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Mike Schulz
05-22-2007, 04:33 AM
A friend sent this to me. Thought you all would get a chuckle.:)

This is a true story, it happened in Utah and was on the news! I thought each of you could use a little comic relief today. Here's the story. A city councilman, Mark Easton, lives in this neighborhood. He had a beautiful view of the east mountains, until a new neighbor purchased the lot below his house and built.
Apparently, the new home was 18 inches higher than the ordinances would allow, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the city to make sure they enforced the lower roof line ordinance. Mark and his new neighbour had some great arguments about this as you can imagine - not great feelings.
The new neighbour had to drop the roof line - no doubt at great expense. Recently, Mark Easton called the city and informed them that his new neighbor had installed some vents on the side of his home. Mark didn't like the look of these vents and asked the city to investigate. When they went to Mark's home to see the vent view, this is what they found...

Richard Rushing
05-27-2007, 02:11 AM
That's really a good picture (in the middle) of a whipped-puppy. :)

I think I could be good friends with the gesturing (unnamed) neighbor.

Rich

Thom Walker
05-27-2007, 08:53 AM
And once again, some individual picks up the bill where the municipality didn't do its job. That height error should have been picked up long before the first materials ever hit the site.

The finger is funny, but by the time this is over I'm not too sure about how much the laugh may cost. The only winners in this one are gonna be the lawyers.

Can you imagine being the builder of a house that has pissed of a councilman and the CO hasn't been issued yet?

Scott Patterson
05-27-2007, 09:06 AM
Artistic freedom!

This has been around for a couple of years, does anyone know the final outcome?

Jerry Peck
05-27-2007, 01:15 PM
What the lower owner should have done when he had to 'reconfigure hie roof' because of that height limitation was to have hit the height limit EXACTLY, and then build a flat roof across the entire width of his property (to the extent he could).

Then is picky neighbor above would have NO VIEW ... except one huge, high, flat roof.

Thom Walker
05-27-2007, 02:43 PM
Fortunately, it appears that all parties acted more maturely.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Middle Finger Cactus Vent Cover (http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/ventcover.asp)

Jerry Peck
05-27-2007, 05:13 PM
Thom,

Nah, I like the large flat roof idea - makes sense.

Either that or, along with the apology, pay me the $25k you cost me.

Maybe that's just me, but it is *fair* and "fair is fair" is what they say. :D

Thom Walker
05-27-2007, 08:45 PM
100% agree. Almost. The person responsible who didn't recognize that the roof was too high before the house was started should pay.

As you told me in another link, I can't pick and choose which rules to follow.:D

Jerry Peck
05-27-2007, 09:01 PM
Here's his view with my flat roof. :D

Thom Walker
05-27-2007, 09:37 PM
If only he could have used his mind for good instead of evil.

Jerry Peck
05-28-2007, 06:28 AM
If only he could have used his mind for good instead of evil.

Or go for the good, with a sense of humor and sometimes an evil twist, which is necessary to counteract the evil intentions of others and turn those evil intentions into humor. :p

Besides, :D

Define "evil" and 'evil twist'. :cool: :eek: :p

richard karl
06-19-2011, 11:49 AM
That's funny! but the truth is that the county or town enacted the height limitation as a way to maintain the beauty for all to see. Not only does it guarantee everyone keeps as much of their view as possible, but it goes a long way to preserving property values.
Granted, the roof was not as bad as all that, but an ordinanvce is an ordinance and I am quite surprised at some of the pro-finger guys’ postings on this.
So the new neighbor was, to the councilman and most likely the other neighbors, the new neighbor from Hell. Anyone who would put up that clever but supremely hostile abomination for the poor guy to have to look at every day, abd for him to have to explain to his kids and to his visiting family or friends could be a sociopath. (in my humble opinion)

But he is not alone, there are plenty of sociopaths to go around unfortunately.

I once bought a nice little two story house on a slope with decks on both floors. My home was bought within one minute of walking into it the first time with the realtor. It had an incredible view of the harbor, the coastline stretching away to the horizon, and the mountains in the other half of the panorama and the activities (sailboat races and other craft and beauty of the harbor smack in the middle of the view. I asked the realtor what happens to the view of the harbor if someone buys the two story flat roofed duplex immediately below my house and decides to add something to the top floor – like a gazebo, or god forbid, a third floor. His reply- "Richard I guarantee no one will do that." He immediately backed down when I said "Good, then put it in the contract for my purchase!"

So two years later I bought the duplex myself and put the world's most ironclad bulletproof deed height restriction on it that was to remain in effect until it was purchased twice. It prohiibited even sunbathing, or even casual use to look at the view or any form of use or storage other than necessary maintenance and allowed one chimney in only one place and with a maximum allowable height. My wife and I enjoyed that view for ten years and then her attention was caught by a co-worker and her view was for him only, and we divorced. During the divorce she spent a lot of money trying to bust that deed restriction. Of course the reason was that she got the duplex in the settlement!

In the divorce the appraisals both valued the view from my house at fully one third of the value of the house.

I would want the councilmember for a neighbor any day over the clever comedian. And I am not particulary fond of politicians.

Jerry Peck
06-19-2011, 06:00 PM
Granted, the roof was not as bad as all that, but an ordinanvce is an ordinance ...

And that is why variances were created.

My position is that if the guy in the higher lot wanted to guarantee his view would remain there, he should have bought the lower lot in front of him. No deed restrictions needed, a minor replat would combine bot lots into one lot - presto ... no one can build there ... EVER.

I run into similar situations fairly regularly, and while I have some sympathy for the party who's view is now blocked ... they did have the option to purchase the lot and save their view.

We almost bought a house in Maggie Valley, North Carolina 5 years ago, and had the same condition, so we were going to buy the lower lot too ... instead we moved to Ormond Beach, but that is how you preserve your view if you really want your view preserved.

champainspectionnews
06-20-2011, 11:15 AM
And that is why variances were created.

My position is that if the guy in the higher lot wanted to guarantee his view would remain there, he should have bought the lower lot in front of him. No deed restrictions needed, a minor replat would combine bot lots into one lot - presto ... no one can build there ... EVER.



Amen to that! I doubt the guy went through so much hassle for 18 inches, it seems he wanted nothing there at all.

I mean 18 inches c'mon. Live and let live; they new guys probably didn't even know he was a little over the limit (it's not like he tried to stack an extra floor in there).

britney harstine
09-14-2011, 05:01 PM
This story just made my day better thank you LOL

Jim Hintz
09-16-2011, 07:38 AM
That's really a good picture (in the middle) of a whipped-puppy. :)

I think I could be good friends with the gesturing (unnamed) neighbor.

Rich Me too !!

Ted Menelly
09-16-2011, 07:55 AM
You know, I never read the part about the total of 25,000.00 of extra cost that came with the ass of a neighbor complaining and getting him to do a soil test even thought there was one done and the final landscaping actually bringing the height from ground down but having to do the extra changes anyway along with the serious delays in construction time.

Not sure how a nice guy like me would have allowed such a fine neighbor to live in piece for the rest of his life. Call in the lawn care guys at 8 am for the rest of time until ordered to stop , dry fish in the back yard for a year..... hmm not quite sure how that neighbor would eventually pay back that 25000 and lost time. Certainly not with a mature friendly smile, a hand shake and an apology. My time, my life and my money are certainly worth a whole lot more than that. I think I would be thinking about some new art work.

Anyway. Everything I read said the city was the responsible party in all of this along with a wining ass neighbor who first tried to halt construction with hill side safety issues and then serious restructuring and serious cost of money and time to the new neighbor so he could get his spoiled ass way in life. He must be a corporate head or lawyer.

Jim Hintz
09-16-2011, 08:22 PM
You know, I never read the part about the total of 25,000.00 of extra cost that came with the ass of a neighbor complaining and getting him to do a soil test even thought there was one done and the final landscaping actually bringing the height from ground down but having to do the extra changes anyway along with the serious delays in construction time.

Not sure how a nice guy like me would have allowed such a fine neighbor to live in piece for the rest of his life. Call in the lawn care guys at 8 am for the rest of time until ordered to stop , dry fish in the back yard for a year..... hmm not quite sure how that neighbor would eventually pay back that 25000 and lost time. Certainly not with a mature friendly smile, a hand shake and an apology. My time, my life and my money are certainly worth a whole lot more than that. I think I would be thinking about some new art work.

Anyway. Everything I read said the city was the responsible party in all of this along with a wining ass neighbor who first tried to halt construction with hill side safety issues and then serious restructuring and serious cost of money and time to the new neighbor so he could get his spoiled ass way in life. He must be a corporate head or lawyer. Probably has soft, milky-white hands and has never busted a sweat a day in his bubble-boy life! I'd probably have to put some Limburger Cheese on his Catalytic Converter and shove a raw potato up his exhaust pipe for starters :eek:

aefieldinspectors
07-25-2012, 11:31 PM
Interesting and funny.....:)