Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 This is probably a JAWM, but I really want to vent about my neighbors. They are having massive work done on their house... again. And... again... they neglected to tell us ahead of time. Every day, there are loud noises right by where dh sleeps (he works nights). The workers are in our yard, leaving their stuff on our stoop and there's a ton of debris there. I mean, it's not like our yard is so beautiful or well kept. And honestly, they have mostly tidied it up at the end of the day. I understand that construction happens and that we're in a rowhouse and this is just how it is. I wouldn't have been a jerk about it. But just tell me!!! These same neighbors completely gutted the house and did major renovation over the course of a year before they moved in. It was LOUD constantly. They blocked our drive in the alley every other day. They knocked cabinets and a very large mirror off our walls in the process. And they never came over and introduced themselves or apologized or really did anything. My final straw was realizing that they're doing a pop up. I freaking hate pop ups. It looks like theirs is going to be not hideous as pop ups go, but it's still a pop up. And it means they're not just repairing their cupola like I originally assumed. They're cranking the whole cupola up a story to do the pop up. Which means this will go on for MONTHS. Gah. And now I will be particularly unfair and say... childless World Bank employees with too much money on their hands!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I am so sorry! That has to be very trying. I presume you guys don't have a HOA, right? Here, before you get anything major done, you need to let the neighbors know. Depending on the project, they will need your signature saying you don't object. Anyway, do you ever get the chance to chat with them? Do they know about you guys being home during the day, your husband working nights and the inconvenience their workers are creating? I would approach your neighbors very politely but I would ask them to make sure the workers minimize disruption. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Jerks. I had one of my employees almost kidnapped by Wold Bank Pres. this year, so I think they are all thugs. The World Bank Manager who almost kidnapped my home schooled employee was visiting the Pres of Shri Lanka Wold Bank. Super Creep.He pretended my employee was not who she she really was when she was visiting his dd. Um... that still makes you a thug. I'm sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 (edited) What's a pop up? I must not be very neighborly either, because I wouldn't even think about going over to tell the neighbor that I would be doing some work on my house. But, I live in a single family house, so maybe that makes a difference. ETA: The part I would have an issue with is the workers on my lawn. And I know the noise is annoying . . . Edited April 13, 2017 by mom2samlibby 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 What's a pop up? I must not be very neighborly either, because I wouldn't even think about going over to tell the neighbor that I would be doing some work on my house. But, I live in a single family house, so maybe that makes a difference. I was thinking the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 (edited) What's a pop up? Should they have known your cabinets and mirror fell? I can see living close to someone and mentioning it. It really would have been the gracious, neighborly thing to do. ETA: got educated on pop ups and cupolas. Wow, that's quite a thing! How many stories will they have when they're done? Edited April 13, 2017 by momacacia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 You need to have a chat with them. "Hey last time you did this there was some damage on our property. Shall we discuss?"and set parameters for noise. Are there not noise nuiseances rules in your neighborhood? Think of it this way, if you were doing this, they would be banging on your door... Also, having lived in townhouses and row houses and apartments, nope no way never again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'm so sorry! I would be absolutely disgusted, too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 (hugs) That would make me crazy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Pop ups, giving the middle finger to taste and scale: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html?utm_term=.2fe6b2cff17f I doubt it'll be like that. The vast majority of them are a single story. It looks like it'll be brick and they're maintaining the cupola (the little cone roof). It won't be like one a few blocks away that looks like someone slapped a vinyl sided shed on top of an historic rowhouse. Not that these people have any care for any of the historic features of the home. They ripped out all the hardwood floors and all the moulding tore it to pieces. They do have to get neighbors' permission to build if they do it legally - they have to get a percentage of the block to sign off. They never asked us. Dh and I had an argument about them. He was like, they always seem nice. By the end, he was like, yes, Farrar, you're so right, Farrar, they're terrible, Farrar. And then I was like, you're just agreeing because you're scared of me now! Poor dh. I often don't tell people we're having work done when it's short term. I mean, it took a day to do our roof. So, who cares. But this summer we have to have the entire back repointed and it'll be noisy and messy (and, oh, so expensive) and I'm definitely going to warn the neighbors on that side. Because that's polite. It'll take a week or so and be loud. The houses are all attached, after all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Jerks. I had one of my employees almost kidnapped by Wold Bank Pres. this year, so I think they are all thugs. The World Bank Manager who almost kidnapped my home schooled employee was visiting the Pres of Shri Lanka Wold Bank. Super Creep.He pretended my employee was not who she she really was when she was visiting his dd. Um... that still makes you a thug. I'm sorry. This is the third iteration of World Bank people in this house. But not the first jerks... Part of me wants to be like, you know, this is better than when we moved in. When we moved in 16 years ago, the house was owned by a drug dealer. But another part of me is like, but the drug dealer was polite! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Pop ups, giving the middle finger to taste and scale: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html?utm_term=.2fe6b2cff17f I doubt it'll be like that. The vast majority of them are a single story. It looks like it'll be brick and they're maintaining the cupola (the little cone roof). It won't be like one a few blocks away that looks like someone slapped a vinyl sided shed on top of an historic rowhouse. Not that these people have any care for any of the historic features of the home. They ripped out all the hardwood floors and all the moulding tore it to pieces. . ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Well it's rude to just start doing it with no heads up. When we lived in a duplex I let my neighbors know when I was going to be hammering in a bunch of nails and tacks for a gallery wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'm sorry. That sucks. The middle finger to taste and scale did make me laugh though........ :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Jerky neighbors are the worst. The family on one side of us causes all kinds of angst and problems. So I get it. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 UGH. I have a noisy, AH neighbor across the street also, but he's not this bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Pop ups, giving the middle finger to taste and scale: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html?utm_term=.2fe6b2cff17f I doubt it'll be like that. The vast majority of them are a single story. It looks like it'll be brick and they're maintaining the cupola (the little cone roof). It won't be like one a few blocks away that looks like someone slapped a vinyl sided shed on top of an historic rowhouse. Not that these people have any care for any of the historic features of the home. They ripped out all the hardwood floors and all the moulding tore it to pieces. They do have to get neighbors' permission to build if they do it legally - they have to get a percentage of the block to sign off. They never asked us. Dh and I had an argument about them. He was like, they always seem nice. By the end, he was like, yes, Farrar, you're so right, Farrar, they're terrible, Farrar. And then I was like, you're just agreeing because you're scared of me now! Poor dh. I often don't tell people we're having work done when it's short term. I mean, it took a day to do our roof. So, who cares. But this summer we have to have the entire back repointed and it'll be noisy and messy (and, oh, so expensive) and I'm definitely going to warn the neighbors on that side. Because that's polite. It'll take a week or so and be loud. The houses are all attached, after all. I'd be sick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'd be sick. The historic preservation laws here mostly protect the exterior of buildings, not the interior. Alas. But also, these old houses are a dime a dozen here. Or, well, several million dollars a dozen, but you get the drift. There are thousands of them. People don't get fussed about protecting them. I love our old moulding and doors and knobs and so forth... but they've also seen better days. I get why some people just want to rip it out and start over. Still, it would have been nice if they could have saved it. In raising the cupola, they destroyed the exterior moulding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Ouch. A pop-up next door would be irritating enough, without the inconsiderate building noises and debris with no notice, and the inevitable parking problems while there's work going on. Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Oh, and I do wish people would get fussed about preserving those houses. That's the character of the city, right there. Grrrrrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 The historic preservation laws here mostly protect the exterior of buildings, not the interior. Alas. But also, these old houses are a dime a dozen here. Or, well, several million dollars a dozen, but you get the drift. There are thousands of them. People don't get fussed about protecting them. I love our old moulding and doors and knobs and so forth... but they've also seen better days. I get why some people just want to rip it out and start over. Still, it would have been nice if they could have saved it. In raising the cupola, they destroyed the exterior moulding. We have a similar situation - I suspect our housing stock is quite similar to you. I'd be less likely to get upset if most redone places were done well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Tell them to get off your lawn or give you the dec page of their liability and workers comp insurance showing that any injuries occurring on your property are covered by them as well. That should get them off pretty quickly. The noise would drive me mad. If I wouldn't actually be living in the middle of the woods, I would like to live in the middle of the woods. No people noises. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Pop ups, giving the middle finger to taste and scale: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08/12/aadf3dba-0363-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html?utm_term=.2fe6b2cff17f That should be illegal. No, it should be criminal. :ack2: I'm sorry. Bad neighbors suck. Bad neighbors in a jam-packed neighborhood suck even worse. Then again, I'm borderline annoyed by the basement refinishing going on next door -- over two acres away! (Let's just say I couldn't live in the city. But my sister's DC rowhouse is ADORABLE!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Tell them to get off your lawn or give you the dec page of their liability and workers comp insurance showing that any injuries occurring on your property are covered by them as well. That should get them off pretty quickly. The noise would drive me mad. If I wouldn't actually be living in the middle of the woods, I would like to live in the middle of the woods. No people noises. Sometimes with row houses it's not really possible to stay off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I find myself wondering if they hand select neighbors they know wouldn't object to reach a number of okays to make that percentage. They should be required to get a reply from ALL the neighbors in a certain radius to determine a true percentage. Also, seems like the permit office should conduct these surveys so the ones remodeling can't falsify anything. All that to say, I'd be disappointed like you are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 My final straw was realizing that they're doing a pop up. I freaking hate pop ups. It looks like theirs is going to be not hideous as pop ups go, but it's still a pop up. And it means they're not just repairing their cupola like I originally assumed. They're cranking the whole cupola up a story to do the pop up. Which means this will go on for MONTHS. I'm surprised such a dense city doesn't have a neighbor notification system. We also live in an urban area with homes close together and we would have received an official notification from the city once the permit was filed so we could give feedback and know what was coming. Are you sure they have permits for this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Sometimes with row houses it's not really possible to stay off. It's really not. I need to be able to get to their yard occasionally as well. It's nigh on impossible to avoid, which is why that's not really my complaint. More that they didn't warn us. I mean, this is obviously an extremely long term project. And they'll need to be in our yard pretty often. Sigh. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 I find myself wondering if they hand select neighbors they know wouldn't object to reach a number of okays to make that percentage. They should be required to get a reply from ALL the neighbors in a certain radius to determine a true percentage. Also, seems like the permit office should conduct these surveys so the ones remodeling can't falsify anything. All that to say, I'd be disappointed like you are. I think it's something like 40% of the total (I may be misremembering that). I'm guessing they asked strategically, but once they had the right number of the total, they stopped because the rest of our answers were superfluous. And it's only for some things. It's very weird. I should research it, I guess. Except... I'm surprised such a dense city doesn't have a neighbor notification system. We also live in an urban area with homes close together and we would have received an official notification from the city once the permit was filed so we could give feedback and know what was coming. Are you sure they have permits for this? They have the permit clearly posted on the window. :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 They have the permit clearly posted on the window. :( I'm sorry. :grouphug: I still can't believe your city would rely on a certain percentage. Our city notifies everyone within a certain number of feet and holds an in-person hearing once/month for permits above a certain threshold of work, and you can send a letter to be read if you can't make the meeting. The threshold is fairly high and only involves exteriors and changing historic features or fences, but your neighbor's project would have certainly met it. People around here grumble about the bureaucracy but I think everyone should at least have a chance for feedback, even if they're overruled. In your case, I think even if our city approved your neighbor's project it would have put restrictions on hours and a tighter time limit on how long they had to complete it, such based on your feedback of your DH working nights. And frankly I think it sucks that they didn't come over to notify you in person, apologize in advance for the noise, and bring a giant gift basket or gift certificate, along with some noise canceling headphones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 (edited) These rules apply to our 'hood: http://dc.curbed.com/2015/3/31/9975222/what-you-should-know-about-dcs-new-rules-for-popups I think maybe if it's under 35 ft, then they don't need permission at all other than the basic permits. A friend went through this on her block - her neighbors are building a massive pop up. But I think it must exceed the limits. If they needed to be passive aggressive about it or whatever, they could have just stuck a note in our slot. We had a note from neighbors several doors down once. Sorry about the construction. This is the timetable. Let us know if you have a problem! Really, that was all it took to make me less annoyed about the alley being blocked by them. I'm a little scared to get too confrontational with them. Our yard is not a paragon of beauty. And we homeschool, obviously. I feel like the last thing I need from these folks is for them to start calling in to complain when we don't shovel our walk right away or mow our grass exactly on time or when our kids are outside in the middle of the day playing some weird game with PVC pipes and sawing them and making the yard even more of a mess (that was today, for the record). ETA: Also potentially annoying neighbor behavior on our part... Last year my kids realized that their Echo was in their window - the window that faces our stoop - so it was basically a foot away from our front door. And unbeknownst to me, they spent several weeks asking it questions every time they left their window open. Edited April 13, 2017 by Farrar 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 (edited) ETA: Also potentially annoying neighbor behavior on our part... Last year my kids realized that their Echo was in their window - the window that faces our stoop - so it was basically a foot away from our front door. And unbeknownst to me, they spent several weeks asking it questions every time they left their window open. I think that's kind of funny since it wasn't my kids. At least they weren't placing orders, right? Edited April 13, 2017 by Rach 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 That pop up thing is hideous. I can't believe that is legal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 I think that's kind of funny since it wasn't my kids. At least they weren't placing orders, right? They say they were not. But yeah. Definitely funny... but not when I realized it and was like, you've been doing what?!?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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