Neighbors and Pool Installation (LONG)

[rbonin]

Neighbors - they come in all kinds.

Here's our pool/ neighbor story (I'll keep it brief):

We decided to build an inground pool in Feb. 2003. The kids were at an age where we hoped to keep them around the house during their teens! Anyway, before we got into it much at all, we approached the neighbors on each side of the house, both of whom we had good relationships with. On the side where all the pool construction equipment would traverse, the neighbor agreed immediately to cooperate (we promised to restore his yard and irrigation after construction). But the other neighbor, whose yard would not be impacted at all, really pushed back. They were childless (but young) and were concerned my kids would have wild pool parties. We shrugged our shoulders since we really did not need their permission.

We proceeded working with the builder and finally on June 3rd we got permits. Two days later we were served a summons - the "bad" neighbor was sueing us and obtained a restraining order! Something about "spoiling the parklike setting of our subdivision". The next 3 months were spent with our lawyer and in court, but in early September, the judge ruled in our favor. Unfortunately in August, the pool builder disappeared with our down payment (and several others too). It was all over the local news. So by this time we had spent $6,000 on legal fees and lost $15,000 in down payment.

The "bad" neighbor put his house up for sale 1 week after the ruling and was gone by November. Good riddence. Our lawyer hooked us up with a repudable pool builder and by Nov, we had a beautiful new pool all ready to close for the winter. We will be paying for it for the rest of our lives, but after what we went through, we were going to have a pool!

We now have a wonderful neighbor in the house that was sold, and I heard they the "bad" neighbors split up and moved to different cities. Sob sob. Moral of my story: watch out for your "bad" neighbor". Some people always have to be right, nothing will make them happy, and they will stop at nothing to get their way.

Good luck with your pool - it will be worth it in the end.

~Rick~

[Simmons99]

Update -

I am wondering now if they have more of a mental disease or just mental illness. We recieved a letter from them demanding $75. This was because our pool company drove over some pineapple plants they had planted just outside their property line (community property) and because the pool company used their hose a couple of weeks ago and the nozzle leaks now.

So instead of coming over and talking to us - they went out and bought really nice pots, potting soil, new pineapples, and a new nozzle and want us to pay for it. (BTW - the original plants were in the gournd). Also we are horrible neighbors because we are putting them through all this anxiety over the last few months (the project started 22 days ago) and we have completely ruined their yard. Now they have all these huge boulders in their yard and we should have had the pool installed when the house was built and now we are even more awful because we won't move our pool equipment to the other side of the yard.

Last night when I got home (it was dark) - we went outside to take pictures of their old pineapple plants. It was dark so the flash went off. These plants are right on the property line between our houses and the community property that surrounds the pond. So we walk back to our porch and they come flying out of the back of their house with a flashlight looking for "who was in the backyard". DH and I were laughing so hard I thought I was going to puke - can you believe these people - I think they are unstable.

Okay - NOTHING has been done since my last pictures, except the plumber came out on 7/9 and fixed a leak and fixed the grade a little - we had water pooling against the foundation. The yard looks the same (but with some weeds) as it did in the pictures previously posted.

I have attached the letter we left them today.

PS - we are getting boxer pup in a few weeks - hopefully they will have a nervous breakdown and move

OLD Pineapple Plants (7/17)


NEW Pineapple Plants (7/17)

[CarlD]

If they planted outside their property it now belongs to the owner of that land.

When we moved in, the previous owners had planted a lovely peach tree. When we went to fence the yard for the dog, the tree turned out to be on their property.

No issue, not our tree. Simple, no easement either.

Taking longer than it should? Well, that's usually a cause for SYMPATHY, not enmity--That's what I feel for the folks behind us--took 13 months from cutting down the trees between us (though we were assured by the builder that leaving the trees was required---HAH!) to swimming in their pool. Should have been done in 3, max. Now there's water running on to our yard. I've spoken gently to them and they've been OK with it. Turns out, their landscaper hit an aquafer and redirected it and left it running on their property--so THEY are ticked at their landscaper. So I can "be on their side" so it all smooths out--as long as they take care of it.

[Simmons99]

We WERE really trying to be good neighbors and anytime I start thinking about doing something out of spite - I think "would a good neighbor do that?" - it will keep me out of trouble

[Luvtlee]

Wow, that is really awful. That must be just horrible. I'm thankful that my neighbors on both sides aren't complaining about anything, even though the pool construction seems to be going on endlessly.

My sympathy goes out to you, I hope that no further problems arise with them.

[adillenal]

Not that it is an option for everyone, but I sure am glad I live out in the country even though I have to drive 11 miles to town. There are no neighbors to complain about anything we do.
Good luck with settling everything.

[tagprod]

I had to re-run an electrical line that went to a transformer on my neighbors side of the fence in his easement. We also had to dig up some bushes next to the transformer. I didn't legally need to compensate him for any of this, but I went out and bout some new bushes and re-planted for him. It seemed like the neighborly thing to do.

I'm not sure how young these "kids" are (30?) but I would be embarassed as a man to conduct myself like this or to allow my wife to act this way. If I have a problem or concern, I would have taken it to your husband and tried to work it out.