Am I a bad neighbor?

[Mosey]

Spence - It's hard to tell from that image, but it appears that your neighbor built his house very close to the edge of his property. I've seen that time and time again and have never been able to figure out why people do that. If I was going to build on vacant land I would build in the center of it so my house would be as far as possible from any building the neighbors might build.

 

[JTD]

Nice ariel photo with the graphics. What program are you using to add the graphics? Regarding neighbors when you make changes - some you'll please, others you won't. I'm fortunate in that my house, shop and barn will be totally out of view from the 15 or so neighbors that border our property. Some are happy with the changes (fencing the entire place). Others are unhappy with the elimination of "their" junkyards on my land and "their" all season hunting rights. Seems it's mostly the new neighbors who've only lived here 15 or less years that are unhappy. The responses offered by TBNers are good ones. Even if your neighbors are unhappy initially, good neighbors help each other to make the future better. I'm certain you'll make it work out.

 

[njrqs]

<font color=blue>I have seen cases were family or good friends build homes close to each other only to find at some point one has to leave or losses the property , this leaves a bitter neighbor </font color=blue>

That seems to be the situation I have had at the last place and this one. Last one in suburbia the neighbours were really good friends and one moved. The remaining one kept trying to tend my gardens and tell me what to do etc. Was annoyed when I wanted a fence for my dog and I planted gardens etc.

Hard to shake that one. So we moved !!

Now on acreage the street was very friendly and used to spend a bit of time at our place in the pool etc. Other owners had no kids and no business so had plenty of time.

We have kids and run our own business from home so don't have time for that. We had neighbours turn up within days of us arriving telling us of how nice the pool was and other stuff (hint hint)

Anyway, I hope they enjoyed the pool while it lasted cause they won't be in it anymore.

So I agree with those comments and have seen it first hand.

Mind you the cretan with the shed close to me wasn't in "the loop" and didn't like the previous owner so who knows..........

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I don't see any problem with your barn. Maybe they have pole barn-envy. They will get over it. Have they made comments or something indicating they are upset?

 

[BigDave]

Spence,

I'm not sure about the acreages in your picture, but it looks like your neighbors have a small piece of land. I will guess that by living in the woods, they really don't have an appreciation for the amount of land they have. People with open prairie type land tend to have fences and well defined boundaries. I think they got used to looking onto the woods with the false sense that it is theirs. Putting your barn in woods right beyond their clearing was probably a rude awakeining that they don't own all the land as far as the eye can see. Maybe you should mention that you are planning to put up a fence to them, I bet your barn won't look so bad to them. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[DarrenP]

You are NOT a bad neighbor. I believe in being nice and helpful to my neighbors, but I don't understand property owners asking their neighbors where they should build barns, etc on their own land. I would not even consider telling a neighbor what to do with their land, and I expect the same.

 

[Wingnut]

That was my first thought, too, Darren.
I put up a shop and never even once thought about what my neighbor would think .... I calculated the most advantageous spot based on availability on electricity and not impeding mowing. And then I took a second look to make sure it screened my bedroom and poolhouse as much as possible from their view .... and that's where I planted it.
Not once in the 3 years since I built it did I even think of asking them if they liked it there ... and yes, we do talk infrequently ... since we usually end up sitting next to each other at Goldwing club meetings.
In my mind, a good neighbor is one who doesn't build on his neighbors property or use his neighbors property for any purpose without permission. As I see it ... letting them cross YOUR land to get to THEIR barn makes you amuch better neighbor than them. Enjoy the barn!

 

[TresCrows]

You have the right perhaps to build it there but obviously you have some question to it's suitability which you are transferring perhaps to your neighbors. I would not put the building there. Why, not so much because of the neighbors but it forms and eyesore to your property. One building is bad enough but two buildings in the same spot will look like an industrial site has sprung up---right where you and everyone including future buyers will have to pass to get to your house. The first view is the one that forms the impression and the first view they get of your property is a mini industrial site. Put the building somewhere else. J

 

[riptides]

Spencer,

Your a thoughtful person.

In my humble opinion, both sites are NOT quite what "I" would do. Your neighboor has a poor location for both the house and pole barn. That said, your choice right next to it makes both lots look "busy". Your second site, again IMHO, looks, just wrong. I would rather "see" your beautiful house first, then perhaps your pole barn.

Your lot size and location of the house, seems to give a beautiful rural, "woodsy", "country" feel. Keep it that way and set your site closer to your house, but make sure the house is first up, for the eye candy.

In the mean time, plant some evergreens to hide your neighboors choices!

Again, IMHO, whatever you do, make it right for YOU.

-Mike Z.

 

[motelman]

A few years ago I lived in a rural subdivision with several other homeowners. The people who built the house had purchased two lots and put the house in the middle, that was a great plan. The front yard was wide open for the kids to play in and the back was heavily wooded, so even if someone bought and built on the lot behind me I wouldn't see them, except maybe some small spots through the dense trees.

There were a lot of open lots in the area that were still for sale and when I saw someone looking I decided to purchase the lot behind me just in case, I was in the process of getting the information together to talk to the neighbor behind me and see if he would be interested in purchasing half of the lot, when I found out he was already in the process of buying it. He didn't want any one building next to him, he wanted the buffer zone.

Some of the more out-spoken neighbors that DID NOT want any one close to thier houses, you guessed it, they have people building all the way around them. When I was back in the area I asked one of the more annoying ones(the only one home in the area) why he didn't buy the lot when he had the chance, $1,500 for three acres. He said he didn't think any one would be that rude to build right next to the other homes there, I couldn't help my self, I laughed at him and his situation.

Like I always say, "Every one makes his or her own choices and we all need to learn to live with them".