy did. Of course he wasn't allowed to do that, but he did it anyhow. (OK I'm not sure this is relevant, but I like the story.) If your neighbor somehow has a problem with that, they're not wrapped too tight. So they might hold it against you? So what? You think that is the only interaction there will be with the neighbors in the next 10, 20, 30 years they both live there? Someday, Corrinne will need the neighbor, or the neighbor will have a way to retaliate. The shed looks good again from your point of view; it's unchanged from the neighbor's point of view. If it damages your already nonexistent relationship with your neighbors, I'd suggest you haven't lost much. But you have corrected the eyesore. I already posted about a new neighbor I had a problem with over the length of her grass. Three new row houses went in across the street. The grass didn't get cut, the grass didn't get cut and the grass didn't get cut. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and cut the front yards when they got to waist high. One of the neighbor's called the cops. See what I mean? And grass is something that grows back. Well, I never heard from the cops as apparently they had more pressing matters.... but I never cut her grass again. A few weeks ago, when it got to waist high again, I called the city. *They* came out and cut her grass... and charged her $140 for the service. I was happy. Not at all the same thing, because I did this for my benefit, but I used to use my neighibor's electircity to work on my car, because he's next to the parking lot and my townhouse is about 60 feet farther away. So I have to dig out the 100 foot extension cord. So my friend moves out and someone else moves in, and it was the middle of a work day so he wasn't home to ask. So I used his electricity to vacuum or drill a hole. Well, another neighbor tells him (that doesn't surprise me) but he was annoyed and told me not to do it again. I used less than a penny of electricity, and even he must realize I used than a nickle, but what annoyed him I think was that I didn't ask. Or that I saw what he had on his "patio" by the electric outlet. I still think for a grown man to complain about this is poor. As for my relationship with the neighbor: what relationship? I've never spoken to her. Don't have any need or desire to. But if that grass gets high like that again, she can pay the city to cut it for her again. I keep *my* yard looking good. |
#49
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Neighbors Shed
clipped
I have a neighbor directly behind me that put up her own wood fence to block her view my wood fence. Over the years mine has weathered grey. She is a priss to wants it to look brand new. None of the pickets are broken on mine. She just is fussy. My parents had a great lot, with empty wooded lots on both sides. The neighbor directly in back had a junky looking metal shed, painted dark green. My mom didn't want to see or be seen in the Florida room, didn't like the shed, and solved the problem with landscaping. Shrubs and trees blocked direct line of sight to each back neighbor, the critters wandered through from the empty lots, and it was a great place to enjoy surroundings. Fox, racoons, possum, burrowing owls, gopher tortoise, occasional scorpion and snake. Neighbors were kind and watched out for each other but kept respectful distance. Even the racoons were polite ) |
#50
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Neighbors Shed
Corinne wrote:
Thanks Tom. I have not met them, but their windows face mine and they seem like decent folks. Why haven't you met them? I would at least introduce myself, try to read how they are and present my idea. If they turn out to be morons then you can decide if you want to fire the first rocket. Thought I would ask as others have told me to just do it. Really bad advice. I am easy to get along with and if a neighbor just decided to do something without even asking I would be quite annoyed. I have never had problems with my neighbors, so this may definitely be the route to take. But you don't know about these neighbors because you have never talked to them. Many thanks. Corinne |
#51
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Neighbors Shed
user wrote: Call me odd, but I have little interest in benefiting from someone else's stupididity, especially if it ends up ultimately raising my tax bill. ;-) You shouldn't encourage stupidity; it tends to spread too much anyway. Like mint plants. It's not like your neighbor is stupid but good-hearted; sounds like the neighborhood could clearly benefit from him getting one of those kid tv show moral lessons. Besides, you don't have to claim your extra acreage until it's time to sell the place..... (I probably wouldn't do it either, of course, but I can be an armchair general as well as anybody else. You fight him, I'll hold your coat.). - Rich |
#52
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Neighbors Shed
I have three adjacent neighbors, all different. One does not do
anything to his yard, contracts to mow his lawn, and I am constantly spraying poison ivy along this property line. The other neighbor put up an ugly cyclone chain-link fence. I planted a 270-foot long hedge that is now 12 feet tall which completely blocks the fence from view. Another neighbor put up a shed, not particularly unsightly, but it is now covered with moss and algae growth. To block that view I planted a row of forsythia that blocks all but the roof of the shed. Personally, I avoid doing anything or saying anything about neighbor's property. I have been fortunate that I have the space to landscape and block ugly views. That might help sell my house, if I should ever decide to do so. |
#53
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Neighbors Shed
On 15 Jun 2006 07:53:45 -0700, "z" wrote:
user wrote: Call me odd, but I have little interest in benefiting from someone else's stupididity, especially if it ends up ultimately raising my tax bill. ;-) You shouldn't encourage stupidity; it tends to spread too much anyway. Like mint plants. It's not like your neighbor is stupid but good-hearted; sounds like the neighborhood could clearly benefit from him getting one of those kid tv show moral lessons. Besides, you don't have to claim your extra acreage until it's time to sell the place..... (I probably wouldn't do it either, of course, but I can be an armchair general as well as anybody else. You fight him, I'll hold your coat.). - Rich I have a neighbour who had a fit last year when I cut down a big Manitoba Maple that was growing into her garage and over a litigious lawyers fence in the back yard. She doesn't believe in mowing, weeding or otherwise destroying any growing thing. We have a row of nine trees between our houses that were there before either of us moved in. They are on my side of her driveway, but neither of us knew exactly where the property line was. Anyway, she said she had "made peace" with the tree being cut, but she threatened to sue me and the tree company because I had some branches cut off the nine trees that were growing over my roof and dripping sap on it. She hasn't spoken to me since. I live in a small city and know everyone on the block. Last week my neighbour on the other side borrowed a metal detector and we found the property line markers. All nine trees, and two pretty choke cherries, are on my property. I probably won't tell her unless she threatens to sue me again the next time I have the trees trimmed and I'll trim all the sapplings and underbrush while she's away, in the interest of keeping peace, but I'm quite relieved. All the shrubs and trees are looking a lot better now that they don't have a giant Manitoba Maple shading everything. Chris |
#54
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Neighbors Shed
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:24:26 -0700, Corinne
wrote: I would think that being allowed to paint the back of their shed would also perserve it as it is in bad need of paint. I don't think it is fair that I have to look at it, when they do not. My back yard is beautifully maintained, and I take pride in it. I don't see this as being pushy, but then again, I may be wrong. It seems disrespectful to me, as I would never do this to a neighbor. If you think that your asking permission to paint the back wall will be (correctly) interpreted as insinuating that they're not doing proper maintenance, and you don't want them to think that, then you could disguise your intent by asking permission to paint a mural there.Failing either of those solutions, you could always erect a free-standing trellis, a foot or two inside the line. A good dense growth of pole beans, and it won't matter if they paint the thing or not. |
#55
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Neighbors Shed
"Eigenvector" wrote in message . .. "Corinne" wrote in message ... The back of my neighbors' shed faces my backyard. They told me they were going to re-side the entire house last October. It never happened. In the meantime, the back side of the shed is starting to make my view look tacky. It needs paint, and a few boards need to be nailed back on. Can I paint the back side of their shed, without their approval, or do I need to ask? Thanks. Corinne I know I'd be royally ****ed if my neighbors took it upon themselves to "clean up" my property. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. There must be a property line. I'd be planting Kudzu along my property line! MoM |
#56
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Neighbors Shed
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message news:IbMjg.23631$IK3.1940@pd7tw1no... Eigenvector wrote: "Corinne" wrote in message ... The back of my neighbors' shed faces my backyard. They told me they were going to re-side the entire house last October. It never happened. In the meantime, the back side of the shed is starting to make my view look tacky. It needs paint, and a few boards need to be nailed back on. Can I paint the back side of their shed, without their approval, or do I need to ask? Thanks. Corinne I know I'd be royally ****ed if my neighbors took it upon themselves to "clean up" my property. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. Hmmm, Kinda insulting? I once parked my fifth wheel in my back yard when first moved into this house 11 years ago, guy behind one day came to me and asked me to give him some money so he can plant a tree or two to block the view of my trailer roof. I just shut the door in his face. I can see your point. When new neighbours moved in and the first thing they did was knock on the door and ask us to remove our cedar hedge I basically did the same thing. Mind you eventually we did remove it to make our property look larger when we sold. MoM |
#57
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Neighbors Shed
On 15 Jun 2006 07:53:45 -0700, "z" wrote:
user wrote: Call me odd, but I have little interest in benefiting from someone else's stupididity, especially if it ends up ultimately raising my tax bill. ;-) You shouldn't encourage stupidity; it tends to spread too much anyway. It's hard to win on adverse possession. Generally, in most states, 6 elements must be proved. They called it the Eunuch rule. It's generally not fair that someone gets property from another without paying for it, so the rules are stiff. It might be easier in your state, but these are one set of rules: E Exclusive U Uninterrupted N Notorious U Unpermitted C Claim of Right H Hostile Exclusive, the party making the claim didn't let anyone else use the land. Might have that here. Uninterrupted, the other 5 characteristics aren't interrupted, for 7 (or 10?) years in some states, different amounts in others. Might have that here, at least eventually. Notorious, use by the claiming party was known or should have been known (obvious) to others, or maybe it is only needed to be known to the owner. Probably have that here, since he told him to mow it and maintain it. Unpermitted The owning party has not granted permission to use the land. Probably don't have this here. The owner said he could use it. If the claiming party says he didn't have permission, he might have to deny that his use was notorious and that it was hostile, and he would give up his claim of right, if that exists (see below). This might mean that it is even harder to gain adverse possession unless it is of land that the owner doesn't see often, where the owner lives miles away. If the owner can see the land from where he lives, and someone else uses it, (?and that can be seen by the owner?), I think it would be hard to claim it's unpermitted, much less prove it. Claim of Right, never sure about this one, but I think there has to be conflicting deeds or an unclear property description or something that gives the claiming party some legal reason to think he owns it. I always wanted more examples of what would be a claim of right. They might have been in the part of the book I didn't read! Probably doesn't have that in this case. Hmmm, this might include if the owner said "It's yours" or "I think you own this" or "It's yours now". I'm really not sure, and I don't know from the story if that happened here. I knew I should have studied this part. Hostile, the claiming party didn't let anyone else use the property, or didn't let them use it like an owner would, not sure. Either way, I'm not sure about this, since probably no one else was trying to use it. Maybe someone has to try to use it, or this seems a lot like Exclusive. So maybe the claiming party doesn't have this here. It's been 32 years since I learned this, and I never knew it that well**, so there are probably a bunch of misstatements, but this is the sort of thing one needs. **But it is easy to remember the phrase, "the eunuch rule". That's why they made it up. Diligent landowners try not to let even one of these 6 things occur. Pay attention to the plazas in front of downtown office buildings, the ones used by anyone, maybe to take a shortcut at a corner, or to sit and have lunch. There is often a brass insert in the sidewalk, next to the public sidewalk, at the property line, that says "Use of the plaza permitted to the public by owners". This means the use was permitted, not unpermitted, and the "public" can't gain adverse possession. In addition, most of these plazas are closed off with cones and tape once a year. They call it cleaning, but as big a purpose is to make possession by the public "interrupted", not uninterrupted. Might not see this so much in the suburbs, because the plaza is usually between the building and the parking lot, which it is clear is owned by those who own the building. And because the only people walking through are those who have come to do business in the building. This might not be the same as the general public. This has been an issue for me because my next door neighbor has taken over trimming some of my bushes, that I didn't trim short enough to suit him. He also got less angry at me at the time, and it occurs to me he might be planning on claiming adverse possession, or maybe he's less angry because the bushes are shorter, or because I invited him out for a drink to discuss things. He didn't accept, but maybe merely making the gesture made him less angry. But He might be trying to gain adverse possession, and I've tried to make sure he doesn't have all 6 elements, but I've been lethargic some years and not done a good job. He only has one element for sure, Notorious. He also mows a small part of grass next to the bushes. Of course even if he did own it, he'd take care of it at least as well as I do. He might cut down the bushes, though. Like mint plants. It's not like your neighbor is stupid but good-hearted; sounds like the neighborhood could clearly benefit from him getting one of those kid tv show moral lessons. Besides, you don't have to claim your extra acreage until it's time to sell the place..... (I probably wouldn't do it either, of course, but I can be an armchair general as well as anybody else. You fight him, I'll hold your coat.). I'm sure he appreciates the coat holding. - Rich |
#58
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Neighbors Shed
Over 400 years ago, Nostradamus predicted that on Thu, 15 Jun 2006
07:55:35 -0400, in message , mm would say: BTW, doesn't this mean that even if the shed is painted, their in need of repair house will still be in your field of view? Even though your yard is immaculate, you may not be able to make your view immaculate, and that's part of life. But that doens't mean you can't ask them if you can paint their shed. They may say, Oh, we'll paint it, and then paint it, or not. Or they might tell you that you can, expecially if you can point to work you've done on your own house that looks good. I was going to suggest that OP refinish the rest of the fence, that way she can say that she wants to paint the neighbor's shed so that it "matches in with the rest of the fence" rather than is in dire need of paint itself. HTH PRose |
#59
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Neighbors Shed
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:15:41 -0400, PRose
wrote: Over 400 years ago, Nostradamus predicted that on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:55:35 -0400, in message , mm would say: BTW, doesn't this mean that even if the shed is painted, their in need of repair house will still be in your field of view? Even though your yard is immaculate, you may not be able to make your view immaculate, and that's part of life. But that doens't mean you can't ask them if you can paint their shed. They may say, Oh, we'll paint it, and then paint it, or not. Or they might tell you that you can, expecially if you can point to work you've done on your own house that looks good. I was going to suggest that OP refinish the rest of the fence, that way she can say that she wants to paint the neighbor's shed so that it "matches in with the rest of the fence" rather than is in dire need of paint itself. Except the fence does not belong to the OP either. I don't know why a couple people suggested it did. I don't know what the law is if the fence is exactly on the property line, but even if it is on the property line and even if the law favored the OP, the neighbor will be upset if the OP paints it. In addition, it's almost impossible to paint one side of any fence, except maybe a stockade fence where it is too high to see the top. Either the original color will show through to the OP in places, or the OP will have to paint part that shows to the neighbor. For one thing, people on both sides of a fence see different parts of it depending on whether they are standing or sitting, or loooking out the window of the split level the neighbors live in. There is NO way to paint one side of the fence. Most fence builders put the fence an inch or two inside the property line. In my case, my fence is probably a half inch inside. I'm going by the notion that the property line is where the gutters of my townhouse end and the gutter of my neighbor begins. But because my downspout was in the way, the fence company put the first post between his downspout and mine (there was just enough room) and the first section of fence comes back to just inside my property line. AFAIK the owner of my neighbor's house at the time didn't object and afaik it's too late for them to assert dominion over the fence now. At any rate, I'd be very angry if the current neighbor decided to paint even his side of that section of my fence. Even if the law were on his side, it's a declaration of war, when what he shoudl do is discuss it with me. How much more so when the fence is probably within the neighbor's property. HTH PRose |
#60
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Neighbors Shed
My old neighbor complained I hdnt cleaned up my yard Of course it was
still winter and had snowed that weekend. She pointed out her yard was clean, of course she had hired workers I didnt cut my rear yard till the 4th of july She NEVER complained about anything again. |
#61
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Neighbors Shed
Their entire house needed new residing. The wife knows it as she
mentioned it to me year ago, but it still has not been done. The fence is high enough that I only see the top portion of their house. For some reason, that does not bother me, but the back of their shed does. Probably because it sits basically in my back yard. Luckily, the fence is only two years old, is wood, and looks very nice. The shed is painted gray, which is perfect, as we both have gray painted homes. Corinne Yenc-Post wrote: mm wrote in : On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:15:41 -0400, PRose wrote: Over 400 years ago, Nostradamus predicted that on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:55:35 -0400, in message , mm would say: BTW, doesn't this mean that even if the shed is painted, their in need of repair house will still be in your field of view? Even though your yard is immaculate, you may not be able to make your view immaculate, and that's part of life. But that doens't mean you can't ask them if you can paint their shed. They may say, Oh, we'll paint it, and then paint it, or not. Or they might tell you that you can, expecially if you can point to work you've done on your own house that looks good. I was going to suggest that OP refinish the rest of the fence, that way she can say that she wants to paint the neighbor's shed so that it "matches in with the rest of the fence" rather than is in dire need of paint itself. Except the fence does not belong to the OP either. I don't know why a couple people suggested it did. I don't know what the law is if the fence is exactly on the property line, but even if it is on the property line and even if the law favored the OP, the neighbor will be upset if the OP paints it. In addition, it's almost impossible to paint one side of any fence, except maybe a stockade fence where it is too high to see the top. Either the original color will show through to the OP in places, or the OP will have to paint part that shows to the neighbor. For one thing, people on both sides of a fence see different parts of it depending on whether they are standing or sitting, or loooking out the window of the split level the neighbors live in. There is NO way to paint one side of the fence. Most fence builders put the fence an inch or two inside the property line. In my case, my fence is probably a half inch inside. I'm going by the notion that the property line is where the gutters of my townhouse end and the gutter of my neighbor begins. But because my downspout was in the way, the fence company put the first post between his downspout and mine (there was just enough room) and the first section of fence comes back to just inside my property line. AFAIK the owner of my neighbor's house at the time didn't object and afaik it's too late for them to assert dominion over the fence now. At any rate, I'd be very angry if the current neighbor decided to paint even his side of that section of my fence. Even if the law were on his side, it's a declaration of war, when what he shoudl do is discuss it with me. How much more so when the fence is probably within the neighbor's property. HTH PRose OK, this is what to do. Open a can of paint in the choice of color you want. Make sure the top is OFF. Put a chair out in the yard you care nothing about. Pretend you are going to paint the chair. Accidentally and on purpose "trip and fall". Miracle!! The shed gets paint spilled on it in the texture of a paint brush. opps, you had an accident. If the neighbor wants to sue you, just claim the shed jumped in front of you and IN your yard. |
#62
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Neighbors Shed
A trellis - I love this idea.
Many thanks! Corinne Goedjn wrote: On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:24:26 -0700, Corinne wrote: I would think that being allowed to paint the back of their shed would also perserve it as it is in bad need of paint. I don't think it is fair that I have to look at it, when they do not. My back yard is beautifully maintained, and I take pride in it. I don't see this as being pushy, but then again, I may be wrong. It seems disrespectful to me, as I would never do this to a neighbor. If you think that your asking permission to paint the back wall will be (correctly) interpreted as insinuating that they're not doing proper maintenance, and you don't want them to think that, then you could disguise your intent by asking permission to paint a mural there.Failing either of those solutions, you could always erect a free-standing trellis, a foot or two inside the line. A good dense growth of pole beans, and it won't matter if they paint the thing or not. |
#63
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Neighbors Shed
This is the kind of advice I like.
Thank you! Phisherman wrote: I have three adjacent neighbors, all different. One does not do anything to his yard, contracts to mow his lawn, and I am constantly spraying poison ivy along this property line. The other neighbor put up an ugly cyclone chain-link fence. I planted a 270-foot long hedge that is now 12 feet tall which completely blocks the fence from view. Another neighbor put up a shed, not particularly unsightly, but it is now covered with moss and algae growth. To block that view I planted a row of forsythia that blocks all but the roof of the shed. Personally, I avoid doing anything or saying anything about neighbor's property. I have been fortunate that I have the space to landscape and block ugly views. That might help sell my house, if I should ever decide to do so. |
#64
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Neighbors Shed
OK, when I moved here a year ago, there is a three inch gap from the end
of the fence to the shed. The wife was working there, and I was on the other side of the fence. I yelled out, "Hello new neighbor", and we introduced ourselves. We had a very brief conversation, as it is hard to converse through the crack of a fence. We talked about her being surprised that the owners sold the home as it is quite new. Anyway, I really don't call that meeting my neighbors, but I have decided to start walking down their block, in hopes of meeting them. At that point, I will not discuss the condition of the shed. I am not in a hurry to do this anyway. Just thought I would ask. I know some of the neighbors on their block, and they are complaining about the fact their driveway was torn up, over a year ago, and redone. But, the sad part is that the old broken up concrete is still on their yard, in the grass. Corinne George wrote: Corinne wrote: Thanks Tom. I have not met them, but their windows face mine and they seem like decent folks. Why haven't you met them? I would at least introduce myself, try to read how they are and present my idea. If they turn out to be morons then you can decide if you want to fire the first rocket. Thought I would ask as others have told me to just do it. Really bad advice. I am easy to get along with and if a neighbor just decided to do something without even asking I would be quite annoyed. I have never had problems with my neighbors, so this may definitely be the route to take. But you don't know about these neighbors because you have never talked to them. Many thanks. Corinne |
#65
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Neighbors Shed
Yenc-Post wrote: Complainer: STFU, Your neighbor. Now, Now.....yenck, that's not being very neighborly is it? |
#66
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Neighbors Shed
According to mm :
He said he saw case(s) where two houses had one driveway, but two garages, and one owner would put a fence down the middle of the driveway because he was annoyed at something the other guy did. Of course he wasn't allowed to do that, but he did it anyhow. (OK I'm not sure this is relevant, but I like the story.) Exactly that happened to the parents of an old friend about 25 years ago. As a result, NEITHER her parents nor their neighbors could get their cars through to their respective garages. Fence still there (at the time I don't think there was any legal recourse). And do you want to know what the original disagreement was? When driving into the garage, the corner of the car would momentarily pass over the property line if the driver wasn't very careful. Really, really dumb. Demonstrates how senseless and stupid neighbor squabbles can be. In a similar circumstance (over a fence between my dad's house and his neighbor), I went over and asked if I could do some minor repairs (some of which would be easier on their side). For my pains, had a nice visit, drinks and cookies, and they loaned me a ladder. Or our neighbor. Comes over and asks us if there's going to be any trouble with him cutting down some dead trees just on his side of the property line. He didn't have to, but he did anyway. Nice. Initiated many friendly contacts ever since. There's nothing to be gained, and much to be potentially lost by painting the shed without asking. And what if they say no? Plant a tree or flowers. Or A fence segment. Get enthusiastic and add a bit of patio, chairs, sun umbrella... Adds a lot more value to the house. Or whatever. There's simply no advantage to ****ing off neighbors for no good reason. -- Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them. |
#67
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Neighbors Shed
I would plant a nice row of evergreens or something. Gives you privacy,
lessens noise and green is more acctractive then shed fence or other man made junk. Plus since its in your property you dont have to ask permission or do anything else. |
#68
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Neighbors Shed
Over 400 years ago, Nostradamus predicted that on Thu, 15 Jun 2006
20:48:56 -0400, in message , mm would say: Most fence builders put the fence an inch or two inside the property line. In my case, my fence is probably a half inch inside. I'm going by the notion that the property line is where the gutters of my townhouse end and the gutter of my neighbor begins. But because my downspout was in the way, the fence company put the first post between his downspout and mine (there was just enough room) and the first section of fence comes back to just inside my property line. AFAIK the owner of my neighbor's house at the time didn't object and afaik it's too late for them to assert dominion over the fence now. At any rate, I'd be very angry if the current neighbor decided to paint even his side of that section of my fence. Even if the law were on his side, it's a declaration of war, when what he shoudl do is discuss it with me. How much more so when the fence is probably within the neighbor's property. Where I've lived, structures and fences had different offsets. So, for a structure to be part of the fence line it would have had to have been old enough to have been grandfathered in, and that usually means that both are right on the property line. When I lived in such a situation (one wall of the detached garage on the property line making up part of the fence), the neighbors involved had an understanding that each person took care of their side of the fence. So, for example, when I painted my garage, I only painted 3 sides of it, and when I painted my fence on the other side, I painted one side of my neighbor's garage, and one side of his shed. This is the only way I can see that OP has a right to complain. If the their codes don't require different offsets and the shed is part of a fence line that is totally on the neighbor's property, then I suggest that she learn to live with other people who don't have the same priorities that she does. Anyroad, my original point still stands that if she asks the neighbors for permission to paint the shed wall that she not do it in a manner that highlights how bad she thinks it looks in comparison to her "immaculate" backyard. And, if the shed is on the property line, they might already consider it to be her responsibility -- I never really thought a whole lot about what was going on with the fourth wall of my garage, as far as I was concerned, its outside didn't exist to me. HTH, PRose |
#69
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Neighbors Shed
mm wrote: On 15 Jun 2006 07:53:45 -0700, "z" wrote: user wrote: Call me odd, but I have little interest in benefiting from someone else's stupididity, especially if it ends up ultimately raising my tax bill. ;-) You shouldn't encourage stupidity; it tends to spread too much anyway. It's hard to win on adverse possession. Generally, in most states, 6 elements must be proved. They called it the Eunuch rule. It's generally not fair that someone gets property from another without paying for it, so the rules are stiff. It might be easier in your state, but these are one set of rules: E Exclusive U Uninterrupted N Notorious U Unpermitted C Claim of Right H Hostile Exclusive, the party making the claim didn't let anyone else use the land. Might have that here. Uninterrupted, the other 5 characteristics aren't interrupted, for 7 (or 10?) years in some states, different amounts in others. Might have that here, at least eventually. Notorious, use by the claiming party was known or should have been known (obvious) to others, or maybe it is only needed to be known to the owner. Probably have that here, since he told him to mow it and maintain it. Unpermitted The owning party has not granted permission to use the land. Probably don't have this here. The owner said he could use it. If the claiming party says he didn't have permission, he might have to deny that his use was notorious and that it was hostile, and he would give up his claim of right, if that exists (see below). This might mean that it is even harder to gain adverse possession unless it is of land that the owner doesn't see often, where the owner lives miles away. If the owner can see the land from where he lives, and someone else uses it, (?and that can be seen by the owner?), I think it would be hard to claim it's unpermitted, much less prove it. Claim of Right, never sure about this one, but I think there has to be conflicting deeds or an unclear property description or something that gives the claiming party some legal reason to think he owns it. I always wanted more examples of what would be a claim of right. They might have been in the part of the book I didn't read! Probably doesn't have that in this case. Hmmm, this might include if the owner said "It's yours" or "I think you own this" or "It's yours now". I'm really not sure, and I don't know from the story if that happened here. I knew I should have studied this part. Hostile, the claiming party didn't let anyone else use the property, or didn't let them use it like an owner would, not sure. Either way, I'm not sure about this, since probably no one else was trying to use it. Maybe someone has to try to use it, or this seems a lot like Exclusive. So maybe the claiming party doesn't have this here. It's been 32 years since I learned this, and I never knew it that well**, so there are probably a bunch of misstatements, but this is the sort of thing one needs. **But it is easy to remember the phrase, "the eunuch rule". That's why they made it up. Diligent landowners try not to let even one of these 6 things occur. Pay attention to the plazas in front of downtown office buildings, the ones used by anyone, maybe to take a shortcut at a corner, or to sit and have lunch. There is often a brass insert in the sidewalk, next to the public sidewalk, at the property line, that says "Use of the plaza permitted to the public by owners". This means the use was permitted, not unpermitted, and the "public" can't gain adverse possession. In addition, most of these plazas are closed off with cones and tape once a year. They call it cleaning, but as big a purpose is to make possession by the public "interrupted", not uninterrupted. Might not see this so much in the suburbs, because the plaza is usually between the building and the parking lot, which it is clear is owned by those who own the building. And because the only people walking through are those who have come to do business in the building. This might not be the same as the general public. This has been an issue for me because my next door neighbor has taken over trimming some of my bushes, that I didn't trim short enough to suit him. He also got less angry at me at the time, and it occurs to me he might be planning on claiming adverse possession, or maybe he's less angry because the bushes are shorter, or because I invited him out for a drink to discuss things. He didn't accept, but maybe merely making the gesture made him less angry. But He might be trying to gain adverse possession, and I've tried to make sure he doesn't have all 6 elements, but I've been lethargic some years and not done a good job. He only has one element for sure, Notorious. He also mows a small part of grass next to the bushes. Of course even if he did own it, he'd take care of it at least as well as I do. He might cut down the bushes, though. Like mint plants. It's not like your neighbor is stupid but good-hearted; sounds like the neighborhood could clearly benefit from him getting one of those kid tv show moral lessons. Besides, you don't have to claim your extra acreage until it's time to sell the place..... (I probably wouldn't do it either, of course, but I can be an armchair general as well as anybody else. You fight him, I'll hold your coat.). I'm sure he appreciates the coat holding. - Rich Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm not familiar with any individuals actually winning on such a case, although I hear about it, mainly in the form of access roads that are on somebody else's property. There's a road through Radio City Center in NYC that they close on Sundays just to keep it from defaulting back to the city, as you describe. What I remember in my nonexpert dilletantish interest is that the requirements vary wildly from state to state on whether you know the property is not yours; some states you have to know it's not yours, some states you have to not be aware that it's not yours; some states just don't care either way. Weird. |
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