Sunday, April 13, 2008

Defend the Line!

I got up early this morning and washed clothes, cleaned the bathroom, fed the birds, cleaned the bird bath and read the paper. Now I’m enjoying my coffee.
Weird Spring: Today it’s colder than a witch’s tit, but my daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and look spectacular.

You may remember the nasty neighbor I told you about . . the Gladys Kravits nosy parker. The block gossip. The one who crawls around (literally) on her lawn, picking the crabgrass, paints her walk three times each summer. The one who hated us sight-unseen because the old lady we bought the property from wouldn’t sell it to Frieda’s mother. Anyway. She had a company put up a fence between own properties.

She’d hate it if she knew that she actually saved us money, because we had planned on doing the same thing in two years. I noticed she had the company put the “face side” in toward her own property, and the unfinished side towards us. Having researched fencing ordinances in anticipation of our future project, I knew this was against code. In our area, the face side of a fence goes out to the public side.
I went over to her and politely (yes, politely) asked her if the fencing company was finished with the project. She said, “Yes” in that icy Frieda-tone. I told her that the face side should be out facing our property and she said, “I told them I wanted the nice side facing my property.”
Me: I’m sure, but ordinance says that it should face out toward the public side.
Frieda: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Me: The fence company should know the local ordinances, but you’re going to have them come back and redo the fence.
Frieda: Like hell!

A few days later I called the Zoning and Building Inspector and asked them to go and take a look at the fence, and last week the fencing company was back and faced the fence on our side.

BP said that now the fence encroaches about four inches onto our property. He wants to call again and she’ll probably have to take the whole fence down and redo it completely.
I don’t really care that it’s over, but BP says, “We have to defend the line! When we go to sell, it’ll be an issue.” I don’t know how this will play out.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

BP is right - take care of it now, in case you ever want to sell, you'll have enough stress then than having to deal with this also. -blu

Anonymous said...

I predict you're all going to end up on "60 Minutes"!

Jenny Robin said...

What kind of boundary existed between your properties before the fence?

Also, I guess I cannot think of how either side of a fence would be facing the public, unless it is the short parts that extend out from the house as seen from in front, in which case that wouldn't. Can you explain further or include a pic?

mavis sidebottom said...

O I can see naff watching you on judge judy as I typo

The Broards said...

Respighi,
The "public face" is the side of the fence facing OUT from the homeowner's land.

The existing boundary was basically a partial stone wall on our side, but also those tee-like things surveyors put down the mark property lines.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Sounds as though internecine warfare is about to start, much like Iraq. Emma, naturally, is on the Sunni side of the street.

Ded

Anonymous said...

emma,
the cemetery around my property has a fence that's in need of replacement and we're having issues becasue the old man who owned it is dead and now a foundation has taken over. no one is sure where the property line is because county records don't match up with reality. i just want them to replace the chain link with wood so the weeds no longer grow into my yard. good luck with your issue.

jilly

The Broards said...

I love that, Ded