Mad!!!

[Pamela H in Texas]

We woke up this morning to find two sets of tire marks in our yard. One is deep and several feet long. The other set actually goes through the ditch and into the yard itself.

 

We know it is the people across the street that did it. The first time it happened, the mark was a foot or two long and looked like an accident. We didn't think twice about it. But this isn't an accident. You can't drive 12 feet into someone's yard (twice!) accidentally!

 

So do we confront them? What good will it do ? Just make us more of a target? And yet if we don't confront them, that says "sure, you can tear up our property."

 

And really, I doubt it'll do any good. They haven't cared about respecting people any other way. One of them even broke into another person's house. There was an eyewitness but nothing happened. So they do whatever they want. Why not?

 

I'm really frustrated. I just want to live a quiet existence and have everyone leave me alone! I'm too sick to put up with this junk.

[jacqui in mo]

How upsetting! I would be mad too. Doesn't sound like the type of neighbor that you could reason with though and might actually make you more of a target as you say. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

[2cents]

Something similar was happening to our neighbor. They solved the problem by putting large decorative rocks in strategic places. Hitting that rock will damage the offenders vehicle so it solved the problem. Can you put something (tree, rocks, fence etc.) in the yard to block them?

[AuntieM]

Something similar was happening to our neighbor. They solved the problem by putting large decorative rocks in strategic places. Hitting that rock will damage the offenders vehicle so it solved the problem. Can you put something (tree, rocks, fence etc.) in the yard to block them?

 

 

That's what I would do, nice big rocks. I've seen this often on corner lot lawns.

 

When I was little, I remember that there were some hoodlums knocking down street side mail boxes in our area. After about the third mail box, my dad got a super heavy duty steel pole and a bag of cement, and sunk that sucker in deep and strong. You couldn't see much difference by looking at it, but if I remember correctly, the next time they tried to whack the box, they left a piece of their vehicle behind...

 

PS They never came back.

[OHGrandma]

Tough situation, those kind of people just do more and more offensive things if you don't take action; yet taking action could also push them to do more offensive things. So, I guess I'd make a police report and see what the police find.

[SonshineLearner]

Inexpensive motion detection.... with video camera... or something of the sort? I've seen that you can do it fairly inexpensively. If you have just the video camera.... I'd wanna do it when they can't see me put it up... and Bust 'em!

 

Good Luck!!

Edited February 7, 2010 by NayfiesMama
(Oh yes... not personally bust em... call the police:-)

[Lawana]

We live on a corner lot and have had people cut the corner through our yard, leaving long, deep tire marks. A railroad tie, while certainly not decorative, was highly effective in preventing any reccurences.

[duckens]

When I was little, I remember that there were some hoodlums knocking down street side mail boxes in our area. After about the third mail box, my dad got a super heavy duty steel pole and a bag of cement, and sunk that sucker in deep and strong. You couldn't see much difference by looking at it, but if I remember correctly, the next time they tried to whack the box, they left a piece of their vehicle behind...

 

I had a teenage friend who told me about he and his dad doing this after being victims of Mailbox Baseball several times. They even reinforced the inside of the mailbox with something heavy duty (steel pole???).

 

After the first week, they went out to get the mail, and there was a broken wooden bat on the ground next to their mailbox.

 

After the second week, there was a bent aluminum bat on the ground.

 

After the third week, they went out to get the mail, and a heavy log chain was attached to their mailbox. At the end of the log chain was a bumper and license plate!!!

 

His dad was a practical kind of farmer, so he saved the chain. (It was a perfectly good log chain, after all).

 

He dropped the bumper off at the local sheriff's office, explaining that he had "found it; and could [the sheriff] please return it to whom it belonged because the owners probably needed it."

 

"Where did you find it?" ask the sheriff?

 

"It was chained to my mailbox," the dad deadpanned.

 

And that was the end of the mailbox baseball season.

[ConnieB]

We woke up this morning to find two sets of tire marks in our yard. One is deep and several feet long. The other set actually goes through the ditch and into the yard itself.

 

We know it is the people across the street that did it. The first time it happened, the mark was a foot or two long and looked like an accident. We didn't think twice about it. But this isn't an accident. You can't drive 12 feet into someone's yard (twice!) accidentally!

 

So do we confront them? What good will it do ? Just make us more of a target? And yet if we don't confront them, that says "sure, you can tear up our property."

 

And really, I doubt it'll do any good. They haven't cared about respecting people any other way. One of them even broke into another person's house. There was an eyewitness but nothing happened. So they do whatever they want. Why not?

 

I'm really frustrated. I just want to live a quiet existence and have everyone leave me alone! I'm too sick to put up with this junk.

 

Contact the local police and request a property damage report and then tell them your suspicions. They may be able to look at the tread on the lawn and the tread on your neighbor's vehicles and see a potential match. I would then request that the police talk with them about "being more careful when backing out". Confronting hostile neighbors is dangerous these days. The police should be able to approach them in a more diplomatic manner (especially with evidence that shows the tire treads match....a lot harder to say "it wasn't our car") with the "be careful" idea, whereas if you approach them it turns into some accusational confrontation.

 

Now....I obviously know nothing of the past relationship you've had with these people....if they are the type that might react with revenge or violence to you having the police talk to them, I'd have to think twice. But, then again, if they were that dangerous, I'd probably be putting up a for sale sign. Bad neighbors just drains the joy out of me, and I've moved because of neighbors more than once. :grouphug:

[AuntieM]

I had a teenage friend who told me about he and his dad doing this after being victims of Mailbox Baseball several times. They even reinforced the inside of the mailbox with something heavy duty (steel pole???).

 

After the first week, they went out to get the mail, and there was a broken wooden bat on the ground next to their mailbox.

 

After the second week, there was a bent aluminum bat on the ground.

 

After the third week, they went out to get the mail, and a heavy log chain was attached to their mailbox. At the end of the log chain was a bumper and license plate!!!

 

His dad was a practical kind of farmer, so he saved the chain. (It was a perfectly good log chain, after all).

 

He dropped the bumper off at the local sheriff's office, explaining that he had "found it; and could [the sheriff] please return it to whom it belonged because the owners probably needed it."

 

"Where did you find it?" ask the sheriff?

 

"It was chained to my mailbox," the dad deadpanned.

 

And that was the end of the mailbox baseball season.

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That is hilarious!!!

[NorthwestMom]

An elderly woman in my neighborhood paid a gardener to install a row of wine-barrel planters along the side of her frequently over-ridden yard. They had cement in the base. I think one got hit, one time, then apparently the word travelled through the Stupid Driver Universe.

[RanchGirl]

I would contact the police right away, at least you'll start a paper trail should things progress.

[myfunnybunch]

Can you put something (tree, rocks, fence etc.) in the yard to block them?

 

On our old street there was a house on the corner with a similar problem. They got HUGE rocks, boulders really. They didn't have people driving across the yard any more.

 

Cat

[vkay]

That's awful!

 

I would do what some of the other posters have mentioned. I'd put big landscaping rocks along the boarder... or planters. Or the evil side of me might even consider getting some spiked chains and spreading them out on the lawn. Do they make such a thing?? Maybe I've seen too many movies. :D

[Pamela H in Texas]

One of the marks starts from their porch into my yard. So though it's POSSIBLE someone tore up both yards, it's most sensible that someone was drunk or mad as all get out when they left. They did manage not to hit the tree. Not sure if that is a good thing or not <sigh>.

 

I thought of asking a landscaper to come give me a price for fixing it (not that I'm sure it's really fixable) and then giving them the bill.

 

I saw some huge landscaping rocks on craigslist but they wanted $300 each. EEK. I might could more affordably get a couple big trees, but will they just mow them over before they can take root well? Sure, it'll tear up their car, but I can't really afford multiple trees either (unemployment doesn't pay enough to live off of, much less to have trees replaced).

 

This house is usually empty and I assume will be again soon enough. My fear is that so many people live there that they can make the note. However, the other two groups who have lived there have destroyed the place within a couple months and left about the time you'd expect a foreclosure. These seem like the same kind of people.

 

I have no history with these people. They moved in. They've been mildly obnoxious. We've ignored them. One young man came to borrow the phone a couple months back, but...We've decided to be more careful about locking doors and keeping the lab loose in the house when we leave (she usually is locked up in my dd's room and the other dog kenneled).

 

I keep thinking maybe they'll show up and apologize. I'd appreciate that more than ANYTHING really. But I'd be more than surprised in this world with how people are now.

Edited February 7, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[Peek a Boo]

1. yes, I'd report it to the police and specifically request a non-confrontational visit to them. Paper Trails can be worth a LOT.

 

2. get trees to put in your yard, but not to PLANT ;) -- you want to get some big ol' TREE TRUNKS and LAY them "decoratively" along the edge of your yard......

Railroad ties are good too [usually about $10 apiece --get a bunch and stack them], but they are easier to steal. I would suggest at least investing in one good sized boulder. maybe add a second next year....

 

if you do NOTHING else, take good pics of the damage, getting as much detail of the tread tracks and distance to their house as possible.

 

good luck!

 

eta: i just realized you're in my neck of the woods: I'll watch for some big tree trunks for you. I have a Truck. :D

 

edited again:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/zip/1588409488.html

Edited February 7, 2010 by Peek a Boo

[Dobela]

Is this a rental house? If so, I would call the landlord as well. Most landlords would want to know.

 

I would also call the police/ Then I would buy some nice decorative planters, or buy a bunch of wood, and make my own from concrete. Paint the concrete to match your house, and connect with rails to make a fence.

 

There is a neighborhood near me with a crazy planned street. At one point it makes a sharp turn to go around this one particular house. If you are not familiar with the road you can easily miss the turn and end up in their front yard. I noticed the last time I drove thru that the owner had increased the height of the curbs with cement blocks 2 high thr length of the property. The blocks were painted/stained and had lovely flowers (pansey or petunias if I remember right) hanging out of them.

[celticmom]

If I am not mistaken galvanized wash tubs are not prohibitively expensive and could have concrete added to the bottom and even up the sides with the use of something inside like a flower pot until it dries. They could be painted if you dislike the metal look also. This would have the same effect as the half whisky barrels mentioned earlier for a much lower price. Also cheaper than the boulder that the OP mentioned pricing.

[gaillardia]

Some quarries will let you come in and get large rocks (boulders) for a pretty low price. There may be more going on with your neighbors than you could ever imagine. I would do the rocks if the neighbors truly seem hostile.

[LBS]

I agree with the solid lawn decorations, or rocks on the edge of the yard....something that will only do damage to their vehicles and you can roll the rock back into place.....even 4 x 4s set into cement without fencing between, maybe?

 

I totally, completely agree with calling law enforcement, and asking them to knock on the door and just speak to these folks. If they have no problem with destroying your lawn, then other property damage or disappearances may be next. I'd want them to know you are not afraid to get help from proper authorities.

 

A good friend of mine is stuck in a scary situation with neighbors who have dogs making noise all night long...she's single and there are several people coming and going in the house, so she hesitates to protest hugely...she did offer to train their dogs, though! Maybe you could contact the owners of the house, encourage them to rent to people who might take better care, and suggest that they have some responsibility in all this....copy them on all the problems. May get nothing, but you never can tell.

 

Good luck,

LBS

[Amber in AUS]

Friends of our who live in a corner have this all the time. In the end they put in 4 very large parking bollards, 2 on each side of the corner. No one ever cuts the corner now.

 

Check our your local salvage yard or recycling centre for large verge decorations, you never know you might find what you need.