[Frank[_24_]]

They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15. Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year. I'll pay the extra tax
but am ****ed. That nice New Castle County assessor that came out and
looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not go up.

[Wade Garrett]

On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra tax
but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out and
looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

--
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
- Louis D. Brandeis

[rbowman]

On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15. Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year. I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed. That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 12/18/2017 6:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


My town has a photo from Google Earth on file. When it was time for
regular reassessment they took photos of the outside.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:21:06 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15. Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year. I'll pay the extra tax
but am ****ed. That nice New Castle County assessor that came out and
looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not go up.



$ 15. per year ? Really ?

What does that bring the total to ?

John T.

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/18/2017 6:46 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

Yes, permits were needed to tear down the old one and for the new one.
The builder took pictures of the tear down and emailed them in, then the
builder took pictures of the poured footers and sent them in. When new
Trex deck was installed the county came out and inspected it then a
while later the tax assessor came out. The latter is who I am ****ed at
for lying to me.

My old deck did not meet the current county code and even though old
footers were just the concrete slab patio below the contractor needed to
drill down through the concrete and nearly solid rock below to put new
concrete footers a yard down. Old deck was attached to the house but
new is essentially freestanding.

I had one bid where the contractor would have skirted the county permit
but built to code but we did not want the risk or bother. His was the
lowest bid but the one I took was only $500 more and I think footer
design was better. New Trex deck does look terrific and adds to the
value of the house.

Even in this small state with only 3 counties, code varies from county
to county and permits may not be required in the other two counties.

We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction. Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:29:51 -0500, Wade Garrett
wrote:

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Aerial photos is the most common way. Our tax man has far better
photos than Google and they shoot them every year. They shoot 4
obliques from the compass points so they can even see under trees and
a ways under a car port. I suspect computers look for changes but I
know they are right on top of it and I am not a fanatic about permits.
I never hear from the building department but my tax bill seems to
show everything I do.

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â* He pulled permits .

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it. Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter. Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

--
Maggie

[ChairMan[_6_]]

Frank" "frank "frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by
$600 and tax
about $15. Assessed value here is about a third of the
market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go
through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year. I'll pay
the extra
tax but am ****ed. That nice New Castle County assessor
that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said
the tax
would not go up.

Did you really believe the man from the govnmt?
Shame on you : )

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/18/2017 6:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it. Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter. Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

Â*Â* I'm not sure where we stand tax-wise , a lot depends on the finished
value of the house we're building . I do know there is a provision about
age 65 and no tax increases . Permit-wise , we don't need 'em out here
in the woods . No building codes out here either . Doesn't mean I'm
going to cut corners ...

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Clare Snyder]

On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 19:17:11 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 12/18/2017 6:46 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

Yes, permits were needed to tear down the old one and for the new one.
The builder took pictures of the tear down and emailed them in, then the
builder took pictures of the poured footers and sent them in. When new
Trex deck was installed the county came out and inspected it then a
while later the tax assessor came out. The latter is who I am ****ed at
for lying to me.

My old deck did not meet the current county code and even though old
footers were just the concrete slab patio below the contractor needed to
drill down through the concrete and nearly solid rock below to put new
concrete footers a yard down. Old deck was attached to the house but
new is essentially freestanding.

I had one bid where the contractor would have skirted the county permit
but built to code but we did not want the risk or bother. His was the
lowest bid but the one I took was only $500 more and I think footer
design was better. New Trex deck does look terrific and adds to the
value of the house.

Even in this small state with only 3 counties, code varies from county
to county and permits may not be required in the other two counties.

We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction. Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.


The old deck likely wasn't done with a permit and was therefore not on
the assessment.. Either that or you enlarged it

[rbowman]

On 12/18/2017 05:17 PM, Frank wrote:
We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction. Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.

I grew up in a location where externally visible improvements were
approached very, very carefully. There were houses with peeling paint
and loose shutters that were quite stylish inside -- and the county
assessor never got an invitation to dinner.

[customer[_2_]]

On 12/18/2017 06:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax about $15.

That ain't nuthin'.Â* My Comcast bill went up over $25/mo or $300/yr...and I'm not as wealthy as you.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:52:36 -0700, rbowman
wrote:

On 12/18/2017 05:17 PM, Frank wrote:
We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction. Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.

I grew up in a location where externally visible improvements were
approached very, very carefully. There were houses with peeling paint
and loose shutters that were quite stylish inside -- and the county
assessor never got an invitation to dinner.

Legally they really can't even come on your property but that is
generally ignored by the people walking around with the cameras and
lap tops. The lady who walked into my back yard acknowledged that I
could ask her to leave but she pointed out she already knew about
everything she saw including a new 128 sq/ft bump out on my screen
cage (no permit) that was only a few months old and she showed me an
updated plat on her laptop.
She just said "everything looks right to me" and left.

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/18/2017 7:23 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

Â*Â* I'm not sure where we stand tax-wise , a lot depends on the finished
value of the house we're building . I do know there is a provision about
age 65 and no tax increases . Permit-wise , we don't need 'em out here
in the woods . No building codes out here either . Doesn't mean I'm
going to cut corners ...

Â* --

Â* Snag


Do you have pictures of the progress of your building? You've been
working on it as long as I can remember, anyway.

--
Maggie

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/18/2017 10:13 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:23 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

Â*Â* I'm not sure where we stand tax-wise , a lot depends on the finished
value of the house we're building . I do know there is a provision about
age 65 and no tax increases . Permit-wise , we don't need 'em out here
in the woods . No building codes out here either . Doesn't mean I'm
going to cut corners ...

Â* --

Â* Snag

Do you have pictures of the progress of your building? You've been
working on it as long as I can remember, anyway.

Â* Construction started in the summer/fall of 2013 , I have a few
pictures but haven't been taking many lately . We're building this place
totally out of pocket , which slows things down a bit . Right now we're
saving up for hardwood flooring and I'm holding out for the good stuff ,
3/4" prefinished solid oak . Looking at around 1200 sf , that's a pretty
big chunk of money but it needs to be bought at one time so it all
matches . It might move along faster if I didn't have other
responsibilities - cutting firewood , gardening , maintaining our cars ,
etc .

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/18/2017 8:40 PM, Clare Snyder wrote:
On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 19:17:11 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 12/18/2017 6:46 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

Yes, permits were needed to tear down the old one and for the new one.
The builder took pictures of the tear down and emailed them in, then the
builder took pictures of the poured footers and sent them in. When new
Trex deck was installed the county came out and inspected it then a
while later the tax assessor came out. The latter is who I am ****ed at
for lying to me.

My old deck did not meet the current county code and even though old
footers were just the concrete slab patio below the contractor needed to
drill down through the concrete and nearly solid rock below to put new
concrete footers a yard down. Old deck was attached to the house but
new is essentially freestanding.

I had one bid where the contractor would have skirted the county permit
but built to code but we did not want the risk or bother. His was the
lowest bid but the one I took was only $500 more and I think footer
design was better. New Trex deck does look terrific and adds to the
value of the house.

Even in this small state with only 3 counties, code varies from county
to county and permits may not be required in the other two counties.

We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction. Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.


The old deck likely wasn't done with a permit and was therefore not on
the assessment.. Either that or you enlarged it


No, it was on the plan with the county. Dimensions were not there but
it is in same place. I enlarged it from 18 to 20 ft length because Trex
came in 20 ft lengths and would have been cut so cost was the same.

We had slight mix up with county clerks not finding plot and telling us
we needed a survey but we had an old copy of it from a septic guy and
they accepted it. I went into county records on line and it was there.
County clerk was either lazy, sloppy or did not know how to access.

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it. Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter. Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours. Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/18/2017 6:52 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:21:06 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15. Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year. I'll pay the extra tax
but am ****ed. That nice New Castle County assessor that came out and
looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not go up.



$ 15. per year ? Really ?

What does that bring the total to ?

John T.

We're paying a little over $4,000 now and that is with a senior discount
of $500. The split is 18% to the county and 82% to the school district.
Compared to surrounding states we are low and down state Delaware
property taxes are half. Lot of retirees from New Jersey are going
there. One lady told me of a Jersey friend looking at houses there and
hearing the tax asked if that were the tax per month.

I'm only 3 miles from PA and we have developments straddling the states.
The guy on the PA side may pay twice the tax as neighbor with the same
house on the DE side of the street. Income taxes are lower in PA but
they have a sales tax except on food and clothing. Gas is nearly 40
cents a gallon higher so PA residents take advantage by shopping here.

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/18/2017 10:33 PM, customer wrote:
On 12/18/2017 06:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.

That ain't nuthin'.Â* My Comcast bill went up over $25/mo or
$300/yr...and I'm not as wealthy as you.

That's a whole other story. Our Comcast offer expires this month and
increase would be similar so we go back to bargaining.
If you want to get your bill down the best thing to do is ask to talk to
customer solutions there. They are the last resort but easiest to
bargain with.

[Wade Garrett]

On 12/18/17 7:17 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:46 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

Yes, permits were needed to tear down the old one and for the new one.
The builder took pictures of the tear down and emailed them in, then the
builder took pictures of the poured footers and sent them in.Â* When new
Trex deck was installed the county came out and inspected it then a
while later the tax assessor came out.Â* The latter is who I am ****ed at
for lying to me.

My old deck did not meet the current county code and even though old
footers were just the concrete slab patio below the contractor needed to
drill down through the concrete and nearly solid rock below to put new
concrete footers a yard down.Â* Old deck was attached to the house but
new is essentially freestanding.

I had one bid where the contractor would have skirted the county permit
but built to code but we did not want the risk or bother.Â* His was the
lowest bid but the one I took was only $500 more and I think footer
design was better.Â* New Trex deck does look terrific and adds to the
value of the house.

Even in this small state with only 3 counties, code varies from county
to county and permits may not be required in the other two counties.

We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction.Â* Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.

Waaaay too much intrusive government meddling and control of private
property. It's a deck for Pete's sake! Vote the bums out of office next
election...

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/19/2017 10:17 AM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 7:17 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:46 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/18/2017 04:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came out
and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax would not
go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?


Building permit?

Yes, permits were needed to tear down the old one and for the new one.
The builder took pictures of the tear down and emailed them in, then
the builder took pictures of the poured footers and sent them in.
When new Trex deck was installed the county came out and inspected it
then a while later the tax assessor came out.Â* The latter is who I am
****ed at for lying to me.

My old deck did not meet the current county code and even though old
footers were just the concrete slab patio below the contractor needed
to drill down through the concrete and nearly solid rock below to put
new concrete footers a yard down.Â* Old deck was attached to the house
but new is essentially freestanding.

I had one bid where the contractor would have skirted the county
permit but built to code but we did not want the risk or bother.Â* His
was the lowest bid but the one I took was only $500 more and I think
footer design was better.Â* New Trex deck does look terrific and adds
to the value of the house.

Even in this small state with only 3 counties, code varies from county
to county and permits may not be required in the other two counties.

We've been in this house 45 years and hope to stay but this experience
has taught me a lot about rule changes and construction.Â* Hope my
experience will help caution others in this ng.

Waaaay too much intrusive government meddling and control of private
property. It's aÂ* deck for Pete's sake! Vote the bums out of office next
election...

A previous head of the New Castle County council, Chris Coons, in two
terms increased county tax over 60%. To reward him, we made him a US
senator.

When I asked a friend in lower Delaware why his property taxes were half
mine in a larger house, he asked, "What party is in charge in your
county?" He's right.

People are incredibly stupid. Politicians in office never raise taxes
in an election year and a nutty old woman I knew who complained loudly
about tax increases voted for Coons. She said he did not increase
taxes. I told her you better go home and look at your past taxes. Talk
about short term memory. It inflicts many.

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/19/2017 7:11 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 10:13 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:23 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

Â*Â*Â* I'm not sure where we stand tax-wise , a lot depends on the finished
value of the house we're building . I do know there is a provision about
age 65 and no tax increases . Permit-wise , we don't need 'em out here
in the woods . No building codes out here either . Doesn't mean I'm
going to cut corners ...

Â*Â* --

Â*Â* Snag

Do you have pictures of the progress of your building? You've been
working on it as long as I can remember, anyway.

Â* Construction started in the summer/fall of 2013 , I have a few
pictures but haven't been taking many lately . We're building this place
totally out of pocket , which slows things down a bit . Right now we're
saving up for hardwood flooring and I'm holding out for the good stuff ,
3/4" prefinished solid oak . Looking at around 1200 sf , that's a pretty
big chunk of money but it needs to be bought at one time so it all
matches . It might move along faster if I didn't have other
responsibilities - cutting firewood , gardening , maintaining our cars ,
etc .


Just take time to take care of yourself along the way.

--
Maggie

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.

hmm This desk isn't attached to the house. It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

--
Maggie

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.

hmm This desk isn't attached to the house. It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.

hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.

Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck. We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

--
Maggie

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/19/2017 1:59 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.

How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .


We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.

hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.

Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck. We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

I had been nursing mine for the 45 years that we have been here. It was
built of framing lumber stained like redwood. There were a few redwood
boards. Over the years I replaced all with pressure treated lumber
adding addition support columns but now at my age I could no longer keep
it up and wanted one maintenance free. Last time I tried to stain it I
needed to get therapy for my neck. Now having all the tools and
experience I physically cannot do all the work.

I was going to have a neighbor do it as he had done others decks but
when he saw the shape mine was in and knew the current building code he
said it needed replacement. I might have had him do it without the
rigamarole but preferred to have him as a good neighbor and not a
contractor that I might have a problem with. Plus, it might have taken
him a couple of months as it did when he resurfaced a friend of mine's deck.

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/19/2017 12:59 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.
hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.
Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck. We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

Â* Ours is 52 feet long , 12' wide for 22 feet and 10' the remaining 30
.. One side is attached to the house , the other side is supported by 6x6
treated posts every 7 feet . One end is near ground level , the other is
5' off due to the ground slope - just right for a set of 8 steps . Two
sets of French doors open onto the deck , one in the bedroom and one in
the dining room . And I built it myself with my little hammer and saw
and screwdriver and post hole digger and cement mixer and and and ...

Â* --

Â* Snag

[=?iso-8859-15?Q?Tekkie=AE?=]

Frank posted for all of us...


New Trex deck does look terrific and adds to the
value of the house.



This sums it up doesn't it?

--
Tekkie

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/19/2017 1:46 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:59 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and
tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the
extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones
concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we
sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the
house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.
hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.
Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck.Â* We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

Â* Ours is 52 feet long , 12' wide for 22 feet and 10' the remaining 30 .
One side is attached to the house , the other side is supported by 6x6
treated posts every 7 feet . One end is near ground level , the other is
5' off due to the ground slope - just right for a set of 8 steps . Two
sets of French doors open onto the deck , one in the bedroom and one in
the dining room . And I built it myself with my little hammer and saw
and screwdriver and post hole digger and cement mixer and and and ...

Â* --

I think you win for size. That's one big deck! I would love one that
big that wrapped around my house.


--
Maggie

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/20/2017 11:40 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 1:46 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:59 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and
tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the
extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones
concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we
sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the
house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.
hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.
Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck.Â* We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

Â* Ours is 52 feet long , 12' wide for 22 feet and 10' the remaining 30 .
One side is attached to the house , the other side is supported by 6x6
treated posts every 7 feet . One end is near ground level , the other is
5' off due to the ground slope - just right for a set of 8 steps . Two
sets of French doors open onto the deck , one in the bedroom and one in
the dining room . And I built it myself with my little hammer and saw
and screwdriver and post hole digger and cement mixer and and and ...

Â* --

I think you win for size. That's one big deck! I would love one that
big that wrapped around my house.


Next door neighbor has one as big as this. It was just rebuilt for the
third time - all wood. Owner had died last year and guy bought it and
is flipping it. Not rebuilt to current code as he just resurfaced old.
I would consider it one huge headache having to replace every 10 years
and stain every couple of years.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 12/21/2017 9:26 AM, Frank wrote:


Next door neighbor has one as big as this.Â* It was just rebuilt for the
third time - all wood.Â* Owner had died last year and guy bought it and
is flipping it.Â* Not rebuilt to current code as he just resurfaced old.
I would consider it one huge headache having to replace every 10 years
and stain every couple of years.

That is usually the result of going cheap. I got 30 years out of
pressure treated and replaced it with Tiger Wood (goncalo alves) and it
should go 50 years with a little oil. Definitely will outlast me.
https://www.advantagelumber.com/tigerwood_decking.htm

[Muggles[_23_]]

On 12/21/2017 8:26 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/20/2017 11:40 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 1:46 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:59 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:42 PM, Frank wrote:
On 12/19/2017 12:16 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:42 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 7:50 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 12/18/2017 6:39 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 12/18/2017 5:29 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 12/18/17 6:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and
tax
about $15.Â* Assessed value here is about a third of the market
value.
I called them about it and they said I would have to go
through a
protest procedure which might take up to a year.Â* I'll pay the
extra
tax but am ****ed.Â* That nice New Castle County assessor that
came
out and looked at the replacement deck lied when he said the tax
would not go up.
How did the county know you replaced your deck?

Hidden observation posts outside Home Depot; microphones
concealed in
street lamps to pick up repeated hammer blows?

Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* He pulled permits .

We built a free standing deck near our garden and didn't get a
permit to
build it.Â* Also built a pool deck, and then dismantled it when we
sold
the pool and never got a permit.

Didn't seem to matter.Â* Our property taxes keep going up every
couple of
years, anyway.

One of my points is that county rules vary considerably and you must
investigate yours.Â* Had I replaced the deck without access to the
house
or without stairs but having access to the house, a permit would not
have been needed.
hmmÂ* This desk isn't attached to the house.Â* It's just sitting
near the
house, but no entrance.

Went back and looked at county requirements.

https://www.nccde.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/344

I was wrong about no access for mine as it is elevated 10 feet but
freestanding less than 30 inches and 200 sq. ft. no permit required.
Ours is a 12x10 foot free-standing deck.Â* We built it ourselves, so
didn't hire anyone, either.

Â*Â* Ours is 52 feet long , 12' wide for 22 feet and 10' the remaining
30 .
One side is attached to the house , the other side is supported by 6x6
treated posts every 7 feet . One end is near ground level , the other is
5' off due to the ground slope - just right for a set of 8 steps . Two
sets of French doors open onto the deck , one in the bedroom and one in
the dining room . And I built it myself with my little hammer and saw
and screwdriver and post hole digger and cement mixer and and and ...

Â*Â* --

I think you win for size. That's one big deck!Â* I would love one that
big that wrapped around my house.


Next door neighbor has one as big as this.Â* It was just rebuilt for the
third time - all wood.Â* Owner had died last year and guy bought it and
is flipping it.Â* Not rebuilt to current code as he just resurfaced old.
I would consider it one huge headache having to replace every 10 years
and stain every couple of years.

I think if I had the money, I'd rebuild a deck with composite.

--
Maggie

[[email protected]]

On Thu, 21 Dec 2017 22:34:35 -0600, Muggles
wrote:

I think if I had the money, I'd rebuild a deck with composite.

--
Maggie

If you had the money you should use Ipe.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Deck%20going%20down.jpg

[My 2 Cents]

On 12/19/2017 7:57 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 10:33 PM, customer wrote:
On 12/18/2017 06:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.

That ain't nuthin'. My Comcast bill went up over $25/mo or
$300/yr...and I'm not as wealthy as you.

That's a whole other story. Our Comcast offer expires this month and
increase would be similar so we go back to bargaining.
If you want to get your bill down the best thing to do is ask to talk to
customer solutions there. They are the last resort but easiest to
bargain with.
I cut the cord. 40 channels over the air... and I've been watching
more and more youtubes. Just hook an old computer to ur big screen and
get a wireless mouse. Watch what you want, when you want. It's
criminal what big business does with our minds and bodies. Junk
entertainment, junk information and junk food.

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/21/2017 1:40 AM, Emorej Swet wrote:
On Wed, 20 Dec 2017 22:40:54 -0600, Muggles
wrote:

I think you win for size. That's one big dick! I would love one that
big that wrapped around my house.
How big is his dick?

Â* On our wedding night she said "You're going to put that WHERE?" Then
she fainted . Nuff said .

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/21/2017 8:40 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 12/21/2017 9:26 AM, Frank wrote:


Next door neighbor has one as big as this.Â* It was just rebuilt for
the third time - all wood.Â* Owner had died last year and guy bought
it and is flipping it.Â* Not rebuilt to current code as he just
resurfaced old. I would consider it one huge headache having to
replace every 10 years and stain every couple of years.

That is usually the result of going cheap.Â* I got 30 years out of
pressure treated and replaced it with Tiger Wood (goncalo alves) and
it should go 50 years with a little oil.Â* Definitely will outlast me.
https://www.advantagelumber.com/tigerwood_decking.htm

Â* This is all treated wood , guaranteed for 30 years in ground contact
- and none of it actually touches the ground . The 6x6's were coated
with asphalt emulsion on the bottom 30" and set in concrete - the
concrete is "domed" above ground level so water runs off instead of
soaking in . The two things left to finish are the railings and the L
flashing where the framing is bolted to the house . Don't want water
running between the framing and the house .

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Terry Coombs[_2_]]

On 12/21/2017 11:02 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 21 Dec 2017 22:34:35 -0600, Muggles
wrote:

I think if I had the money, I'd rebuild a deck with composite.

--
Maggie
If you had the money you should use Ipe.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Deck%20going%20down.jpg

Â* Ipe may last nearly twice as long as forever but it's a bitch to work
with . A cabinet shop I worked at got a contract for a bunch of benches
to place out on a golf course . I got the job of doing all the machining
and most of the assembly .

Â* --

Â* Snag

[Frank[_24_]]

On 12/22/2017 2:04 AM, My 2 Cents wrote:
On 12/19/2017 7:57 AM, Frank wrote:
On 12/18/2017 10:33 PM, customer wrote:
On 12/18/2017 06:21 PM, Frank wrote:
They did increase the assessed value of my property by $600 and tax
about $15.

That ain't nuthin'.Â* My Comcast bill went up over $25/mo or
$300/yr...and I'm not as wealthy as you.

That's a whole other story.Â* Our Comcast offer expires this month and
increase would be similar so we go back to bargaining.
If you want to get your bill down the best thing to do is ask to talk to
customer solutions there.Â* They are the last resort but easiest to
bargain with.
Â*I cut the cord.Â* 40 channels over the air... and I've been watching
more and more youtubes.Â* Just hook an old computer to ur big screen and
get a wireless mouse.Â* Watch what you want, when you want.Â* It's
criminal what big business does with our minds and bodies.Â*Â* Junk
entertainment, junk information and junk food.

Living on the side of a hill away from the largest city, Philadelphia,
gives us poor TV reception. Even cell phones with a tower only a mile
away are iffy. I have a neighbor lower down from me and he has to go
outside to talk on his cell. Our services are underground and we now
have choice of Comcast cable or FIOS. I have a neighbor across the
street that switches between the two when initial offer expires and cost
goes way up.