I don't think you can change your neighbours. I would guess that most people would regard your position to be intolerant even though I understand why you feel the way you do.
You can get comfortable ear-plugs at a pharmacy, or get fitted ones if you want to spend the money. Alternately there are noise-cancelling headphones that work very well.
Good-luck
I sympathize, tm, loud kids can be a real pain. When we lived in our little bungalow, the neighbors put up a trampoline, and we had preteens shrieking and bouncing up and down over the height of the fence.
I got over it, though. They were mostly good kids, and the two older girls became the best babysitters we ever had. And at least the parents were giving them something to do that was active and outdoors, rather than having them slouch around over video games all summer -- and something that would entice them to stay home where they could keep an eye on their offspring.
Unless there's some by-law the neighbors are breaking, there's not much you can do, other than to ask them politely to keep the noise down. Here, we have no time of day constraints on excessive noise, you can lay a complaint any time. But the complaint has to be reasonable.
I don't think getting a pool necessarily means you're a rotten parent set to ignore your kids -- more likely, with a pool, you're going to be that much more vigilant. And it's active. We keep hearing all the time how kids need to be more active.
Where we live now, there is a daycare next door, so there is lots of kid noise during my working hours (I work out of an office on the top floor). When they go home, there is wailing folkie guy two doors down -- loves his guitar, but can't carry a tune in a bucket. And then there are our immediate neighbors, the Stinkums, who trigger my allergies with their ciggies and their massive doses of fabric softener and the gas-powered mower they use on their postage-stamp-sized lawn -- they're irritated with the noise from the fan we turn on when they come out for a smoke break on the other side of our fence.
Let's face it, people are annoying, and living in a city means living around other people.
quote:
I don't think you can change your neighbours.
Invite me over for nude sunbathing.
They'll be changed.
Yes but will it be for the better?
quote:
Originally posted by Frustrated Mess:
[b]For the best, I guess. Should we meet, you and I would likely end up in some short-lived, torrid, love affair.[/b]
Ohhh...well, at least we can content ourselves with what might have been. [img]wink.gif" border="0[/img]
quote:
[b]That's sort of a harsh conclusion. Have you seen these things? They build them for tiny tots. I've seen them as young as at least six.[/b]
No, I do not think so, there might be some parents who do so and they have long built teeny motorbikes, I started riding when I was about 6 too, most farm families I knew had them for the kids.
quote:
[b]What kind of a parent sets their children loose in these things that move at high rates of speed and, for the bigger kids, travel on legal roadways to get to the bush which is riddled with objects with which to collide.[/b]
That is a large question, and perhaps not with the answer you suggest.
quote:
[b]I mean, if a parent is buying the kids one of these, filling it with gas, and then walking inside to watch Seinfeld reruns, well ...[/b]
You watch other parents that closely? [img]eek.gif" border="0[/img]
Sure you have to be laid back and tolerant of people but not if they are being inconsiderate. I would be curious why the neighbors placed the pool where they did - if it's that close to tm's property I see no problem with asking them to move the damn thing.
Sure I can play music on my property but there's a problem if I have the speakers right on the property line and they don't need to be there.
I'm reading this thread with more than a bit of guilt. We have three boys aged 12, 10 and 8, and when the Quebec City Air Show was sending fighter jets at low altitudes over our house, the contest of 'Which is louder?' was closely-fought. Our neighbours are all retired or close to it.
We certainly don't let them carry on at top volume after supper. But I like to think that if they were bothering them, they'd talk to us.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
[b]I'm still checking on our pool ordinances here but I'm pretty sure that BBQ'ing on a balcony in an apartment building is against most fire codes. One call to the fire department and the red trucks should be along to take care of that problem, permanently.[/b]
If they are BBQing with proprane, it should be against most all fire codes, can't carry propane bottles through the building, however BBQing with charcoal is not. And if you have a ground floor separate entrance there is no codes against propane bottles, here in BC at least, I believe.
quote:
Originally posted by Timebandit:
[b]Let's face it, people are annoying, and living in a city means living around other people.[/b]
You know I've lived in lots of places, in big cities, towns and in the country, and had many noisy neighbours, from a failed opera singer next door in south Etobicoke (on our 20 foot lots) to gravel trucks, hunting season and a shift horn in Cornwall (downwind from the mill I might add). I can usually deal. However, the only noise I have ever experienced that is comparable to these backyard children is when I lived on frat row in the Annex in Toronto, and that was why I moved away. Wasn't expecting that here.
Actually, never mind. I see oldgoat handled it.
[ 30 June 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]
In Guelph,
quote:
2. Can I barbecue on my balcony using my electric barbecue?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The City of Guelph uses the "Open Air Burning" regulation in the Ontario Fire Code and the City of Guelph Fire Prevention By-law No.12716 (1988) to control a potentially dangerous condition. The Ontario Fire Code Article 2.6.3.4. states," Open air burning shall not be permitted unless approved, or unless such burning consists of a small confined fire, supervised at all times, and used to cook food on a grill or barbecue." The term 'approved' means approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) which is the local fire department.The City of Guelph By-law adds, "Notwithstanding subsection 2.6.3.4. of the Ontario Fire Code, no person shall light, ignite or start, or permit to be lighted, ignited or started, a fire in a grill or barbecue for the purpose of cooking food on a balcony of any building containing two (2) or more dwelling units. "Barbecue includes any metal frame for cooking over heat or flame, whether such heat or flame is produced by gas, electricity, wood or otherwise."
Fines that are issued for City of Guelph By-law infractions can be as high as two thousand dollars ($2,000.00). Barbecues must be a minimum of ten (10) feet from combustible material such as wooden fences, wooden decks, trees and bushes, an open or closed window and an exit door.
[url=http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?itemid=46360&smocid=1490]http://guelph.ca/li... (too bad, the pool bylaws don't seem to be that clear cut -- I have to contact property standards)
Charcoal has to be an even bigger problem than gas from the point of view of producing a high level of carbon monoxide in a relatively confined space, or venting to an interior space. This is a definite health issue, potentially even lethal, but even the nuisance factor alone has to be something that the fire department could consider. I've also been on some balconies that get pretty darn gusty -- could it be possible that a burning briquette, or a chunk of one, might go flying off somewhere? What about the bbq itself if it's not tied down?
quote:
Originally posted by Scout:
[b]Are you still here? I don't really think my sacrasm was a shit storm brewing, but you sure hauled ass in here to defend him anyway. [img]rolleyes.gif" border="0[/img]
Apples didn't provide the context you did but that's not where the glaring sexism was in the post. Thanks anway. The sexism is using a story to suggest that she is just upset at the noise because she is a she and that we "girls" just seem to be sensitive to noise based on an anecdotal story from childhood. Also relating a grown woman to little girls smacks of sexism too. Is that clear enough for you?[/b]
That's extremely contrived.
And in any case, innacurate.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar (that needs to be said a lot on babble).
Your hallucinations are comical. You have no idea about me other than some demon you've dreamt up inside your head.
[ 30 June 2008: Message edited by: 500_Apples ]
quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
[b]Actually, never mind. I see oldgoat handled it.[/b]
Please do check again now!
quote:
Originally posted by Infosaturated:
[b]You can get comfortable ear-plugs at a pharmacy, or get fitted ones if you want to spend the money. Alternately there are noise-cancelling headphones that work very well.[/b]
I do have noise-cancelling headphones and strangely, they don't particularly work on voices. I would totally wear earplugs or crank my own (headphone) tunes except with all the water-amplified screaming literally 30 feet from my head, those don't really work either. Anyway, I work opposite shifts from my husband so the only time I'm usually home is when I'm looking after my own little kids, and that would mean ignoring my kids to a degree that is probably illegal or at least, not beneficial to them.
The only thing I have found that works to a comfortable degree is to have all windows closed on that side of the house, which means having the a/c on and all windows closed. So so far, that's what I do.
I am aware that I am judged as intolerant for objecting to this.
I judgeth not lest I be judged!
Actually, not everyone has the same mechanisms for filtering out and generally dealing with ambient noise. What may not bother one person at all, or even reach a threshold of noticing may be like a jackhammer in someone elses head.
I think this might be the 'humbug' thread of the summer. Kids make noise, it's part of what they do. They also build ramps, do unsafe things on wooden boards with wheels, play hockey on a patch of frozen street, throw, kick, or otherwise project objects dangerously close to windows, and more importantly, leave burning bags of shit on the intolerant neighbour's porch.
I get it.
90% of the time I can tolerate neighbourhood noise, but what gets me is power tools.
About an hour ago I was ready to scream, as someone had an electic lawn mover going. I stormed to the back of the house to close all the windows, only to see my neighbour mowing my little patch of lawn! opps [img]tongue.gif" border="0[/img]
When we move in the neighbours has just set up a trampoline and the kids screamed all summer long, I was able to tune it out.
I think we all have a tolerance for varying sounds for some it's kids, others motorized stuff etc.
We're pretty open back here so BBQ smell just makes each of us hungry - it's a row of town houses with a right of way behind.
I do think it is unreasonable for someone to put a pool next to a property line.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
[b]...and a shift horn in Cornwall... (downwind from the mill I might add).[/b]
Ah yes Cornwall, I used to have a job that took me there weekly in the early nineties. Never went there on an empty stomach as the queasiness combined with that popourri of bleach and ammonia from the mill would gaurantee dry heaves.
How about this for outside noise; I moved to Kentville here in Nova Scotia two years ago and I'm just up the street from the local fire station.
When a fire call goes out they sound an air raid siren, yes an air raid siren a la WWII, for about 90 seconds. This can occur anytime from about 7am to about 10pm. Sometimes it goes off several times a day. All year round. But! the rent is good and I have come to like this little town so I put up with it.
Perhaps you should use fm's tactic and put a pair of large speakers outside and blast red hot chili peppers, or, even better, Death Metal. Or wait until night and throw a bunch of Oh Henry bars into the pool, might gross em out for a little while.
It's funny. I work with all kinds of heavy equipment and it dosn't faze me. But I can't stand ambient light at night. (I think it must be my inner-vampire)
tm have you mentioned this to them. I might have missed it, but is it possible they are just too self-centred to realize and if was mentioned they might change. Might not I know, but I have always found most, and I stress only most, people are just so oblivious that they don't think of these things beyond their own nose.
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
[b]Perhaps you should use fm's tactic and put a pair of large speakers outside and blast red hot chili peppers, or, even better, Death Metal.
Too risky -- people may get ideas and there's a HUGE country scene here.
Anyway, there is a bylaw prohibiting that, quite sensibly. Actually I think I violate it even by playing the piano with the windows open... but no one has complained.......
quote:
Or wait until night and throw a bunch of Oh Henry bars into the pool, might gross em out for a little while.[/b]
[img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
[img]cool.gif" border="0[/img]
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
[b]Ah yes Cornwall, I used to have a job that took me there weekly in the early nineties. Never went there on an empty stomach as the queasiness combined with that popourri of bleach and ammonia from the mill would gaurantee dry heaves.
How about this for outside noise; I moved to Kentville here in Nova Scotia two years ago and I'm just up the street from the local fire station.
When a fire call goes out they sound an air raid siren, yes an air raid siren a la WWII, for about 90 seconds. This can occur anytime from about 7am to about 10pm. Sometimes it goes off several times a day. All year round. But! the rent is good and I have come to like this little town so I put up with it.
Perhaps you should use fm's tactic and put a pair of large speakers outside and blast red hot chili peppers, or, even better, Death Metal. Or wait until night and throw a bunch of Oh Henry bars into the pool, might gross em out for a little while.[/b]
Owen Sound has the Kennedy Whistle - left over from a foundry, sounds at 9 am, noon and 5 pm, I love it, others hate it.
In the summer whatever boats are in the harbour 'answer' the whistle, kinda cool, but then I'm 6 blocks from the museum where it's located
quote:
That's extremely contrived.
And in any case, innacurate.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar (that needs to be said a lot on babble).Your hallucinations are comical. You have no idea about me other than some demon you've dreamt up inside your head.
Not really surprising coming from you really. Preserved because you would edit this to save your ass.
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
Or wait until night and throw a bunch of Oh Henry bars into the pool, might gross em out for a little while.
Folks here can be downright diabolical! [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
[b]I do have noise-cancelling headphones and strangely, they don't particularly work on voices. I would totally wear earplugs or crank my own (headphone) tunes except with all the water-amplified screaming literally 30 feet from my head, those don't really work either. Anyway, I work opposite shifts from my husband so the only time I'm usually home is when I'm looking after my own little kids, and that would mean ignoring my kids to a degree that is probably illegal or at least, not beneficial to them.
The only thing I have found that works to a comfortable degree is to have all windows closed on that side of the house, which means having the a/c on and all windows closed. So so far, that's what I do.
I am aware that I am judged as intolerant for objecting to this.[/b]
What a huge drag that must be for you. I can kind-of relate because my skin is hyper-sensitive to various textures but it's easily managable because it's not affected by other people.
quote:
Originally posted by Scout:
[b]Not really surprising coming from you really. Preserved because you would edit this to save your ass.[/b]
More hallucinations and false accusations on your part. Here's a hint: I had an hour to remove it if I wanted.
Btw, I for one am surprised, as I predicted a hallucination but not the one that took place. It occured to me after my post that you might describe the expression [i]sometimes a cigar is just a cigar[/i] as a "sexist" comment.
Triciamarie, why don't you just ask your neighbours if they could move their pool at least away from right beside your fence? That would seem to me to be the very first step, provided relations with them have not been damaged by any prior conflicts. Might be best to confront them when you are relaxed and in a reasonable mood, and NOT at the time you're actually angry about it.
Yes, the neighbours have a right to enjoy their back yard, but so do you. You shouldn't have to put up with that without any consideration from them.
If that fails, then yes, I would be checking with the city as to what's allowable re: location of the pool. And if that fails and you've made every reasonable effort to remedy the situation, and they're kind of being assholes, I would do the classical music thing. You don't have to pretend you're doing it for yourself, you're simply making a statement, which sometimes, is the only way people will understand. And hey, it works at 7-Eleven. [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img]
Failing all that, I like the wasps on the fence idea, if you can handle how they will perceive from then on. [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img]
Thread of the month for me. I don't think racism's made it's way yet, though I could bring up the gangsta rap comment. [img]wink.gif" border="0[/img] [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
I'm being honest, it made me think about pre-conceived notions. Thanks.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
Actually I think I violate it even by playing the piano with the windows open... but no one has complained.......
I love the piano, I play guitar but I've always loved the piano, such a beautiful sounding instrument, maybe you could upload a sample of your music somewhere yes?
This pool is huge and it took the guy like, two months to make a very flat place to put it on... I thought he was digging horseshoe pits! Ignorance was bliss, but now I pay the price.
I probably will approach the guy and ask if he can either move this thing, exclude or control the worst screamers, limit them to daytime hours or something, and/or let me install a sound barrier on HIS property. But just out of habit I want to get most of my ducks in a row first and figure out what kind of a legal leg I'm standing on.
Thanks for all the feedback you guys!
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
[b]maybe you could upload a sample of your music somewhere yes?[/b]
Would love to oblige but I don't have the first clue how to record music digitally or how/where to upload? It's really nothing special anyway, not my own music, others do the same stuff much better. Drop by if you're ever in the neighbourhood though and I'll give you the grand tour!
Well it's not too hard.I don't know what kind of music you play but I LOVE Elton John, so here is a possibility of what you could do:
I'm not putting in requests or anything, but I LOVE Elton John.
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
Or wait until night and throw a bunch of Oh Henry bars into the pool, might gross em out for a little while.
I just had an idea of what you could do with the offerings left behind by any %$^@ing dog owners who might walk their mutts in your area.
quote:
Originally posted by al-Qa'bong:
[b]I just had an idea of what you could do with the offerings left behind by any %$^@ing dog owners who might walk their mutts in your area.[/b]
You didn't do doggism. I'm going to lose it.
[img]wink.gif" border="0[/img]
quote:
Originally posted by remind:
[b]If they are BBQing with proprane, it should be against most all fire codes, can't carry propane bottles through the building, however BBQing with charcoal is not. And if you have a ground floor separate entrance there is no codes against propane bottles, here in BC at least, I believe.[/b]
My beef with the BBQ is a bit of thread drift, but as long as we're complaining about neighbours... In Toronto there is no bylaw preventing BBQs being used on apartment balconies (I'm on the 7th floor) - just a lot of little fire regulations that make it difficult to do. When I called to complin to the fire marshal (and my building manager did the same) we discovered that even propane BBQs are allowed, but I think they need to bring the propane up the stairwell instead of elevators. There are also rules about not putting BBQs near curtains. It's weird. I'm going to write to my city councillor to ask if he'll explore this more. It doesn't seem very safe to have cannisters of propane so close to high-density living areas above the ground floor. What saved me (in theory) was that if the lease prohibits BBQs the tenant simply can't have one. Our lease does say the building managers have final say and they said they couldn't have one. The tenants found out I was the one complaining about the BBQ smoke in my apartment (they put it right next to the partition on our shared balcony and my bed and bedroom are right on the other side). They decided to simply move it to the other side of the balcony and to keep on BBQing. The smoke isn't as bad now (for me anyway, it's gotta suck for the neighbour on the other side), but this combined with yelling loud profanities out onto the street some nights and being generally loud at off hours has convinced me that moving is the best choice.
Since TM has a house and it's much more difficult, it's a much better idea to see what can be done. But I'd seriously try killing them with kindness before retaliating or bringing the law in.
quote:
The smoke isn't as bad now (for me anyway, it's gotta suck for the neighbour on the other side), but this combined with yelling loud profanities out onto the street some nights and being generally loud at off hours has convinced me that moving is the best choice.
Wow, I couldn't fathom being pushed out of my home. Unless the general area and everything else sucked. But if you moved cuz of these one group of people well that sucks.
But that is a good story cuz ultimately it is what this thread is about.
How many people actually move to eradicate themselves from obnoxiuous neighbors. I have never faced such a thing and would like to believe I would somehow emerge victorious from such a dispute, but I know that unless a law is being broken I would not have a leg to stand on, so what could I do, short of assasination, that is.
It's certainly "not fair", but what about a landlord? Wouldn't a complaint be taken seriously, especially if it is followed with a move notice?
Am I wrong in assuming people are afraid of conflict? And would rather move than face the aggressors?
In any of these cases has anyone actually approached the people involved and said "Yo, cut that shit out?"
Hard to believe timidity would make someone pack boxes and move.
quote:
Originally posted by Maritimesea:
[b]Am I wrong in assuming people are afraid of conflict? And would rather move than face the aggressors?[/b]
Well I litigate for a living so, no, I would say I'm not that afraid of conflict. However disputes between neighbours are one of the main reasons why people do end up moving, and direct confrontation just feels like good way to potentially escalate antagonism to an unmanageable level.
If someone is so discourteous as to persist in obnoxious behaviour that they already know or reasonably ought to know to be highly bothersome to their neighbours, all other things being equal, it would be my guess that there is little likelihood of any significant overall improvement. So why would you expose yourself to the risk? And if you don't think that retaliation would happen, take a boo at Viigan's post above.
I'm not saying this is necessarily the situation I am dealing with, in part because my neighbour and I are both homeowners, and I think I have some remedies in my back pocket (statutory, and possibly at common law too). But I certainly can't blame Will S for deciding it's not worth his while to get involved -- especially with a shared balcony and some obviously anti-social joint occupants. I have made that same decision myself in the past rather than face down the Annex frats, and come to think of it, I have also moved out of shared housing instead of initiating a confrontation that I wagered I would never win.
As for the landlord intervening, with about a 3% rental vacancy rate in Toronto and the ability to bump up the rent when the tenant changes, I'm guessing there would usually have to be some arm-twisting to get them involved; like, for one thing, I wouldn't be surprised if their insurance rate would be detrimentally affected were it known that they are allowing propane bbq's in the building.
But again, Will S's neighbours don't sound the most civilized so even if the bbq battle is won, other issues will undoubtedly persist or escalate. The neighbours will feel aggrieved, dig in their heels and try to get him to leave. Who needs it?
[ 01 July 2008: Message edited by: triciamarie ]
quote:
Originally posted by al-Qa'bong:
[b]I just had an idea of what you could do with the offerings left behind by any %$^@ing dog owners who might walk their mutts in your area.[/b]
If the pool owner ever discovered that you did something like this, there could be an escalation, and eventually the police could lay charges against everyone. It's fun to speculate on how to get revenge for noise and other discomforts, but go the legal route - doing nasty things is asking for trouble.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:If someone is so discourteous as to persist in obnoxious behaviour that they already know or reasonably [i]ought to know[/i] to be highly bothersome to their neighbours, all other things being equal, it would be my guess that there is little likelihood of any significant overall improvement.
I'm not sure if you're talking about Will's or your own situation, but in my experience there is no "reasonably [i]ought[/i] to know". At least, you can't assume that about anyone. You would think, because you're an intelligent person, that others would think like you and immediately understand that something they're doing is affecting you. Not so. Or if they do have an inkling, they have a number of justfications built around it that for the time being overshadow your needs in the situation.
It's my belief that, no matter how obnoxious, most people don't do things specifically to bother other people. They do them for numerous of their own selfish and unselfish reasons, not because they want to aggravate you.
Speaking generally, (not just to TM's situation) assuming ahead of time that a confrontation will not go well - because what kind of people would persist in this behaviour in the first place - is not, imo, a useful approach. You may be setting yourself up for failure here. I think it's better to assume that people genuinely want harmonious relations with their neighbours, and most will be open to resolving minor grievances.
This is definitely the humbug thread of the summer.
My downstairs neighbour has been "getting back at me" for the last two months. He screams profanities at his ceiling as I get ready for work in the morning, plays music lodly and suddenly at 3 in the morning, and has started his own construction business in his living room. He's never talked to me about any problems he was having (it bothers him when I scrape my chair on the floor as I get up from my desk) - he just escalated straight to the landlord and to revenge.
I'd recommend talking to people to solve your differences. Not confrontation. Just talking.
Agreed. And when I say confrontation, that's what I mean. Approach, talking about it.
And speaking as someone who also lives between people, I know also that, if you're having a bad day/bad life anyway, any noises that your neighbours make can seem unnnatural and deliberate.
I know I can't understand why it is that every upstairs neighbour seems to carry around with them either a bag of Encyclopedia Brittanicas, or perhaps it's numerous bowling balls, sometimes with a large heavy chain attached, that they drop on the floor at random periods, sometimes scraping it across the floor from one corner of the room to another. I mean, what could possibly be creating that noise? But, of course, I probably sound exactly the same to my downstairs neighbours.
Sandpiper, why haven't you undertaken the prescribed pleasant conversation with your own neighbour yet? Could it be that you prejudged the outcome, and gave it a miss, perhaps based on legitimate assumptions arising out of your neighbour's behavior? Or, have you had the discussion, and it was not pleasant, and everything escalated from there?
Jas, I thought it was clear that I support Will S's assessment of his own situation and his decision to move out without further antagonizing his neighbours. I certainly hope to avoid moving myself, but based on this neighbour's behavior -- both the perpetual bonfire initially, his total noncommunication with me subsequently, and now the pool, its location and the screaming -- and in light of my own experience mediating return to work disputes, there is absolutely no advantage to entering into that kind of a discussion without first having some idea of what the law says.
My other preparation has been to ask other people for their opinion of what is reasonable in the circumstances. In addition to this thread, all three backyard pool owners I have spoken to told me that they have never let their kids act like that, and that they open their pool to all the neighbourhood kids and only once or twice a week -- directly supervised, with all neighbours invited -- out of concerns about good relations with their neighbours as well as their own liability if anyone were to drown.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
but based on this neighbour's behavior -- both the perpetual bonfire initially, his total noncommunication with me subsequently, and now the pool, its location and the screaming -- and in light of my own experience mediating return to work disputes, there is absolutely no advantage to entering into that kind of a discussion without first having some idea of what the law says.
Sorry, I didn't see anything in any of your posts that mentioned you had already talked to him about the problem. In fact, I don't think you did mention this. If you did, my mistake.
No, I haven't talked to him about this yet. I will, once I know where I stand.
So? Have you laid the smack down yet?
The biggest problem seems to be that they placed their pool so close to your property line, so the ultimate resolution would be for them to move it away. Barring that it would be hard to force children to "be quiet" while swimming.
This thread is not resolved until you tell us what happened.
Hey wow, this is like FlyLady!
I ordered a book off the internet re: neighbours / fences / noise, it shipped from the US a couple ago so should be here by about Monday. However then we're gone to the land of the jet ski and bass boat for a while -- luckily the lake we'll be at is so windy that it's not that loud on shore.
We are seriously considering moving though.
We? Oh Damn I thought you were a single laywer pianist girl.
Anyway, moving should not be an option. Did you talk to them yet? You're skipping over some parts. What happened when you confronted your neighbor, miss I'm not afraid of conflict cuz I'm a Lawyer. Did they agree to relocate the pool?
C'mon dish it up girl...
While I agree with the suggestion that you check with the bylaw enforcement people I don't think fencing etc. is going to make a lot of difference. I know that here we need a four foot unclimbable fence (the one we've actually installed is almost six feet) but it consists of vertical vinyl bars that are about 3.5 inches apart. It does absolutely nothing to block noise - of course it sits on the back of our lot which is surrounded by heavy hedges so there isn't huge amounts of noise overflow.
Unless it turns out that they literally are not allowed to have a pool (or it's got to be farther from the property line than it is so they've got to relocate it) I'd be very surprised if you have any option but to live with it. [img]frown.gif" border="0[/img]
[ 05 July 2008: Message edited by: abnormal ]
You could put up one of those spectacularly ugly noise barracades that you see on the highway - 20 feet tall, solid steel. Paint pretty pictures on your side of it. [img]biggrin.gif" border="0[/img]
Seriously though - this sucks, and I'm sorry to hear that your neighbours are such ignorant morons.
quote:
Originally posted by triciamarie:
[b]Sandpiper, why haven't you undertaken the prescribed pleasant conversation with your own neighbour yet? Could it be that you prejudged the outcome, and gave it a miss, perhaps based on legitimate assumptions arising out of your neighbour's behavior? Or, have you had the discussion, and it was not pleasant, and everything escalated from there?[/b]
I made my point clearly.
If he had a problem with any noise I was making, HE should have had a polite conversation with me years ago, instead of fuming for three years until he ended up screaming through the walls.
In my story, I am the family next to you, on the verge of getting sued, or being bombarded with loud music, or whatever other course of revenge might be taken. That poor family.
When my landlord spoke to me about my neighbour's problem after I asked if he should be hospitalized, or was off his meds, or might be dangerous, they asked that I let them handle the situation, and after speaking with my neighbour, explained what the screaming was all about.
But again, the point is to talk to someone at the beginning (when you first hear the chair scraping the wooden floor, or when the pool is being built close to you).
